Winter WonderFest at Navy Pier Site of Kick Off For Yearlong celebration of Illinois Bicentennial

Here at ChiIL Mama we're excited for the Illinois bicentennial. Chi, IL isn't just part of my business name, it's home! My two children were born in Chicago as was my father and his 3 sibling, and his parents too. 

 
Today, Gov. Bruce Rauner and leaders of the Illinois Bicentennial Commission officially kicked off the state’s yearlong 200th birthday celebration at Fifth Third Bank Winter WonderFest at Navy Pier. Illinois Bicentennial will pay tribute to the people, places, and things that are being BORN, BUILT & GROWN in the nation’s fifth most populous state. 

“This is an opportunity to celebrate all that has been great in our first 200 years and lay the foundation for 200 more years of growth and prosperity,” Rauner said. “Illinois is home, and the Bicentennial gives us a chance to reflect on how we can continue to make it great for our children and grandchildren.”

“Today marks Illinois’ 199th birthday,” said Lori Healey, co-chairwoman of the commission and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. “Illinois Bicentennial will be a yearlong celebration between Dec. 3, 2017, and Dec. 3, 2018, which will be our state’s 200th birthday.”



“The Bicentennial is a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to fall in love with Illinois all over again,” said Gloria Castillo, co-chairwoman of the commission and president and CEO of Chicago United. “Throughout the next 365 days, Illinois Bicentennial will pay tribute to the people, places, and things that are being BORN, BUILT & GROWN here every single day.”

The Navy Pier festivities mark the beginning of events and projects that the Commission has planned to kick off the celebration around the state. In addition to the Winter WonderFest ceremony, events today and Monday include:

• “Raise the Curtain on Illinois Bicentennial,” where 100 winners of the commission’s 100 Day Countdown Video Contest will share the stage with the governor and the cast of “Hamilton” following this afternoon’s matinee performance.

• The Illinois Bicentennial Exhibit will be previewed today at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library in Springfield, with music provided by the Illinois Symphony.

• A simultaneous Bicentennial flag-raising takes place at municipalities around the state at noon Monday, Dec. 4, to note the beginning of the state’s 200th year. The Illinois Municipal League and United Airlines partnered to provide complimentary flags to counties and municipalities statewide, and the Commission will also host a flag raising ceremony at McCormick Place at noon on Dec. 4.



During his kickoff address, the governor encouraged all citizens to participate in the celebration, to visit illinois200.com and to use the hashtag #IllinoisProud on their social media posts.

Fifth Third Bank hosted today’s festivities at Navy Pier, where the Bicentennial logo is featured on the Navy Pier Centennial Wheel and on signage throughout Winter WonderFest today. Guests can also purchase merchandise commemorating the state’s milestone and have pictures taken with “Big Lincoln,” near the Illinois Bicentennial and Office of Tourism booths.

Also in attendance at today’s press conference were Bicentennial Commission co-chair Randy Dunn, president of Southern Illinois University System; Illinois Municipal League Executive Director Brad Cole; United Airlines Vice President State and Local Government Affairs Dan Lynch; UPS Delivery Driver Don Bence; Navy Pier President and CEO Marilynn Gardner; and Fifth Third Bank Executive Leader of Civic Engagement and Strategic Partnerships Francia Harrington.



ABOUT ILLINOIS BICENTENNIAL
200 years ago, on December 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state in the Union. Since then, the people of Illinois have banded together to transform this once-barren and uninviting land into a remarkable place of awe-inspiring beauty, accomplishment, and culture. The Illinois Bicentennial is a year-long celebration of what has been BORN. BUILT. GROWN. in the state and an invitation to fall in love with Illinois all over again. Citizens are encouraged to participate in the celebration by visiting www.illinois200.com and using the hashtag #IllinoisProud. 

Partners and event and project managers planning activities between December 3, 2017 and December 3, 2018 can apply for endorsement to become an official part of Illinois Bicentennial by visiting the PARTICIPATE page at www.Illinois200.com for more information.

Chicago Celebrates Shakespeare's 451st Birthday & Mayor Rahm Emanuel Proclaims April 23rd Talk Like Shakespeare Day

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) and the City of Chicago honor William Shakespeare’s 451st Birthday with an official proclamation from Mayor Rahm Emanuel declaring April 23rd Talk Like Shakespeare Day.

We've broken out the trusty Shakespearian insult mug in honor of the day. You can get your own mug, Shakespearian insult playing cards and more fun Bard swag at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Bottoms up!

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows we ADORE Shakespeare, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and our sweet home Chicago. My grandparents, Dad and my children were all born here in Chi, IL. 

Talk Like Shakespeare Day is an occasion for citizens from Chicago and across the globe to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday by bringing the spoken words of the playwright into their daily lives. Penning 154 sonnets and 38 plays, Shakespeare is credited with contributing over 1,700 words and countless phrases to the English language—including “bedazzled,” “swagger” and “new-fangled.” Everyone is dared on April 23rd to bring out their “thee-s” and “thou-s” in observation of the annual holiday.

“He was not of an age, but for all time,” eulogized Shakespeare’s friend, fellow poet and playwright, Ben Jonson. Nearly four centuries after Shakespeare’s death in 1616, he is, indeed, recognized as one of the most famous and prolific writers in the history of the English language; his plays and poetry have traveled the globe—to every continent, spoken in hundreds of languages; his work has inspired artists across disciplines from playwrights and poets to composers and choreographers. 

TalkLikeShakespeare.org is the virtual home base for revelers. The site features activities for celebrating Talk Like Shakespeare Day by speaking, reading and teaching Shakespeare’s words, as well as helpful tips on how to talk like the Bard—including:

1. Instead of you, say thou or thee (and instead of y’all, say ye). 
2. Rhymed couplets are all the rage. 
3. Men are Sirrah, ladies are Mistress, and your friends are all called Cousin. 
4. Instead of cursing, try calling your tormentors jackanapes or canker-blossoms or poisonous bunch-back’d toads. 
5. Don’t waste time saying it, just use the letter t (’tis, t’will, I’ll do’t). 
6. Verse for lovers, prose for ruffians, songs for clowns. 
7. When in doubt, add the letters eth to the end of verbs (he runneth, he trippeth, he falleth). 
8. To add weight to your opinions, try starting them with methinks, mayhaps, in sooth or wherefore. 

Chicago Shakespeare originated the holiday in 2009 and it became an immediate worldwide sensation, garnering extensive national and international attention and more than one million hits to TalkLikeShakespeare.org.

For more information, visit TalkLikeShakespeare.org.

ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) believes that Shakespeare speaks to everyone. A global theatrical force, CST is known for vibrant productions that reflect Shakespeare’s genius for storytelling, language and empathy for the human condition. We have evolved into a dynamic company, producing award-winning plays at our home on Navy Pier, throughout Chicago’s schools and neighborhoods, and on stages around the world. We serve as a partner in literacy to Chicago Public Schools, working alongside English teachers to help struggling readers connect with Shakespeare in the classroom, and bringing his text to life on stage for 40,000 students every year. And each summer, 25,000 families and audience members of all ages welcome our free Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks tour into their neighborhoods across the far north, west and south sides of the city. Reflecting the global city we call home, CST is the leading producer of international work in Chicago and has toured our own plays abroad to Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe.

The Theater’s tradition of excellence and civic leadership has been honored with numerous national and international awards including the Regional Theater Tony Award®, three Laurence Olivier Awards, and seventy-eight total Joseph Jefferson Awards. CST was the 2012 recipient of the Folger Shakespeare Library’s national Shakespeare Steward Award for our innovative teaching of Shakespeare in American classrooms. Among our many international engagements, CST participated in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2006 Complete Works Festival and was selected to represent North America at the Globe to Globe festival as part of London’s 2012 Cultural Olympiad.