The Great Chicago Bean Heist: City Goes Nuts With 'Bean' Events

CHICAGO, IL — Do you remember where you were the first time you saw a Facebook event that referenced the Chicago "Bean?" I do. I was sitting in my study poring over a quaint and curious volume of forgotten Facebook lore when I saw an event pop up in my newsfeed: Steal the Bean and Replace It with a Fake Bean. A gleaming image of Chicago's proud Cloud Gate graced the event page. That was the moment my Facebook feed changed forever.

Since then, nearly every other post I see has something to do with a gathering at the Chicago Bean. The collective consciousness that is Chicago has created countless events and counter-events to be held at the bean. By and large, they are ridiculous and comical, but some have a sense of political commentary and others have even raised money for social causes. Amid all the social and political turmoil in the news, it's hard to negotiate this refreshingly innocent amusement with a sense of anguish from the sheer volume of fake stuff to do at the ean.

Seriously, just type "the Bean" into your Facebook search bar and scroll through the endless string of events. Some of the most epic "events" at the Bean (thus far) include:

• Windex the Bean
• Paint the Bean Black So They Can't Windex It
• Pour Paint Thinner On The Bean After They Paint It Black So We Can Windex It

Still other Bean events have taken a satirical strike at the city's political climate.

• Give Rahm A Ride Out of Town on the Bean
• Succumb to Our Collective Existential Dread Outside the Bean (10K people are interested in this one)

Lately, things have begun to turn migraine-inducingly meta.

• Create Bean Events At The Bean
• Intervention to End All of the Stuff Happening to the Bean

Are you getting over-beaned yet?

One lovestruck woman started a Bean event called "Help Me Summon the Chicago Mothman at the Bean So I May Become His Bride." In lieu of wedding gifts, she asked for donations to such charities as After School Matters and The Marwen Foundation.

Some people are thrilled by the Bean events and some others can no longer tolerate the madness.

It's hard to deny that the Bean events are getting a little bit out of hand, but they're bringing our great city together in a way that will make the legend of the Bean live on long after it's been stolen, released into Lake Michigan, or deep fried and eaten.

>>Image via Pixabay