27 Mar Oh What A Night!
Every year the Chicago Public Library Foundation holds a complete rager of a party in the Harold Washington Branch in the middle of the otherwise peaceful and always stunning winter garden. It’s a fundraiser, put on by the associate board, to help support the CPLF and all the great work they do. I’d always heard about “Night in the Stacks” and for some reason, I thought it was some kind of an invitation-only-for-those-in-the-know-event, but once I got hired to cover it, I found out how wrong I was. And these bookworms know how to party. A different theme each year is seamlessly tied into the decor, the food, and the raffle packages where you’ll get a lot more than what you paid for.
View of the Winter Garden from the bridge above.
With no formal program for the evening, guests can move and shake where the night takes them, through a huge array of food buffet style and passed hors d’oeuvres, to the many activities going on throughout the winter garden. While stuffing their tummies dressed in cocktail attire, they will undoubtedly purchase a chunk of raffle tickets, I know I do every year, for a huge range of prize packages, many featuring local Chicago attractions like The Pitchfork Music Festival, museum and sports tickets, and every package includes enough activities to keep busy for months at a time.
The photo booth is always a great time, especially with props and drinks!
After slamming a few signature cocktails you’ll be good and ready for the photo booth with no shortage of props or energy, or head over to the Maker Lab table, which is an ongoing series of programs at Harold Washington where students ages 10 and above can learn how to use laser cutters and 3-d printing to bring their visions to life. They’ll have something fun to do on a smaller scale so you can take your mini-creation home at the end of the night.
One of the signature cocktails designed just for the event.
Around 9pm, after you’ve sampled from the dessert table, you’ll want to have your dancing shoes handy because that’s when the dance floor heats up with a DJ who knows how to line up the crowd pleasers for all tastes, as strangers get friendly, and couples get a bit friendlier. The hair is flying, the lyrics are screaming, as this crew feels the rhythm propelling them through the rest of the evening. When I pack up around 10pm there’s still a full hour of dancing left and I’ve certainly been known to bust a move with this crowd, the camera swung over my shoulder, my feet just can’t keep still, and everyone is having a blast.
Let the dancing begin!
So if you don’t have plans for April 5, 2019, I’ve got the perfect evening for you. Eat and drink until your heart’s content, shake your tailfeather, all while donating to one of the greatest resources this city has to offer, the Chicago Public Library. Be sure to check this event out because there is something delicious about being tipsy and getting loud in the library. Click here to get your tickets!
Heating up the dance floor!