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CABINET OF CURIOSITY PRESENTS “KAZOOZAPALOOZA: PEDAL POWERED PROGRAM YEAR 4: THE BLACK MAN FROM MACON”
Images of Cabinet of Curiosity past events courtesy of Cabinet of Curiosity.
This Musical, Interactive Celebration of the Man Behind the Kazoo, Alabama Vest, is FREE with Locations at Boler Park (July 26), Marquette Park (August 9), and Navy Pier (September 20)
Cabinet of Curiosity presents “Kazoozapalooza Pedal Powered Program Year 4: The Black Man from Macon” beginning July 26 at 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Boler Park and continues with two additional events at Marquette Park and Navy Pier (full details below). This bike-powered spectacle is presented in collaboration with Working Bikes, the School of the Art Institute, the Homan Square Neighborhood Association, the Chicago Climate Action Museum, the Lawndale Pop-Up Spot, and the Chicago Park District. All events are free, for more information go to www.cocechicago.com.
“Kazoozapalooza Pedal Powered Program Year 4: The Black Man from Macon,” is an outdoor interactive and participatory show written by Frank Maugeri, Lynne Jordan, Brandon Boler, Samarem Diaz-Negrete and Alexis Willis with illustrations by Mandy Newham-Cobb and engineered objects by Dustan Creech and Tom Robinson, and original music by Lynne Jordan, Gordon Middleton and Chicago saxophone player Michael Jackson. This bike-powered panoramic celebratory spectacle shares the visual tale of Alabama Vest, the inventor of the Kazoo. Each guest receives a free kazoo and is invited to contribute to the show's musical score. Early attendees are invited to attend a S.T.E.A.M. workshop, where guests, young and old, can engineer their own mechanical, illustrated story.
Kazoozapalooza Pedal Powered Program events include:
Boler Park
3601 W. Arthington St.
Saturday, July 26 from 1 - 2:30 p.m.
Free
Marquette Park
6743 S Kedzie Ave, Chicago IL 60629
Saturday, August 9 from 1 - 2:30 p.m,
FREE
Chicago Live! At Navy Pier
600 E. Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
Saturday, September 20, 3:30p.m, with a bubble parade prior
FREE with a live performance by Lynne Jordan and band members
The primary collaborators for “Kazoozapalooza Pedal Powered Program Year 4” include Lynne Jordan (primary collaborator), Gordon Middleton (songwriter), Brandon Boler (community collaborator), Dustan Creech (engineer), Tom Robinson (engineer), Alexis Willis (performance actress), Mandy Newhan-Cobb (illustrator), Frank Maugeri (Cabinet artistic director), Samarem Diaz-Negrete (Cabinet associate artistic director) and Dayna Calderon (parks district rep). School of Celebration Summer 2025 students include Thanh Do, Lucca Duston, Nocturne Best and Olivia Gibson. Band members include Michael Jackson, Raymond Glower, Brady Williams, and Matthew Skoller.
ABOUT CABINET OF CURIOSITY
Cabinet of Curiosity (Cabinet) expertise and mission lies in interactivity, immersion, ritual composition, community building, and collaboration between artists and community members of various skill levels and mediums. Cabinet of Curiosity focuses on creating new types of experiences, gatherings, ceremonies, and rituals which promote community and interactivity amongst people who may not usually mix. Cabinet is composed of diverse project-by-project collectives who authentically collaborate on original celebrations and productions. Cabinet uses sophisticated puppetry and handmade devices to develop unique interactive experiences, productions, and events. The company supports multicultural professionals in the field of theater, visual arts, dance, sculpture, and music, while mindfully training high school and college-age apprentices to become the future creators of new, meaningful rituals. All the objects and devices created by Cabinet are engineered to expose their mechanical operations, so they are simultaneously educational, informative, and magical. Cabinet embraces commissions that require unique elements of ritual, ceremony, procession, and pageantry. These commissions create funding that establishes an innovative revenue stream, reducing the responsibility of sustainability from the board, audience, and foundations, trains apprentices through a unique scholarship apparatus, builds community, and funds our free and significantly discounted public work. Cabinet is committed to social engagement — both grand and intimate, with its purpose to promote curiosity, community, and culture.
