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COVER Dr. Brandon Howard
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HAIR
in the know
Northwestern University’s “Hair” The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, Directed by Matt Hawkins goes through July 31st. It’s the end of the 1960s in New York City where Claude’s young life converges with an eclectic group of long haired hippies who invite him to join the “tribe.” There he is introduced to the hippie counter-culture and the sexual revolution that scandalized American society during the war-torn Vietnam era. But their lovefilled and radical way of life is thrown into disarray when Claude is drafted and the tribe is torn apart. Bridging generations and viewpoints, HAIR is the first musical to electrify Broadway with an infused rockn-roll score featuring the enduring songs “Let the Sun Shine In,” “Aquarius,” “Hair” and “Good Morning Starshine,” Be advised this production contains strong language, simulated drug use, sexual content and violence. Get tickets online at: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/959134
SUMMER CONCERTS
New City’s Summer Concerts runs every Thursday thru September 1st. Celebrate summer with NEWCITY in the plaza and enjoy warm summer weather food, drink, and music. Music ranges from Top 40, Tribute Bands, 80’s, Oldies, Blues, Country, Salsa and more! Bring a lawn chair. Grab a drink. Enjoy the show. July 21st is Elton John tribute & July 28th rock out to the Rolling Stone’s tribute. For more groups and information go to: http://experiencenewcity.com/concerts
A TROPICAL PUNCH!
Randolph Street Market a “Tropical Punch” theme goes on July 30th and 31st. The Randolph Street Market Festival is home to the world-renowned Chicago Antique Market, Indie Designer Market, Modern Vintage Chicago and the Holiday Market. As seen in Travel & Leisure, the NY Times, Lucky Magazine and featured on TV news shows and web casts, the Randolph Street Market Festival is considered “a mecca of cool”, “the best hot spot for antiquing”, “the best Chicago venue for people watching”, and “the Barney’s of Vintage”. This European-style, 24 boiMAG
indoor-outdoor urban antique market in the historic West Loop neighborhood features 200 select purveyors of high quality, amazingly priced “finds”, offering unlimited creative inspiration and hours of fun. Shoppers can find furnishings, vintage clothing, jewelry, collectibles, etc. For all you record collectors, check out the Vinyl Swap Meet. Thousands of collectible records from 45’s to LP’s, jazz to rock and show tunes galore will make you tap your toes and groove down memory lane. The Fancy Food Market you can try all types of chocolates, cakes, breads, spices, olive oils, salsa to bring home or enjoy during the event. For more information go to: http://www.randolphstreetmarket.com/ randolphstreetmarket
BACK TO THE RENAISSANCE
Bristol Renaissance Faire, every weekend thru Labor Day. This summer’s 29th annual Bristol Renaissance Faire promises the same perennially popular compliment of 16th Century merriment, music, food and games that have earned top national honors. Bristol’s ever-evolving live action fantasyplay game, RenQuest, has become one of the most highly anticipated events of the Faire season. Originating in 2008, RenQuest brings the worldwide popularity of massively multiplayer online role-playing games, (similar to World of Warcraft) into the live action dimension of the Renaissance Faire. The game spans the entire 30-acre Faire site and employs 30 non-playing characters dedicated to enriching the fantasy experience for patron-players. The Sixteen Bristol entertainment stages feature nonstop music, feats of daring stunts and an eclectic assortment of comedic performers who invite their audiences to become part of the act. Joining Faire favorites, including Dirk and Guido, the comedic sword-fighting duo known as “The Swordsmen,” ropewalker, juggler and foolish mortal MooNiE the Magnif’Cent, Guinness World Recordholding fire whip artist Adam Crack, the Barely Balanced acrobatic comedy troupe, and the Sturdy Beggars, Mud Show, will be a breathtaking aerial silk act suspended from the trees of the wooded Faire site. More info at: http://renfair.com/bristol
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Staging Secrets
Make Your Home Irresistible During Showings Selling your home is a process, and one vital part of that is making the home look warm, cozy, and inviting. If you’re going to continue living in the home while it’s up for sale, one important part of the selling process is what’s known as staging. Many sellers think of staging as simply cleaning up their home and making sure it always looks nice for potential buyers, but it’s much more than that. Listings that are properly staged will be much more appealing to buyers and are more likely to receive serious bids. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) did a study on staged and unstaged homes and found, on average, that homes staged before being listed sold 79 percent faster than those staged after being on the market. On average, staged homes were on the market for 4 months, while unstaged homes may go unsold for 6 months or more. The first thing to do is to fix any little issues that stand out. This may include repainting a wall or two if the paint has been scratched or if the wall doesn’t look as good as it once did. You’ll also want to have the carpets professionally cleaned and make sure all tile and hardwood floors look good. According to the NAR survey, investing as little as one percent of your asking price in staging in these quick and simple repairs and renovations can increase the amount of your bids by as much as ten percent. Every buyer has a number of things they look for in a potential home. Some are unique to the buyer, but other things are common to most everyone who is scouring the market for their dream home. One of these common items is storage. People want a lot of closet space, whether it’s for clothing, hobby supplies, or to store Christmas decorations. You can use this to your advantage by staging your closets just
right. The trick is to take out about half of everything in every closet, then organize what’s left and spread it out a bit. This will make the closet seem larger than it really is. Lighting is also very important. Most people want a home that appears bright and cheery. It’s not uncommon to hear someone say something like “that hallway is so dark!” but then comment about how much natural light the kitchen gets. That’s why you want to make sure all of your light fixtures have working bulbs in them. Take the time to clean your windows, make sure your curtains are open, and even consider buying higher watt bulbs for your lights and lamps. This is especially important if you do have dark rooms or areas in your home. Another tip is to “de-personalize” your home. People often unconsciously pick up on things in someone’s home that they don’t like, so be sure to remove these things. This can include things like R-rated movies, items that indicate your religious preference, and any books that are controversial. These are just a few ways you can stage your home to appeal to potential buyers. Your real estate agent will be able to help you with ideas specific to your home. Your agent is your biggest asset in the quest to sell your home, which is why it’s so important that you find someone you have a good working relationship with. For members of the LGBT community, this may mean working with a gay or lesbian agent. You can easily find one of these agents in your area through www.GayRealEstate.com, a website specializing in LGBT real estate. Remember that staging is just one of the factors that makes your home attractive to potential buyers, but it can influence those who are on the fence about making an offer. boiMAG 27
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