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Weekender NORTHERN

ILLINOIS

YOUR GUIDE TO ARTS & LEISURE IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020 • ShawLocal.com

GRAB A BITE Two food truck events ready to serve in Starved Rock Country / 3

AFTER DARK

Flying squirrels can be spotted at night / 7

SCARE TACTICS Halloween haunts provide a spine-tingling adventure

/5

UNCORKED

SHAW MEDIA

An expert taster shares favorite finds to consider adding to your own wine racks.

Shaw Media / ShawLocal.com • Saturday, October 24, 2020

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By JAMES NOKES

Winery creates rare gems in unsung region

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nnovation at Umberto Cesari is a costly venture.

But the Italian winery, located in Emilia Romagna and founded in 1964 by its namesake, has never cut corners. Which is why Umberto’s son, Gianmaria Cesari, has continued to push forward with the bold vision of his late father.

The winery’s lab, or as Gianmaria affectionately dubbed it “our gym,” isn’t the place where he and staff go to tone up with dumbbells and barbells, but a portion of their vineyards dedicated to experimental varietals.

It takes four to five years to see the results, and he estimated only one Gianmaria Cesari out of five plantings make it past the initial phase.

“It’s expensive to run a vineyard lab,” said Gianmaria on a Zoom call tasting. “But it’s important to us to push the limits. It’s an emotional exThe Umberto Cesari winery was founded in 1964. perience to check in every six months on how a new wine is doing or how the vineyard has evolved. It’s priceless.”

When Umberto was alive, he travTuscany has the cachet, but there are great values and wines throughout Italy. Here eled the wine regions of the world – Borare a few. deaux, Burgundy, Portugal or Spain – it ■■ Alto Adige – Want to get a sommelier or a wine director really going? Share a was always a research project. glass of a bone dry white from northeast Italy. Gewurztraminer, pinot blanc, sauvi“He believed he could take little gnon blanc or for a deep cut, kerner, are grown in vineyards between 600 and pieces of excellence from around the 2,500 feet and are loaded with acidity, minerality and a bevvy of green, snappy flaworld and bring them here,” Givors. The wines are value priced but of high quality. anmaria said.

While inspiration can come from ■■ Sicily – Known for its Marsala wines, the island that is Italy’s southernmost point colleagues around the world, excelhas upped its game lately. Its dry white wines are still a great value as it too tries lence for Umberto Cesari is in the to shake the image of a region making cheap, bulk swill. vineyard, cellar and commitment to ■■ Trentodoc – Grown in high altitude vineyards in northeast Italy, the sparkling its standards. Only in the best growing wines made in the traditional method are fresh, vibrant and full of flavor at a great seasons is an Umberto Cesari Tauleto price. produced. Occasionally, there’s a vintage that doesn’t meet the established ■■ Umbria – In the small town of Montefalco in central Italy, it’s the sagrantino grape that a band of loyal producers turn into a rustic, burly red that is sure to turn your standard and Gianmaria has to gently teeth purple. Thick skinned fruit leads to big tannins. Black fruit and spice flavors. let down a loyal customer in search Get the hangar steak ready. Buy a few bottles; Montefalco Sagrantino is affordable, of Tauleto. The secret is to find the and tuck them away in the cellar for a few years to tame the big tannins. estate bottling in these “off years,” as chances are it’s pretty terrific.

A blend of 90% sangiovese and 10% when wines are tasted, and his famiuva longanesi, a local grape fostered Romagna Riserva DOC 2017 ($22) has ly’s story is told. Surrounded by other in the “Cesari gym” and introduced aromas of dried violets, dried leather wines from Emilia Romagna in wine to their portfolio, the Umberto Cesari and dusty ground coffee. It’s got black bins or on shelves that sell for $7.99 Tauleto Sangiovese Rubicone IGT 2014 cherry and exotic spice flavors. can be a tough stigma to overcome. ($65) has vanilla and dried flowers on Emilia Romagna is still a region “Frustration is my most common the nose, there’s an elegance to the where farmers are focused on volume. sentiment,” Gianmaria said. “Quality wine as the tannins, fruit and acidity Like his father, Gianmaria also has comes at a cost and that’s reflected in all feel perfectly harmonized. There’s traveled the world but on a different our shelf price. My father was a visionblack cherry and balsamic flavors in mission. His is to promote the famiary, but he needed huge investments to a wine Gianmaria said is “the pillar of ly’s vision of the promise held by the make his dreams a reality. It’s a huge (their) winery.” vineyards in his hometown.

Progress hasn’t always been linear challenge to go to markets in Chicago The Umberto Cesari Sangiovese di

TASTING NOTES

Photo provided

and New York and try to explain our story and our vision, but it’s part of our strategy and it’s my passion.”

There was a time when Gianmaria wondered what his father saw in Emilia Romagna. Tuscany isn’t far away.

When he was younger, Gianmaria asked his father why he didn’t take a short car ride to a region with an established reputation, where demand allows producers to command higher prices for their wines.

“My father would say (he) was born, raised and grew up here,” Gianmaria said. “This place was always in his heart. I always loved the reason was that he dreamed to be No. 1 in Emilia Romagna and No. 150 in Tuscany. He wanted to open a new road.”

As he carried his laptop computer outside for a glimpse at the sprawling vineyards and gentle rolling hills, Gianmaria proudly revealed the heart of the winery. While it was an early morning tasting, it was well after 5 p.m. in Italy, a perfect time to show and tell the Umberto Cesari story.

“When I bring the wine to someone that tastes, appreciates it and listened, that’s the greatest privilege,” Gianmaria said. “To tell who we are.”

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.

STARVED ROCK COUNTRY

3 SHAW MEDIA Shaw Media / ShawLocal.com • Saturday, October 24, 2020

Dedicated to growing the awareness of everything the Starved Rock area has to offer

Image provided

Winning food truck events to flavor weekend tickets will cost $5 a piece, with most items at the trucks ranging between one and three tickets. tarved Rock Country is playing The food trucks scheduled to attend host to two exciting new food include Flo’s on Pulaski, Bertha’s, Mr. truck events this weekend.

Salty’s Kettlecorn, Serna’s Grill, Eat The inaugural Fall Food Up! and Candy Cloud. Free live music Truck Festival, benefiting the Ottawa in the park will be provided by Band Noon Rotary Club, will take place in of Lincoln, a cover band specializing the city’s Washington Square Park on in classics from the ’90s and the folOct. 24, while nearby Streator will be lowing decade. home to the Portillo’s Beef Bus for the Rotary is a civic organization of whole weekend thanks to a nationbusiness professionals and owners wide contest. that has been in existence for over Six food trucks will converge on 100 years. The festival will coincide Ottawa’s Washington Square Park for with Rotary International’s Polio the Rotary Club’s festival from 3 to 7 Plus Day, a yearly fundraising event p.m. Saturday. The popular trucks will dedicated to eradicating polio across be parked along the perimeter of the the globe. event site, allowing for plenty of social Washington Square Park is at 101 distancing at the open-air event. Food E. Lafayette St. in Ottawa. For more

By RYAN SEARL

rsearl@shawmedia.com

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information, visit www.facebook.com/ OttawaNoonRotary.

Streator chosen

The votes are in and Streator has won a visit from the Portillo’s roaming food truck. In a nationwide contest to see which town in America wanted a visit from the Beef Bus the most, Streator proved victorious.

Hundreds of local residents and fans of the Starved Rock Country area helped Streator beat out major metropolitan areas like Miami and Salt Lake City.

Portillo’s will set up shop directly next to Streator City Park through Sunday, Oct. 25, open daily from noon to 7 p.m. while supplies last. The Beef Bus will serve up a selection of favorites from the full restaurant menu,

including classics such as Chicago-style hot dogs, their famous Italian beef, warm cheese fries and ice-cold beverages.

The social distance friendly outdoor event will have a few extra measures in place designed to ensure the safety of the Portillo’s staff and customers: • Beef Bus team members will wear face masks; facial coverings are required for guests in line.

• Guests must maintain proper social distancing; 6-foot distances will be marked out in front of the bus.

• The Beef Bus will have sanitizing stations, with hand sanitizer accessible to guests.

Streator City Park is at 301 N. Vermillion St. For more information, visit portillos.com/beefbuswinner.

Shaw Media / ShawLocal.com • Saturday, October 24, 2020

SHAW MEDIA

4 STREAMING THIS WEEKEND

HBO via AP

This image released by HBO shows Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant in a scene from “The Undoing,” debuting on Sunday.

The Boss, Billie Eilish and Borat on tap

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.

Movies

You have to admire the moxie of Netflix and director Ben Wheatley for taking on Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca,” which already has a masterpiece Alfred Hitchcock adaptation to its name. But even with the less than stellar reviews, the prospect of watching stunners Lily James and Armie Hammer fret around Manderley in period clothes is still just too alluring to deny. And if “Rebecca” doesn’t satisfy the need for voyeuristic beauty, the streamer just got Todd Haynes’ “Carol” back in its ranks.

Following his critically acclaimed turn as activist Abbie Hoffman in Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Sacha Baron Cohen is returning to the character he made his name with: Borat. The Kazakhstani television host is back with “Borat 2” or “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” The film was being kept mostly secret until it hit Amazon Prime Video yesterday, but

we can expect some election and pandemic antics.

“Dear White People” filmmaker Justin Simien takes a big swing with his latest, “Bad Hair,” a comedy-horror about a woman trying to rise in the late-’80s music business who gets a demonic weave. Critics have been mixed on the tonal mishmash, but you can decide for yourself on Hulu.

“Emma”: Autumn de Wilde’s enjoyable adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma” got a little lost in the early days of the pandemic, in theaters for about a week before jettisoning to VOD amid the shutdown. But it’s finally coming to HBO today. Edgier than the (also great) Gwyneth Paltrow version, Anya Taylor-Joy takes on the role of the matchmaker extraordinaire this time.

– Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

documentary film “Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You,” which premiered Friday.

Billie Eilish was on the road for just three days before she had to cancel her worldwide tour due to the coronavirus pandemic in March. But thankfully on Saturday, the Grammy-winning star will host her first global livestream concert.

“WHERE DO WE GO? THE LIVESTREAM” will be available on Eilish’s website as well as the interactive video streaming platform Maestro. It will air live from Los Angeles at 5 p.m. and tickets cost $30.

– Music Editor Mesfin Fekadu

Music

“The Queen’s Gambit,” based on Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel of the same name, follows a chess prodigy who competes in a male-dominated realm as she battles her scarred past and present. Orphaned Beth, played as a young woman by Anya Taylor-Joy, finds solace in the game and escape in the substance abuse that could undermine her life and dazzling success.

Annabeth Kelly, who plays Beth as a child, Marielle Heller and Thomas Brodie-Sangster co-star in the series directed and written by two-time

Recorded at his home studio in New Jersey, rock legend Bruce Springsteen has released his 20th album.

“Letter to You” reunites Springsteen with the E Street Band and includes 12 tracks, including three The Boss, 71, wrote in his early twenties: “Janey Needs a Shooter,” “If I Was the Priest” and “Song for Orphans.” The album was recorded in just five days and that portion was filmed – fans will get to see Springsteen and his band mates do what they do best in the Apple TV+

Television

Oscar nominee Scott Frank (“Out of Sight,” “Logan”). It’s on Netflix.

HBO’s “The Undoing” boasts A-list talent in front of and behind the camera. Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant star, David E. Kelley (“Big Little Lies”) is the writer, and Susanne Bier (“The Night Manager”) directs the limited series debuting at 8 p.m. Sunday.

Grace and Jonathan (Kidman, Grant) have a charmed family life until it’s revealed to be otherwise, forcing Grace to switch into crisis mode. Donald Sutherland, Edgar Ramirez and Noah Jupe also star in the adaptation of Jean Hanff Korelitz’s 2014 novel, “You Should Have Known.”

Eva Longoria, Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin host a celebration of Latino culture airing at 8 p.m.

Monday on CBS and streaming on CBS All Access. “Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event” uses music, comedy, short documentaries and celebrity appearances to explore the Latino experience. While essential workers, Latinos among them, have drawn praise for their efforts during the pandemic, Latinos have “been the backbone of this country for hundreds of years” and deserve recognition, Longoria said in a statement. Momento Latino is a coalition of advocates for the community.

– Television Writer Lynn Elber

Scary haunts abound for those looking for a Halloween fright

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SHAW MEDIA

ick your personal thrill level when it comes to Halloween haunts offering an array of spine-tingling adventures for two more weekends. From walking in a dark woods to experiencing the dead surrounding you in your car, check out delicious ways to ratchet up the terror in our curated collection of unnerving attractions.

TERROR IN THE TIMBERS

Camp Big Timber 37W955 Big Timber Road, Elgin 847-235-6600 www.terrorinthetimbers.com Experience terror from the safety of your car. Think you’re safe behind a piece of glass and some metal?

Think again. The dead have taken over the once innocent Camp Big Timber and are coming for the living – one car at a time. This one-of-a kind, drive-in scenic Halloween experience allows you to simply put your car in park, sit back and let the terror begin. Event hours are 6 p.m. to midnight Oct. 24 and Oct. 29 to 31. Tickets cost $65 per car and can be purchased online.

Terror in the Timbers also offers a Family Fun Trick or Treat. This event is a safe and fun version of the terror show that everyone in the family can come out and enjoy. The attraction will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Oct. 25 and Oct. 30 and 31. Tickets cost $20 per vehicle and should be purchased in advance.

​​BASEMENT OF THE DEAD 42 W. New York St., Aurora 630-896-2466 www.basementofthedead.com Rated one of the top haunted houses in the nation, this year’s rendition of Basement of the Dead, featuring Shattered the Smashing Clown, will be a different experience but still scary. The venue will have limited capacity, and social distancing and masks will be required.

Tickets cost $30 for general admission or $45 for VIP entry to skip the general admission line. Tickets must be purchased online in advance. Hours are 7 to 10 p.m.

Thursdays and Sundays, 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays, and 6:30 to 11 p.m. Saturdays until Nov. 1.

TROLLEY GHOST TOURS

Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center One Lodge Lane, Oglesby 815-220-7386 www.starvedrocklodge.com/event/ghost-tours From restless spirits of Native Americans and mobsters to folk tale characters lurking in the shadows, experience local haunts on board the Starved Rock Trolley Ghost Tour. Costumed, ghoulish guides will escort you to destinations where ghostly sightings, orbs, voices and unexplained happenings reportedly have haunted the area – some for generations.

On this 100-minute guided tour, you’ll be treated to three

bone-chilling, hop-off destinations, where you can experience the tales firsthand. Guests younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and no guests younger than 8 will be admitted. A minimum of six guests is required for the tour to run. Tours depart at 6 and 8 p.m.

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 31. Tickets cost $30 per person and registration is required.

BRICKTON – A GHOST STORY

I&M Canal Toll House 1221 Columbus St., Ottawa 815-343-4940 www.awesomeottawatours.com/haunted-tour Near the quaint beauty of downtown Ottawa and pastoral views of Starved Rock State Park, you’ll find a stretch of land just east of the Fox River that’s home to abandoned strip mines, a disused canal, and ghosts who linger from a shantytown’s life of hardship, murder and mysterious deaths. Learn the haunted history of the I&M Canal during Awesome Ottawa Tour’s new haunted tour for 2020, “Brickton – A Ghost Story.” On this chilling, two-hour walking tour, you’ll hear the local legends and ghost stories of the canal, as your guide links the spirits to real people who met their tragic end along the route. Tours depart at 6 p.m. Fridays through Sundays from the I&M Canal Toll House. Tickets cost $30. Registration is required, and space is limited.

NIGHTMARE ON FAIRGROUNDS ROAD

Bureau County Fairgrounds 811 W. Peru St., Princeton 815-875-2905 www.facebook.com/NightmareNOFR COVID-19 scared away plans for the annual Nightmare on Fairgrounds Road haunt and parade, so the Bureau County Fair Board organized a drive-thru haunted thrill spin instead. There won’t be anything too startling in the ride that would make it unsafe; however, organizers say there will be a few spooky, unexpected surprises. Guests will be asked to drive no faster than 5 mph. The attraction is open from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 24 and Oct. 30. The event is free, but donations are encouraged to support the planning of next year’s fair.

WALK OF TERROR AT WARNECKE WOODS

Warnecke Woods 1835 N. Country Road, Princeton shawurl.com/3e6b If you’re looking for a new haunt this year that is sure to terrify you, check out Walk of Terror at Warnecke Woods in Princeton. The 30-minute hike through the woods will be an experience designed to make you uneasy. Groups will be given a small lantern as their only source of light through the woods. The haunt is open from 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31. The walk is not accessible for individuals with disabilities. Cost is $10 for ages 7 and older, and $5 for ages 6 and younger. All social-distancing regulations by the state will be enforced and masks will be required.

SHAW MEDIA Shaw Media / ShawLocal.com • Saturday, October 24, 2020

FEAR FACTOR

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Shaw Media / ShawLocal.com • Saturday, October 24, 2020

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By PAM OTTO

Taking interesting dives into the natural world around us, Pam Otto opens new avenues of exploration.

Flying squirrels can be spotted at night

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orking as a park safety supervisor patrolling our public lands late into the night, Tim Timberlake has had plenty of close encounters. But only recently did he come across a bona fide UFO. Yep, an unidentified flying object, right above the parking lot at Norris Woods in St. Charles.

Well, maybe unidentified isn’t quite the right word. Unbelievable is more like it. But the more Tim watched the small, shadowy form glide silently among the trees, the more he became certain of what he thought he was seeing. That’s when he called the Naturalist Department for confirmation.

“Am I crazy?” he asked, inserting a pause almost too good to pass up. “Or do we have flying squirrels here?”

The answer, oddly enough, is a resounding “Yes!” The southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans, isn’t that easy to spot in northern Illinois. But there are certain pockets, particularly in areas with mature woods, where you maybe, just maybe, can catch a glimpse of these curious nocturnal creatures.

Scientifically speaking, southern flying squirrels are members of the order Rodentia, the same taxonomic group as our fox and gray squirrels, as well as other rodents like chipmunks, voles and mice. In fact, their genus name, Glaucomys, is derived from the Greek glaukos, meaning silver or gray, and mys, or mouse. (The species name, volans, is derived from the Latin verb volo, which means to fly or move swiftly.)

Measuring about 8 to 10 inches in length (almost half of which is tail), a fully grown flying squirrel weighs just 3 ounces – about as much as my dogs’ fabric Frisbee. Interestingly, just as flying discs don’t actually fly, but glide through the air on the force of a throw, so goes the flying squirrel. It propels itself off a tree branch or trunk, then extends its forelegs and back legs to spread its patagia – furry membranes that run between the limbs – and glides to its next landing spot.

Foraging throughout the night, flying squirrels tend to cluster where food sources are rich. Nut trees – many of which are experiencing a bumper crop this year – are common haunts as are backyard bird feeders.

But as is the case for most wild creatures, the flying squirrel’s diet changes seasonally. Tree sap and blossoms

Photo provided

Flying squirrels are rarely seen due to their nocturnal habits. The animals prefer habitats that offer mature hardwoods like oaks and hickories – or bird feeders. are fair game in springtime, while berries are consumed in summer.

Mushrooms are also on the menu, with truffles ranking high on the list of favorites.

When it comes time to call it a night, flying squirrels will head home, typically to a tree cavity or other such cavernous enclosure – like a bluebird box, wood duck box, screech owl box – or attic. It’s this latter option that sometimes gets these guys in trouble.

Flying squirrels often gather in groups, especially in winter, so they can conserve body heat. Being rodents, they also tend to gnaw to customize their home’s interior. And like any of us, they’re reluctant to step outside to potty if they can do so in the relative comfort of the indoors. All of these qualities, piled together in the confined space of an attic, add up to

a stinky, destructive group of house guests that usually requires eviction.

But you know what they say about an ounce of prevention. Now’s the time to repair broken vents and gaps in your eaves. Leaving them unattended to is like putting out the welcome mat for flying squirrels, bats and all other critters that can squeeze through tight spaces.

Another good measure is to trim tree branches so as to not have any near the house. Even though these little rodents can “fly,” they’re more likely to stay within the friendly confines of a tree if other options are difficult to reach.

Should you still find yourself with uninvited guests, please, please, please call a professional wildlife removal expert. Those Havahart traps that seem like such a good idea at the hardware

store are actually really bad for the critter and you both. Transporting and releasing an animal anywhere except your own property is a violation of state conservation laws; plus, let out in a strange new place, the animal has little chance of survival, especially this close to winter.

OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now.

Let’s assume your roof vents are in good repair and your eaves are gapless, but flying squirrels are still on your list of “Things to See.” If you’ve got a nice stand of mature oak trees, and maybe a bird feeder or two, look outside after dark. You might be surprised at what you see.

• Pam Otto is the outreach ambassador for the St. Charles Park District.

She can be reached at 630-513-4346 or potto@stcparks.org.

SHAW MEDIA Shaw Media / ShawLocal.com • Saturday, October 24, 2020

GOOD NATURED

Shaw Media / ShawLocal.com • Saturday, October 24, 2020

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