The Ghost Army of World War II
2024-04-23 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Club members hear from documentarian and author Rick Beyer about the brave combat con-men of World War II, the soldiers of The Ghost Army

Prize Homes: Chicago’s Forgotten Architectural Competition
2024-04-24 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Siobhan Moroney, Associate Professor of Politics and Chair of American Studies at Lake Forest College, presented a talk on her book, Chicagoland Dream Houses: How a Mid-Century Architecture Competition Reimagined the American Home.

Trivia Night
2024-04-25 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Quiz Master Maggie Baran is back for another round of Trivia.
Reservations are required and can be made by email to reservations@cliff-chicago.org or by calling 312-922-8080.

Chef Victor's Farewell Luncheon and Financial Gift
2024-04-26 11:30 - 13:30 (America/Chicago)
The Cliff Dweller’s team will certainly miss Chef Victor and his culinary vision he has cultivated over the last 20 years!
Come celebrate Victor’s time at the Club and wish him well as he sets off on a European vacation with his wife. Incoming Chef Erick Salnave will prepare a special luncheon.
He is looking forward to his trip and plans on taking cooking classes abroad.
A Gift For Chef Victor-
We would like to send Victor off on his upcoming travels with a financial gift from membership. You can do this by adding your gift to your Cliff Dwellers account.
Contributions can be charged to your account by sending an e-mail to Elizabeth Zaverdas: elizabeth@ezaccountingllc.com
11:30am-Bar opens
12pm-Luncheon, $35
Reservations can be made by email to reservations@cliff-chicago.org or by calling 312-922-8080

Around the World With a City Planner
2024-05-02 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
City Planner and architect Les Pollock (CD ’91) traveled the world over a four month period observing cities and towns within southeast Asia, China, Russia, the Balkans, Israel and Morocco.
He compares and contrasts places including Singapore, Kuala Lampur, Luang Prabang, Hanoi, Shanghai, Ulan Bator, Irkutsk, Moscow, Thessaloniki, and Fez as reported in his recent book Follow the Sun: A City Planner’s Journey Around the World.
5pm-Bar opens
5:30pm-Dinner
$42 members, $46 non-members
6:30pm-Program
Reservations can be made by email to reservations@cliff-chicago.org or by calling 312-922-8080
RSVP by April 30th

Live Jazz on the Cliff
2024-05-03 17:30 - 21:00 UTC
♫ Friday, May 3rd : Live Jazz on the Cliff
Please join us for another great night of music
5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
$12 Cover charge to support the artists
Enjoy our trio of returning artists: Andy Brown on guitar, Joe Policastro on bass, and Jeremy Kahn on piano. They will play tribute to the great trios of Oscar Peterson and Nat King Cole.
The trio will perform two sets, 6-7:15 pm and 7:45-9 pm. There will be a cash bar for guests. A buffet dinner is available for $35.
Please RSVP for dinner by Wednesday, May 1st by phone at 312-922-8080, or by email at reservations@cliff-chicago.org
For additional questions or comments, contact Lindsay Hugé at lchuge@aol.com or 773-972-1110

Club closed after lunch
2024-05-07 14:00 - 22:00 UTC, 2024-05-21 14:00 - 22:00 UTC, 2024-05-31 14:00 - 22:00 UTC, 2024-06-26 14:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago)
Club closed after lunch due to an exclusive event

Music in the Time of Benjamin Marshall (1874-1944)
2024-05-08 17:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Benjamin Marshall was born on the Southside of Chicago on May 5,1874. A self-taught architect, his elegant buildings include the Drake and Blackstone hotels, the South Shore Country Club (now South Shore Cultural Center), the Edgewater Beach Hotel (now demolished), and luxury apartments on East Lake Shore Drive. But alongside his talent for design, Marshall was also known for his colorful personality that attracted royalty, writers, artists and countless celebrities to his lavish parties.
To celebrate Marshall’s 150th birthday anniversary, we’re re-creating the glamour and dazzle of the Jazz Age with a music program featuring Très Belle Soprano Trio accompanied by pianist Paul Dykstra. Operatic sopranos Marisa Buchheit, Kimberly Jones, and Kirsten Leslie enjoy successful solo careers that have taken them from Carnegie Hall to the Miss America stage to La Scala Opera House in Milan.
A brief introduction by Jane Lepauw, founder of the Benjamin Marshall Society, will set the mood for this jazz-hot evening, and a lighted birthday cake will add more fun to the celebration.

Members and guests are welcome.
5pm – Cash bar opens
6pm – Dinner ($57 member / $62 non-member)
$25 performance only
Reservations are required:
reservations@cliff-chicago.org or call 312-922-8080
Reservations are requested by May 6th.

Cabaret Night! A Smashing Hot Evening with Lynne Jordan
2024-05-14 17:00 - 21:30 (America/Chicago)
In a city brimming with classic blues and jazz divas, Lynne Jordan stands apart. Not only do her soaring vocals dip effortlessly into blues, jazz, funk, rock and even country but her delightfully bawdy personality wins over any crowd.
Jordan’s talent so dazzled Roger Ebert, that the late, great film critic (and Cliff Dwellers member) declared her to be his “favorite diva.” She has performed in Jazz Operas in Europe, brought her sold-out shows to New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.; was the featured vocalist with Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues; and, has recorded both solo and with a variety of major music artists. Jordan’s powerful voice and unique style of storytelling lift every song to new heights in the art of cabaret.
Join us for an unforgettable evening with Lynne Jordan, vocals, Ray Glower (keys), Brady Williams (drums) and Maurice Fitzgerald (bass)..
Bar opens: 5:00 pm
Dinner: 6:00 pm
Performance: 7:15 pm
Dinner & Performance: $55 Non-member pricing-$60 Performance only: $25
Reservations can be made by email to
reservations@cliff-chicago.org
or by calling 312-922-8080
RSVP by May 9th

Open Mic Night!
2024-05-15 17:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago)
CALLING ALL TALENT!
Free for all Members!
Chicago’s premier arts hub wants to share your talent with our membership in a fun (and non-judgmental) forum! Come to perform, or come to be entertained! All musical genres are welcome!
Our featured performer and host for the evening: Rachel Goodman
Bar opens at 5pm – Music until 9pm
If you wish to perform (or if you wish to dine as well), RSVP to reservations@cliff-chicago.org, or call 312.922.58080

Divided On D-Day - Edward E. Gordon Discusses His Book, Now in Paperback!
2024-06-06 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Divided on D-Day:
How Leadership Failures Threatened the Normandy Invasion
By Edward E. Gordon & David Ramsay
Prometheus Books, May 2023
On June 6, 2024, our own member and treasurer Ed Gordon took the podium to talk about his new book.
Divided on D-Day: How Leadership Failures Threatened the Normandy Invasion presents a cogent analysis of the myriad obstacles the Allied leaders faced in the planning and execution of the Normandy campaign.
Ed discussed the conflicting egos, personal and national rivalries, and professional abilities of the major Allied commanders, and contends that their lack of cooperation and bad decisions lengthened the war, increased casualties, and allowed the later Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.
Edward E Gordon is an internationally recognized historian, speaker, researcher, and author. For 20 years Dr. Gordon taught at DePaul, Loyola, and Northwestern Universities in Chicago. He has made presentations over the last 30 years at museums, colleges, universities, conferences, and to professional associations and community organizations. Over his career as an historian, Edward E. Gordon’s goal has been to delve into the lessons of history for diverse audiences from many types of organizations
Divided on D-Day’s coauthor is the late David Ramsay, the son of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay who was the naval-commander-in-chief for the Normandy Invasion and who earlier directed the Dunkirk evacuation.

New Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society!
2024-06-07 12:00 - 13:30 UTC
Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society
Meet & Eat
The newly formed Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society will have its first group Meet & Eat chat at the club on Friday, June 7 at noon. You don’t have to be a poet or a scholar to join in! If you have an interest in the beautiful flow of words that make you examine the world, this is the group for you. We’ll learn a little about poetry styles, share some readings and discuss, and maybe try our hand at some poetry ourselves.

Please RSVP if you’ll be dropping in: reservations@cliff-chicago.org, or call 312-922-8080

Art Deco Society: When the World Went Dry
2024-06-12 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
Prohibition: When America embarked on an experiment that proved to be a spectacular failure. Yet, the people who lived through it remembered the era as a wonderful time: jazz, dancing, flappers, short skirts, cocktails, hot cars, and Art Deco design.
In this illustrated presentation, by author Joe Gustaitis, with music by the 1920s specialists Paul Asaro and Erin Riley, we traveled back to this flamboyant era. We heard the stories, learned how it all came about and was ultimately repealed. Recipes for cocktails imbibed in 1920s Chicago were shared; we learned how others traveled abroad to find a drink. And we were treated to authentic songs from the period, many of which were unexpectedly hilarious.

Tom Bachtell & Quintet
2024-06-13 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago)
Tom Bachtell & Quintet:
Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44, by Rober Schumann
The fabulously talented Tom Bachtell Quintet delighted their Cliff Dwellers audience by performing Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44, considered one of Robert Schumann’s finest compositions. The approximately half hour program consisted of movements:
I. Allegro brillante
II. In modo d’una marcia. Un poco largamente
III. Scherzo: Molto vivace
IV. Allegro ma non troppo
Performers:
Alexandra Newman, violin
Hannah Edgar, violin
Eugene Smith, viola
Bob Alter, ‘cello
Tom Bachtell, piano
The players have been a quintet for close to a year, and have known each other in other capacities for longer. Alexandra, Hannah, and Eugene all perform with the Lakeview Orchestra in Chicago. Alexandra is a lawyer; Hannah is a journalist; Eugene is a data scientist; Bob is a retired physician; and Tom is a cartoonist. Tom is also a long-time member of the Cliff Dwellers.

Morning Yoga on the Terrace - With Mimosas!
2024-06-15 09:30 - 22:15 (America/Chicago)
Yoga on the Terrace
Join Yoga Instructor Claire McDonald for yoga on the balcony. Class starts at 9:30 am sharp. All skill levels are welcome. Please bring your own mat.
Start time: 9:30 am
End time: 10:15 am
Class is $20 per person and includes a mimosa afterwards.
Brunch is available at 10:30 for an additional cost.
Class size is limited, reservations are required.
Call 312-922-8080, or send an email to:
reservations@cliff-chicago.org

The Cliff Dwellers Book Club
2024-06-15 11:00 - 12:00 UTC
The Book Club will discuss Larry Tye’s Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and teh Making of the Black Middle Class.
Please reserve at reservations@cliff-chicago.org or by phone at 312-922-8080 if you will be joining us for lunch at the club.

Bloomsday at the Cliff Dwellers
2024-06-15 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Chicago)
The illustration of James Joyce was done by Leonid Osseny. Mr. Osseny has done extensive illustrations pertaining to Ulysses. His work was exhibited at the 19th International James Joyce Symposium in Dublin, the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago, and at the Evanston Public Library. Reproduced with permission.
The 2024 program of James Joyce readings and accompanying musical performance in celebration of Bloomsday and James Joyce. was presented by Cliff Dwellers members Michele Kurlander, Joan Pantsios, Howard A. Raik, Richard Reeder, and Robert Emmett Reidy providing the readings, while Richard Boldrey and Natalie Forough supplied the musical interludes. The production was produced by Richard Reeder.
Ulysses is a modernist novel by the Irish writer James Joyce, originally published in Paris in 1922. Its famously-demonstrated stream of consciousness technique, along with its careful structuring and literary allusions have made it one of the most celebrated novels written in the English language.
The date of June 16th, the setting of Ulysses, is an annually-celebrated event (especially in Dublin) known as Bloomsday, which takes it’s name from the novel’s protagonist, Leopold Bloom. (For logistical reasons, our celebration of Bloomsday will take place the day before, on June 15th.)
Members Michele Kurlander, Joan Pantsios, Howard A. Raik, Richard Reeder, and Robert Emmett Reidy provided the readings, while Richard Boldrey and Natalie Forough performed musically at Bloomsday 2024, a celebration of the writings of James Joyce. Richard Reeder produced the event.
The performance was dedicated to the memory of Steve Diedrich and Claudia Traudt.

Andrew Light sculptures featured in new art installation
2024-06-19 16:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Gallery Opening!
The Cliff Dwellers’ newest art installation features the works of renown sculptor, Andrew Light. Currently based in central Kentucky, his work has been exhibited throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom. Displaying frequently in outdoor and gallery exhibitions, Mr. Light has numerous original works held in museum, municipal, and private collections. Mr. Light prefers the use of fabricated metals for his sculptures, as they afford a high degree of plasticity and durability for his expressions.
Three of our Artists in Residence have pieces now on display on the Gallery Wall:
Isaac Couch: Most of Isaac’s current work aims to redefine his conflicting identity as African American. He reaches back into his own personal past as well as the history of this country to find himself within it. Through a reconstructive fashion and fiber art practice, working with his hands versus his fingers, Isaac questions the traditions of Haute Couture. He mirrors the violence we see around us by physically tearing, burning, stapling, knotting, and puncturing symbolic materials that tie back to his identity.
Taylor Fujisawa: Taylor is both a traditional and visual artist. He prides himself on his ability to work with a wide array of materials, and is constantly trying to learn methods and abilities within the visual arts. Skills he has learned include: drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry making, sewing, costume creation and design, printmaking, digital art, and stained glass work.
Jesse Pace: Jesse is a painter, photographer, and musician. These diverse forms of expression converge without the need, nor the expectation to create singular narrative that examines the body, fantasy, horror, memory, and the effects of symbols on our unconscious minds and the human spirit. The paintings record his physical movements, leaving their impressions on its surface. recording the automatic movements of his mind and body. The photos are a different kind of constructed reality.

July 3rd Fireworks
2024-07-03 21:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago)
It was a warm, beautiful night on the terrace in downtown Chicago, where the Cliff Dwellers oohed and aahed over the vibrant fireworks display over nearby Navy Pier. Fun, food, friends, and a beverage or two made the evening perfect!

The Loop 110 | NACSAR XFinity Series Race!
2024-07-06 11:30 - 16:30 (America/Chicago)
There was no better viewing stand than the terrace of the Cliff Dwellers for the 2nd ever NASCAR racing series in Chicago on July 6th and 7th. An enthusiastic crowd of members and their guests enjoyed a delicious race day BBQ buffet created by our own Chef Erick, and cheered on the racers as they roared down Michigan Avenue and Grant Park.

Grant Park 165 | NACSAR Cup Series Race!
2024-07-07 14:00 - 19:30 (America/Chicago)

Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society Meeting
2024-07-12 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Chicago)
Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society
Meet & Eat
The Cliff Dwellers Poetry Society will have a Meet & Eat chat at the club on Friday, July 12 at noon. You don’t have to be a poet or a scholar to join in! If you have an interest in the beautiful flow of words that make you examine the world, this is the group for you. We’ll learn a little about poetry styles, share some readings and discuss, and maybe try our hand at some poetry ourselves.

Please RSVP if you’ll be dropping in: reservations@cliff-chicago.org, or call 312-922-8080

Summer Jazz Night
2024-07-12 17:30 - 22:30 (America/Chicago)
Lucky Cliff Dwellers experienced an outstanding musical evening as two of the Cliff Dwellers’ favorite Artists-in-Residence took the stage at the Cliff Dweller’s July Jazz Night.
Thaddeus Tukes is an artist on the move — and not just because he’s busy. As one of vanishingly few vibraphonists in the city, Tukes, 30, is among the heirs apparent to Chicago’s straight-ahead jazz community. Thaddeus’ journey from an After School Matters teen to an ASM instructor, vibraphonist, educator, and advocate for music therapy is a testament to the transformative power of music. His story serves as an inspiration to aspiring musicians and demonstrates the importance of ASM programs in nurturing young talent.
Emma Dayhuff, bassist, has followed her musical passions to places beyond what she imagined from her childhood home on Sourdough Canyon Road in Bozeman, Montana. She is a graduate of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance in Los Angeles and is a nationally and internationally touring artist.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
2024-07-19 17:30 - 23:00 (America/Chicago)
The newly formed Cliff Dwellers Theatre Club secured a limited block of tickets to see the Goodman Theatre’s world premiere musical adaptation of the best selling novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The Cliff Dwellers’ unique connection to the show comes via the Goodman having borrowed the Club’s replica of the renowned “Bird Girl” sculpture (now a well-known symbol of the story’s setting of Savannah, Georgia) to feature in the production.
Prior to the performance, Theatre Club members were treated a special Southern-themed three-course dinner developed by the Cliff Dwellers own amazing Chef Erick.
The Theatre Club will be planning additional group events in the months to come, and all Cliff Dwellers are welcome to join the outings!

Grant Park at a Crossroads
2024-07-24 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
GRANT PARK AT A CROSSROAD
Grant Park has at least two identities: one as a neighborhood park for the more than 110,000 residents living Downtown, and two, as a regional park hosting a wide array of programs for the City of Chicago and our region. These identities come into conflict when major events, like NASCAR and Lollapalooza, push out local and neighborhood park uses. Leslie Recht, CD ’03, is President of the Grant Park Advisory Council. and Jim Wales, CD ’21, is the Council Vice President and also the President of South Loop Neighbors. They outlined the status of Grant Park, provided some of the ideas for improvements and solicited input from the attendees.
The Council formed an art and monument advisory committee which includes several members of Cliff Dwellers. We will discuss some of the art projects that have been reviewed by that advisory committee and the process that was used for this review.

"The Giving Moon", Popular Israeli Band with Dancers
2024-07-25 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago)
The Cliff Dwellers hosted “The Giving Moon”, performing under the name “Havdallama”, who played popular Israeli cover songs, accompanied by Paige Kizer, soloist and saxophonist, and two Israeli Dancers. This hip young band attracted a huge crowd who danced until the electricity was turned off! This group has ecently performed at Epiphany Center for the Arts, Beat Kitchen, and other venues.

Sketch Club - Buckingham Fountain
2024-07-27 10:30 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Lurie Garden
The next get-together of the Cliff Dwellers Sketch Club is at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 29th. If the weather is nice, we will sketch near Buckingham Fountain, then share our work and enjoy lunch together in the Kiva at noon. If the weather is “sketchy”, we’ll meet in the club. Bring your favorite drawing medium and have fun!
Optional Brunch Buffet at Cliff Dwellers:
$32-Members
$36-Non-Members
Reservations are required for lunch:
reservations@cliff-chicago.org
or call 312-922-8080
What is the Cliff Dwellers Sketch Club?

Open to all skill levels.
Casual, non-judgmental
Use what you like (pen, pencil, watercolor, etc.)
Sketch what you want
Learn from each other
Meet, sketch, and have fun!

Please join us to make a sketch, share it with others, and enjoy lunch together.
Member’s Sketch
