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The Blind Swine Returns
September 17, 2021 @ 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm
We have missed holding The Blind Swine Speakeasy, and are planning on opening again but we want to ensure that you and everyone in our community is safe. So we’re following state and local guidelines that indicate masks be worn inside. AND…we are moving the band outside to the garden. I know… whoever heard of a speakeasy being out in the open… well, during a pandemic there is a first for everything! A cash bar will be available inside the building.
Friday, September 17 at The Blind Swine Speakeasy
What did Immigrants have to do with Prohibition,
with musical guest Turas
Prohibition becoming law illustrates the social and political issues of the 1920s. Concern for the growing immigrant population was one of those issues. At The Blind Swine, we will celebrate the culturally rich music of Irish immigrants as we welcome musical guest Turas. The repertoire of Irish and Celtic music handed down from generation to generation with its exuberant sounds and heartfelt lyrics became part of a new life in America. So sit back, draw yourself a pint, and join us in the journey.
Turas is a five-piece band that includes Mike Bergstrom on vocals, bouzouki, and guitar; Anne Marie Brinton on vocals, guitar, and percussion; Jeff Calhoun on vocals, banjo, mandolin, and guitar; Lauri Gannon on whistle, bodhran, accordion, and stomp board; and Rose Fahey Wright on vocals, flute, whistle, and percussion.
About the Blind Swine
The Blind Swine Speakeasy is held in the back room of the Museum’s old garage –as it should be. We invite you to step back to the 1920s to experience and learn about prohibition in rural America. Guests enter through the Museum’s south door, if they have the password, where they can enjoy live music and fun activities to learn about local history – all while enjoying a now legal beverage. There is a suggested $5 donation at the door.
The Western Illinois Museum is located at 201 South Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s Courthouse Square. The password can be found on the museum’s Facebook and Instagram pages or by texting “swine” to 309.837.2613. For more information contact the museum at info@wimuseum.org or 309.837.2750.
This program is funded in part by a grant from Illinois Humanities, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Illinois Humanities, the Illinois affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that foster reflection, spark conversation, build community, and strengthen civic engagement.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.