Highlights
In 1980, Mayor Jane Byrne, at the prompting of Chicago restaurateur Arnie Morton, decided to stage a little food festival featuring small portions from some of the city's top restaurants. A Taste of Chicago, the annual salute to summer gluttony and the nation's biggest picnic, is now the second-largest tourist attraction in Illinois, drawing hundreds of thousands to Grant Park over 10 days each summer. Taste of Chicago began with a $150,000 budget and plans to attract 75,000 for a one-day event on three blocks of North Michigan Avenue. Attendance was 250,000, and the city deemed it a huge success. In 1981 the festival moved to Grant Park. (A dispute between the administration of Harold Washi...
In 1980, Mayor Jane Byrne, at the prompting of Chicago restaurateur Arnie Morton, decided to stage a little food festival featuring small portions from some of the city's top restaurants. A Taste of Chicago, the annual salute to summer gluttony and the nation's biggest picnic, is now the second-largest tourist attraction in Illinois, drawing hundreds of thousands to Grant Park over 10 days each summer. Taste of Chicago began with a $150,000 budget and plans to attract 75,000 for a one-day event on three blocks of North Michigan Avenue. Attendance was 250,000, and the city deemed it a huge success. In 1981 the festival moved to Grant Park. (A dispute between the administration of Harold Washington, Byrne's successor, and the promoter resulted in the event being canceled in 1983, but Washington revived it in 1984 in cooperation with the Illinois Restaurant Association.) More than 70 restaurants from the Chicago area now set up in tents in the park, and attendance has reached 3.5 million. The festival also has featured a range of performers over the years, from Tom Jones to the Village People to K.C. and the Sunshine Band to George Clinton.
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Help Mike McConnell create his Summer 2011 Chicago Bucket List
With so much to see and do in Chicago, where do you start? Mike McConnell has a summer to plan and needs your help! We are looking for the don't-miss destinations and the secret Chicago treasures, places to go and the events that make Chicago so great...Tags: Millennium Park, Wrigley Field
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Wednesday, June 22, 2011
5 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Greg Jarrett 7:09 a.m. Cook County is $108 BILLION in debt?! So says County treasurer Maria Pappas. Professor Paul Green tosses in a dose of reality on this and other topics. 7:21 a.m. Palin vs. Bachmann: Who'll still be in it come...Tags: Billiards, Snooker and Pool, Medical Services, Chicago Cubs, Major League Baseball, Bank Robbery
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Friday, June 24, 2011
5 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Bill Moller in for Greg Jarrett 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Mike McConnell 12:30 - 3 p.m. John Williams 2:05 p.m. The Family Research Council wants NBC to air the Pledge of Allegiance every day. John Williams will talk about this and...Tags: Human Interest, Chicago Cubs, Major League Baseball
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Top Ten Things I'd Like to See Added to the Taste of Chicago This Year
Staff reporter10. All gang members have to pay a $50 admission. 9. Bring your own fireworks night. 8. Guess which night police will close Taste of Chicago early, win a police escort to your car. 7. Turkey meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting, wait, they are...Tags: Rod Blagojevich, Summerfest
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Wednesday, January 5, 2011
5 - 8:30 a.m. Rob Hart in for Greg Jarrett 7:09 a.m. Professor Paul Green joins Rob for his weekly visit. Topics will include Bill Daley and the Illinois legislature's vote on an income tax increase. 7:39 a.m. Senator Mark Kirk will take your calls...Tags: Chicago Sports Tickets, Mark Kirk, Paul Green, Illinois General Assembly, Chicago Blackhawks
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Robert Plant at the Taste of Chicago Tuesday night
Staff reporterRobert Plant at the Taste of Chicago Tuesday night:Tags: Los Lobos (music group), Robert Plant
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Multiple Gun, Knife Arrests at Taste of Chicago
(WGN-AM)- Chicago police made multiple arrests of people on charges of illegally carrying handguns and knives at the Taste of Chicago and fireworks show Friday, although the exact numbers were not yet being released. There were "multiple" arrests of...Tags: Buckingham Fountain, Lake Shore Drive, Chicago Tribune, Grant Park, Police Arrests
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How To Use One Last Ticket At The Taste Of Chicago
(WGN-AM)- It happens every year. You leave the Taste of Chicago stuck with one extra ticket. What to do? Kevin Pang with a CLTV Special Investigation/Watchdog Unit report.Tags: CLTV, Kevin Pang
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Daley Defends Police Efforts After Violent Weekend
(WGN-AM)- Despite a bloody holiday weekend that left nearly a dozen dead across the city, Mayor Richard Daley today defended police efforts to reduce violence -- and denied they were focused too much on the Taste of Chicago. "Anytime you have a long...Tags: Children, Chicago Tribune, Crimes, Gang Activity, Regional Authority
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Taste Numbers Show Attendance Down
(WGN-AM)- The attendance numbers for this year's Taste of Chicago showed a slight dropoff, but city organizers said they were still pleased with the size of hungry crowds that braved rainy weather and economic uncertainty. About 3.35 million people...Tags: Chicago Tribune, Grant Park
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Man Arrested for Bringing Handgun to Taste
(WGN-AM)- Chicago police arrested an Indiana man Saturday after he allegedly tried to bring a fully loaded handgun into Taste of Chicago. Acting on a tip, the police said they found the 9mm handgun on Shrome D. George, 25, of the 3400 block of South...Tags: Indiana, Michigan City, Chicago Tribune, South Chicago
Jun 1, 2011
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