News Briefs: Pride Fest in Highwood set for June 2-3; Writers Theatre reveals season lineup; State groups award Village of Winnetka

Celebrate Highwood will kick off Pride Month in style on Friday-Saturday, June 2-3, when the public is invited to “show their pride on the North Side” during the Highwood Pride Fest.

Both night are filled with grown-up fun, including the Taste the Rainbow Pub Crawl from 6:30-11 p.m. on Friday, June 2, in downtown Highwood and the Radiant Rebellion Drag Show and Dance Party from 6:30-11 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at 28 Mile Distilling Company.

Tickets to each event are $20 per person or both events for $30 a person. For more information and to register for the events, visit CelebrateHighwood.org.

“Highwood has been recognized as one of the first communities on Chicago’s North Shore to host a Pride Fest,” said Eric Falberg, Highwood alderman, president of Celebrate Highwood, and co-owner of 28 Mile Distilling Company, in a press release. “Highwood is an incredible community rich in diversity, love and acceptance for all, and although we dedicate the month … to celebrate Pride, we embrace the LGBTQ+ community 365 days a year.”

According to the release, Downtown Highwood will celebrate the LGBTQ+ community all month long with Pride flags lining the streets, rainbow windows and chalked sidewalks.

The Highwood Pride Fest benefits Camp Indigo Point, a residential summer camp that supports LGBTQ+ youth (second through 11th grade).

“We are thrilled to have Camp Indigo Point as this year’s Highwood Pride Fest beneficiary,” said DR Smith, representing Highwood Pride, in the release. “Camp Indigo Point provides a space for queer kids to be themselves in a traditional camp environment. Our goal is to raise enough money to send at least one kid to Camp Indigo Point this summer.”

Four shows in new Writers Theatre season, plus ‘Christmas Carol’ returns

The Writers Theatre has released its lineup for its first season under Artistic Director Braden Abraham, who began with the organization in February.

The season begins with “Eurydice,” (Sept. 21-Oct. 22, Opening: Sept. 29), a show from North Shore native and Pulitzer-Prize-nominate playwright Sarah Ruhl.

Next up is Tony-Award-winning musical “The Band’s Visit” (Feb. 8-March 17, 2024, Opening: Feb. 16), followed by “Monsieur Chopin, A Play with Music” (April 10-May 12, 2024, Opening: April 12), and then “The Hot Wing King” (June 20-July 21, 2024, Opener: June 28, 2024).

In addition, the theater’s holiday tradition returns with Manual Cinema’s “Christmas Carol” (Nov. 16-Dec. 24).

“This season aims to strengthen the bonds between our community and Chicagoland artists,” Abraham said in a press release. “The plays presented this year serve as a reminder of how a chance encounter could lead to a life-altering moment, how love appears and endures in unexpected ways, and how music and language have the power to reach across the boundaries of culture, space, and time. We hope these plays will help us connect more deeply with one another through exceptional artistry within our uniquely intimate theatre spaces.

The new season includes an expansion of the Theatre for Young Audiences, which will present “FORTS: Build Your Own Adventure,” in a collaboration with Chicago’s Filament Theatre.

Tickets and more information are available on the Writers Theatre website and by calling (847) 242-6000.

Productions take place in the 255-seat Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre and the Gillian Theatre at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe.

Winnetka collects state utility award

The Village of Winnetka picked up an award for the development of its water and electric systems.

Winnetka’s Director of Water and Electric Brian Keys accepted the 2023 System Achievement Award during a conference on May 11-12 in Springfield.

The awards ceremony is a product of the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, the Illinois Municipal Utilities Association and the Illinois Public Energy Agency. 

According to a press release the System Achievement Award “recognizes a member municipality for various electric system achievements, such as new system additions, generator improvements and upgrades, as well as those related to customer-service, energy efficiency, overall system operation, maintenance, reliability and safety.” 

The release goes on to say that Winnetka installed a second transformer at a local substation, “re-conductored its 12-kV underground delivery feed” and refurbished its power plant. Plus, more than 600 electric vehicles are registered in Winnetka and the Village has two public EV charging stations.

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