Though the skies threatened to open up and pour sheets of rain on the North Side, and the humidity was thick enough to cut with a chainsaw, Sidetrack owners and spouses Art Johnston and Pepe Pena threw their baby a 44th birthday party on June 11.
A jovial crowd snacked on fresh-baked pretzels and mini-chicken poor boys, relishing in an evening which included a raffle, plenty of friendly conversation, a guest appearance from RuPaul Drag Race contestant Brooke Lynn Hytes and comedy and mayhem from Sidetrack regulars Veronica Pop and Boy J.
Johnston and General Manager Brad Baloff shared some brief thoughts about the bar, which, since opening in 1982, has evolved into the anchor for the North Halsted business district and a two-story institution with multiple screening rooms.
Johnston reflected on how proud he was of the accomplishments of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community, adding that the city “was not always a friendly place…my husband and I have both been put in jail for being gay.”
He proudly joked that “now Chicago is the biggest bitch-ticket in America.”
Johnston then turned serious. He said, “We are in a difficult time right now…but I have a question for all of you. What will you say to your children or your grandchildren when they ask you, ‘What did you do when our rights were threatened?'”
He added, “We are a stubborn minority…we are the smartest minority. We can win and we will win like we did before.”
After he saluted the late activist Lori Cannon, whose organization Groceryland had been strongly supported by Sidetrack, Baloff exhorted the crowd to “celebrate, commemorate, and to activate.” He said, “We live in a beautiful blue bubble but we need to reach outside and invite people here from all the states that don’t have the community we have.”
Donations for Groceryland were accepted all evening.
