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Community Corner

🌱 Rare 1904 Chicago License Plate + New West Side Block Party

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Chicago.

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(Patch Media)

Hey, Chicago! It's me, Nicole Cvetnic, your host of the Daily. Let's get this day started off right, with a quick review of the most important things happening in town.

  • 🎉 A new West Side block party kicks off this weekend
  • 🚗 An 'incredibly rare' Chicago license plate from 1904 is up for auction
  • 💵 The Chicago City Council is set to receive an automatic pay bump

First, the weather:

Partly sunny and less humid. High: 74 Low: 64.

👀 Attention local businesses & marketers: Attract more customers in Chicago by sponsoring this daily newsletter, which gets read by the same people you're trying to reach. Click here to learn more.

Top 5 stories in Chicago today:

1) New West Side block party seeing 'Purple.' A new music festival is coming to the West Side —and it's for and from West Siders. The Purple Block Party comes at the end of a contentious summer in which some locals have said enough of festivals in West Side parks. But, this one promises to be of and for the community, organizers said. The 12-hour music festival begins at 10 a.m. Sunday in Garfield Park at 100 N. Central Park Avenue. The lineup features Chicago artists from house producer Ron Carroll to headliners Pivot Gang as well as out-of-state artists from Kali to Jim Jones.

The Chicago Sun-Times

2) Soldier Field is second-worst NFL stadium, according to report. Soldier Field ranked 29th out of 30 NFL stadiums in a report put out by For The Win this week. Despite its glorious lakefront surroundings, the stadium, which has been the subject of studies and renovation plans as set forth by a committee appointed by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, is a major eyesore, according to the published report. The editors at For The Win called Soldier Field a "bizarre mix of past and present." "Like if Laura Ingalls Wilder had married a cyborg," the site said in its review.

Chicago Patch

3) Chicago City Council set to receive automatic pay bump, but some members will turn down raises. The Chicago City Council is up for reelection in February, and soon alderpersons could potentially see a pay raise without having to put the measure up for a floor vote. About 15 years ago, the City Council approved a measure that would give its members pay raises that would be tied to the rate of inflation. After receiving a 5.5% pay raise last year, they could potentially be in line for an almost 10% increase in salary, according to officials. Still, members of the City Council have the ability to reject the raise, and Alderman Ray Lopez says he will be one of them. Alderman Giblert Villegas has said he will also be turning down the raise.

NBC Chicago

4) TikTok car theft challenge: Chicago area sees 767% increase in Hyundai, Kia thefts. A car theft challenge going viral on TikTok and other social media apps has led to a 767% increase in Hyundai and Kia vehicle thefts in the Chicago area since the beginning of July compared to last year, according to authorities. TikTok users are posting videos under the hashtag "Kia Boyz," teaching people how to start Kia or Hyundai vehicles without keys. Between July 1 and mid-August, there were 642 reported Kia and Hyundai vehicle thefts compared to just 74 last year. The issue stems from the lack of an immobilizer system in some of the vehicles prior to the 2022 model year, mainly 2011-2021 Kias and 2015-2021 Hyundais equipped with ignitions requiring mechanical keys.

Fox News

5) 'Incredibly rare' Chicago license plate from 1904 is up for auction. One of the city's first license plates is up for sale at an auction that ends Sunday. The license plate—a simple black-and-white plate that says "-1-"—is an aluminum plate from 1904, when the city made and issued its own license plates. It's expected to sell for $4,000-$6,000. Chicago issued its own license plates between 1903-1907, and are "incredibly rare" because few were distributed. Of those that were, the aluminum plates from 1904 are the rarest. The city stopped issuing its own plates in 1907 after the state took over.

Block Club Chicago

Today in Chicago:

  • Yoga for Adults at West Lawn Branch Library (9:30 AM)
  • Crochet 101 Series at Garfield Ridge Branch Library (10:00 AM)
  • VIP Tour of Soldier Field (11:00 AM)
  • Foot Locker Fridays at Foot Locker Chicago (1:00 PM)
  • Taste of Greektown Festival on Halsted Street (4:00 PM)
  • Happy Hour Luau Lake Cruises on Lake Michigan (4:30 p.m.)
  • Somos Summer Set at National Museum of Mexican Art (6:00 PM)
  • Festival au Cinéma at Den Theatre (6:00 PM)
  • Kulturküche: Obsttorte cooking class at DANK Haus German American Cultural Center (6:30 PM)
  • Kehlani: Blue Water Road Trip at Aragon Ballroom (7 p.m.)
  • Beverly Theatre Guild presents Make 'Em Laugh at Morgan Park Academy Arts Center Gallery (7:30 PM)
  • Lifeline Theatre Presents "Miss Homes Returns" at Lifeline Theatre (7:30 PM)
  • Matt Nathanson and Donovan Woods at The Vic Theatre (7:30 p.m.)
  • WASTED LIGHT at Steppenwolf Theater (8:00 PM)
  • Movies in the Parks: "Encanto" at Scottsdale Park (8:00 PM)
  • Shamilton, The Improvised Hip-Hop American Musical! at Second City (8:30 PM)
  • Club 90's Beyoncé Ball at House of Blues (9:00 PM)

Bonus: Dogs ride free on Seadog cruises on Lake Michigan through the end of the month to celebrate National Dog Day. For more info, check here.

Chatter:

  • Which Chicago 'hood is your fav?: "Which neighborhood in Chicago is your favorite? Tap our link in bio to discover some of our faves, including Pilsen. 😍 #EnjoyIllinois #MiddleofEverything" (Enjoy Illinois via Instagram)
  • Pat Hughes: "Pat Hughes finds out live on broadcast that he's being inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame!" (Chicago Cubs via Facebook)
  • Ryne Sandberg leads 7th inning stretch: "Ryno conducts the 7th inning stretch!" (Chicago Cubs via Facebook)
  • Music of 19th-century Paris: "Be transported back in time to the streets of 19th-century Paris with Charles Gounod's simple yet elegant Petite symphonie for Wind Instruments, performed by musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and streaming now for free!" (Chicago Symphony Orchestra via Instagram)
  • Bunker Hill: "The new connection will allow bikers and hikers to access the natural areas at Bunker Hill and the more than 20 miles of trails in the Forest Preserves' North Branch Trail system." (Block Club Chicago via Facebook)
  • Cambodian cuisine: "Khmai Fine Dining is a rare destination for Cambodian cuisine" (Eater Chicago via Facebook)
  • Need a caffeine kick?: "Looking for a refreshing kick of caffeine that's perfect on a warm day? Jesse Iniguez's Café de Olla Cold Brew is just your thing. ⁠ ⁠ Tap the link in our bio for the recipe.⁠ ⁠ 📸 @jeff_marini⁠ ⁠ #chicago #dining #coffee #coldbrew" (Chicago magazine via Instagram)

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You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Nicole Cvetnic

About me: I'm a Midwesterner and very happy to call Chicagoland home. I love the outdoors—especially hiking, performing arts, photography, good food, travel and gardening. You can often find me reading to my two-year-old daughter, watching a tv series with my husband or cuddling with our special needs dog.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Chicago Daily? Contact me at chicago_il@patch.com

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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