Getaway-Guys

Auburn Auto and WWII Museums Offer Trip in Time

By Alan Barney and Neil Cogbill

Cord automobile in the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum.

Auburn, Ind. is not a hop, skip and jump from Evanston, but this destination offers some of the best museum collections of their type in the midwest. The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, the World War II Victory Museum, the National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States (NATMUS), and the Kruse Automotive and Carriage Museum were four of seven possible the Getaway Guys had time to visit.

The main attraction is the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum (www.acdmuseum.org). The amazing cars housed there make many contemporary cousins look like something destined for the industrial design scrap heap. Back before (and even at the onset of) the Great Depression and before the United States had to make nice with foreign oil interests (a gallon of gas cost pennies), rolling works of art with V-12 and V-16 engines were built - some weighing 6,000 pounds. Gasoline mileage was terrible, but who cared? Each car in its respective class, the Auburn (Buick, Hudson, Oldsmobile), the Cord (Packard, Cadillac, Lincoln) and the Duesenberg (Rolls Royce, Hispano, Pierce Arrow), was unique and in many respects ahead of its competitors and time.

The Auburn was the successor to the Eckhart, a one-cylinder internal combustion engine attached to a buggy, introduced in 1903. By 1912 the Eckhart had become the six-cylinder Auburn, but by 1924 the Auburn Automobile Company had run out of gas. Enter E.L. Cord, a Jazz Age sales genius, and by the late 1920s and early 30s his Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg stable of cars were show-stoppers. In addition to jazzing up the Auburn's appearance and performance, he introduced the Cord roadster and coupe line of vehicles, perhaps the most dynamic looking cars prior to Edsel Ford's Continentals. The acquisition of the Duesenberg line rounded out the Auburn Cord family of vehicles. Despite the efforts of other luxury-car builders, the Duesenberg was the car of its time. As a chauffeur-driven luxury liner built for William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies or a one-of-a-kind racy runabout for J. Paul Getty, the Duesenberg was magnificent and reeked of class.

The World War II Victory Museum (www.wwiivictory.org), brought lock, stock and barrel from Messancy, Belgium, is just southwest of town at I69 and CR11. The volume of discarded military equipment here, materiel abandoned or captured as the Allies slogged east toward Germany in 1944-45, is overwhelming. The museum is packed with armored personnel carriers, self-propelled guns, half-tracks, anti-aircraft guns, tanks, artillery and trucks from the United States, Germany, England, France and Poland.

Two things about the collection struck the Guys as being at odds with the supposed near-invincibility of the Wehrmacht and the ability of Germans to plan. Having to rely heavily on captured equipment to make up for deficiencies, Germany was woefully ill-prepared to start a world war. Secondly, it utterly failed to unify its procurement of equipment, leading to bewildering duplication (much in evidence) and ending the war protected by cardboard and plywood in some cases.

Containing an eclectic collection of trucks and cars, the National Automotive and Truck Museum (NATMUS, www.natmus.com) is located behind the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum and occupies what was an assembly plant for the Auburn Automobile Company. In addition to all kinds of trucks, NATMUS has a collection of vintage Hudsons, Nashes and Kaiser-Frasers (among numerous brand names) and a comprehensive and entertaining collection of toy cars and trucks.

The Kruse Automotive and Carriage Museum (www.kccmuseum.org) is adjacent to the World War II Victory Museum. It houses an eclectic mix of historic carriages, classic automobiles, television and movie-related vehicles, and modern-day race cars. Of the four museums, this one would be the most appealing to the younger visitor.

Auburn is approximately 200 miles from Evanston, via your favorite access point to I80/90 east to I69 south to IN8 east. Although the trip can be made in one day, a two-day jaunt might be better. Stops in South Bend or Nappanee might make a good overnighter.

The Guys had a delightful lunch at Sandra D's, 1330 South Main, just a few blocks north of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Musem.

Editor's Note: The authors maintain a free website, getaway-chicago.com , which offers suggested outings to nearby destinations, that are often overlooked, but of genuine interest and delight.

GREEN NEWS

ECAP Recap: The Climate Action Plan

Pictured left to right, City Manager Julia Carroll; Steve Perkins, convener of the Network for Evanston's Future; Carolyn Collopy, sustainability manager for the City of Evanston; and Nicolai Schousboe spent long hours working on the draft climate action plan.

Nearly 300 people gathered in the green temple - the new home of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation - on May 4 to see what could be done to reduce Evanston's carbon footprint by 13 percent in the next four years.

Some of the plan's recommendations are familiar but even these are taken to a new level of commitment. It suggests keeping clothing and fabric out of the landfill by supporting local resale shops; encouraging businesses and residents to "deconstruct" rather than demolish - that is, selectively dismantle building components specifically for re-use and recycling; providing incentives (including telecommuting opportunities) to reduce the number of single-occupant automobile commuters in and out of Evanston.

To kick-start the commitment to creating a sustainable community, the City distributed more than 250 compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). This represents a reduction of almost 180,000 pounds of CO2 over the life of the bulb, said Carolyn Collopy, the City's sustainability coordinator. State Representative Julie Hamos, City Manager Julia Carroll and Aldermen Delores Holmes, 5th Ward; Elizabeth Tisdahl, 7th Ward; and Ann Rainey, 8th Ward attended the event.

Ald. Holmes was recognized for her role in the development of the new green West Side Market, scheduled to open in the Church/Dodge area in June. She said she found it "exciting and appropriate that we were able to be in this building [certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building)]."

The partners in the ECAP are the Network for Evanston's Future and the City of Evanston. A grant from the Evanston Community Foundation helped the climate action group purchase software designed to help Evanston residents, businesses and community groups measure, track and reduce their carbon footprints: Zerofootprint Evanston, an interactive, on-line carbon emissions calculator customized for Evanston by the Toronto not-for-profit organization Zerofootprint.

The draft ECAP is on the City's website, www.cityofevanston.org; Zerofootprint Evanston can be found at www.zerofootprint.net/one_minute/evanston.

Got clout?

Paul D'Agostino shows City Council members a basball bat made from an EAB-infected ash tree.

This bench, near the Ecology Center, was made from an ash tree infected by the EAB.

Not This Time

Ashes to Ashes

By Allison Hagey

The emerald ash borer (EAB) is sweeping Evanston and leaving no clues as to where it may strike next.

The EAB was discovered in Evanston in 2006, and until recently had mostly been contained in the northwest corner of the City. However, EAB has recently been discovered south of Main Street. At this point, 208 trees on private property and 621 trees on public property have been lost.

Paul D'Agostino, superintendent of Parks/Forestry, says the insects move every year and this is a natural progression. It was initially believed they would only move a half mile every year, but it has been recently discovered that the insects can actually migrate up to six miles per year.

"Once we confirm that the ash tree is infected, it must be removed," said Mr. D'Agostino. He said a new insecticide, called "Tree-äge," can be injected into the trunk and has been working to combat the insect in other areas of the country affected by EAB, but the process is very new and has not yet been introduced in Evanston.

However, the City has done what it can to give its ash trees a second life. After the outer layers of the dead trees have been stripped, the wood that remains in good condition can be put toward other uses. The City has made benches and stools from the ash trees and donated them to the Ecology Center, and 40 baseball bats have been donated to the Evanston Little League.

Private Elm Tree Insurance Applications Available

Through May 30, private elm-tree insurance will again be available to Evanston residents through the City of Evanston's Park/Forestry Division. While the City maintains elm trees on public property, homeowners are responsible for removing diseased elms from their private property. Costs for removing diseased trees can exceed $4,000 for a very large tree.

The private-elm-tree insurance program covers the cost of removing trees lost to Dutch elm disease. If an insured tree is so infected that it must be removed, the City will handle all aspects and costs of the removal to ground level. Removal of the remaining stump is up to the homeowner. This is a one-year insurance program, and new applications must be submitted each year. Applications are now available at the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave., on the City's website, www.cityofevanston.org or by calling 847-866-2912. Completed applications and payment must be received by May 30.

FACES OF EVANSTON CALLS FOR ENTRIES IN PHOTO CONTEST

The 4th Annual Faces of Evanston photography contest, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Evanston, opens May 15 and will run until Aug. 15.

The theme for this year's competition will focus on the public art of Evanston, as part of the Kiwanis club's cooperation with the Arts and Business Committee of the Evanston Arts Council to educate residents on public art in Evanston.

The winning photos will be displayed at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in early September, and past winners will be archived by the Evanston History Center. The contest is open to all, but photos must be from the Evanston area.

Prizes in the contest are $250 for first prize, $150 for second place and $100 for third place.

All entries must be accompanied by a $5 per picture registration fee. A complete list of rules and regulations governing the contest, as well as a downloadable registration form, is available at www.evanstonkiwanis.org or facesofevanston.com.

Contest entrants can also mail their entries to Faces of Evanston Photo Contest; PMB 157; 1555 Sherman Ave.; Evanston 60201.

All entries and registration fees must be received no later than Aug. 15.

'Son of Rambow'

A Film Review By Joe Linstroth

For many who came of age in the 1980s, particularly boys, their youthful imaginations were inspired by movies like "Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and, if lucky enough to see them without Mom finding out, the Rambo movies. "Son of Rambow," a charming, if in the end somewhat disappointing, indie flick from the UK, offers the chance to relive those days when all it took was a few mouthed sound effects and an afternoon to save the world from total annihilation.

Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner) is a diminutive middle-schooler with a grand imagination. His family's membership in a strict religious order called the Brethren deprives him of television, movies and other corrupting influences of modern, 1980s society.

Isolated from his peers by his family's religion - Will must, for example, leave the classroom whenever the teacher shows a video - he escapes to the backyard woodshed, away from the pious clutches of his mother, to draw flip-book cartoons in the pages of his Bible.

Will is bullied into a friendship by the school's resident troublemaker, Lee Carter (Will Poulter), a lonely older boy whose mother left him to be raised by his petulant older brother (Ed Westwick) in a nursing home out in the UK countryside. Like many products of a strict home, Will indulges in the forbidden at his friend's house, where he gets his first taste of the power of cinema. After watching Carter's bootleg copy of "First Blood," Will is hooked. His uniform tie knotted over his temple, he creeps around pillars and through bushes, tossing pine-cone grenades amidst a hail of machine-gun noises. Armed with Carter's home video camera and Will's imagination, the two outcasts set out to make a movie, "Son of Rambow," with dreams of winning the BBC's young filmmaker's competition.

"Son of Rambow" will strike a chord for many boys (including this one) who spent a good portion of their youth in the '80s dispatching imaginary ninjas and ignoring the pain of scratches and scrapes like John Rambo until it was time to be home for dinner. The film is at its most charming when writer/director Garth Jennings focuses on the developing friendship of the two boys. Left alone in the woods, free from the peer pressure of early adolescence, the boys explore their imaginations, rigging crude, but clever, special effects and developing that first memorable bond of friendship.

Mr. Jennings dots the film with '80s references: a synth-pop soundtrack of one-hit wonders, a theater full of cigarette-smoking moviegoers and a fun, if superfluous, party of hair-sprayed teenagers chasing Pop Rocks candy with carbonated beverages for that quintessentially '80s mouth feel.

"Son of Rambow" strays, however, when the director himself seems to be too infatuated with John Hughes' movies and the legendary director's penchant for dark, often peculiar, plot diversions. Playing with the edgy coolness of a French foreign exchange student named Didier (Jules Sitruk), Mr. Jennings' focus on what should have been a minor, three-joke runner leads the film away from the boys' coming-of-age story.

What begins as an identifiable homage to '80s youth, deflates into a muddled conclusion and a gentle tug on the heartstrings.
1 hr, 36 min. Rated PG-13

'Iron Man'

A Film Review By Brian Murphy

With the summer blockbuster season ready to explode, one thing is certain: Comic book adaptations are the reigning champs. With the recent box office successes of the "Spider Man" trilogy, "Transformers" and "Ghost Rider," and the upcoming fervor over this summer's "The Dark Knight" and "The Incredible Hulk," Hollywood has found a viable moneymaker in comic books and graphic novels. Within the confines of the inked page, screenwriters are mining the drama of flawed superheroes and their homicidal nemeses, while directors salivate over the prospect of creating jaw dropping, computer generated special effects.

"Iron Man" is a solid example of the exhilaration created when the page is successfully transformed into the screen.

The film blends a good mix of humor, social commentary, visual style and forbidden romance, and most importantly, features a sublime performance by unlikely hero Robert Downey, Jr.

Downey, a gifted character actor whose career has thus far been defined by his embodiment of quirky roles in arty films ("Less Than Zero," "Chaplin," "Wonder Boys"), has brought his off-beat screen persona to the portrayal of billionaire whiz-kid, arms dealer Tony Stark. Tony is far from your average superhero, taking over his father's weapons manufacturing company and initially making the world a more dangerous place. His character arc is fully realized by the writers and his actions justifiable in the context of the world he inhabits.

While his immersion into a character destined to protect mankind requires serious chops, Downey's ability to play up Tony's eccentricities creates an apparent looseness that says neither actor nor character shall be allowed to take himself too seriously. In the life-or-death realm of comic heroes, this kink is utterly compelling.

At the offset, we find Tony riding in a military Humvee through the Afghan desert, enjoying a glass of scotch in celebration of a successful weapons test and the subsequent huge military contract for Stark Industries. The troops treat Tony like a celebrity while AC/DC's "Back in Black" blares in the background.

In the blink of an eye, the convoy is wiped out, and Tony is taken hostage by "warlords" (notably, the word terrorist is never used). He wakes up in a cave with a magnetic implant in his chest designed to keep the shrapnel from a Stark Industries RPG from entering his heart (oh, the irony). The warlords try to force him to make weapons for them, but instead Stark constructs an impenetrable, flight-ready suit of armor in which to make his escape.

In a flashback, we see the pre-enlightened Tony - the gambling, philandering misanthrope - confronted by a beautiful journalist (Leslie Bibb of "Talladega Nights") who attacks Tony's profession and inquires, "You ever lose an hour of sleep in your whole life?" "I'd be prepared to lose a few with you," Tony quips. Cue the bedroom scene.

Upon his escape, Tony holds a press conference to announce that Stark Industries will no longer be manufacturing weapons. This decision does not sit well with business partner Obadiah, played by Jeff Bridges, who nails the comic villain's look.

Tony's metamorphosis reaches his personal life: He begins to look at personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) in a new light, and his workshop-basement, peopled by robot friends, now seems lonely.

Obsessed with perfecting the Iron Man suit to serve mankind, Tony embarks on a very funny trial-and-error mission, during which director Jon Favreau ("Elf") proves he can handle the comedy as well as the mind-blowing action, which dazzles later on.

"Iron Man" proves solid, and the end credits do more than hint at a deserved sequel.
2 hrs, 6 min. Rated PG-13

Young Evanston

Youth Summit Looks at New Versions of Segregation

By Mary Helt Gavin

The City's Youth Council presented a summit, "Not Your Grandfather's Segregation," at Evanston Township High School on May 3.

Sitting only with friends, sticking with what is known or just keeping within one's comfort zone - any of these seemingly benign practices can detract from the full and diverse life offered by high school and college, author Mawi Asgedom said at the youth summit at Evanston Township High School on May 3. Mr. Asgedom, author of "Of Beetles & Angels: A Boy's Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard," described his first meal in a Harvard lunchroom, where he had to choose between eating with his three white roommates and joining a table of primarily African-American students. The Ethiopian-born Mr. Asgedom asked the group of about 70 persons to consider whether they would have stayed with the roommates, who were different, or joined the group of similar students. At the end of his speech he told them what his decision was that day and why he thought they should do the same thing.

"If you decide to keep with one group, you limit yourself," Mr. Asgedom said. "It's going to affect you later on in life and college. This high school forces you to be in the same building, sitting in the same classrooms, passing each other in the corridors, eating in the same cafeteria. ...This is your chance, in high school and college. This is going to be your best chance."

Earlier in the day, the students divided into five groups and brainstormed on several aspects of modern-day segregation, their symptoms and ways to address them: segregation in schools, in the media and within groups, residential segregation and sexism.

Jackie Newsome, a member of the City's Youth Council, helped facilitate discussion on segregation within a group. Among the symptoms, her group said, are hate crimes, tension and reinforcement of the color barrier. Some of the other symptoms included "It doesn't prepare people for the real world"; "It produces hatred;" "It produces limitation;" and it "causes violence."

After discussion and brainstorming, the students proposed as solutions education and self-reflection.

"I feel great about this," Jackie told the RoundTable - "not just about what was said but about the fact that these things were said - that people were willing to speak the truth about this."

The members of the City's youth council, staffed by Sol Anderson, spent several weeks putting the event together. Entertainment at lunch time was a video the students put together, asking about segregation at ETHS. The young filmmakers asked representative students about segregation at the high school - where they saw it and how it affected their lives. "In my English class, the black students sit with black students and the white students sit with white, but everybody's fine with each other," one student said.

Almost all the students echoed the sentiment that segregation is pervasive - they said they saw it in the hallways, the classrooms, the lunchrooms.

Yet when asked how segregation affected them, every one of those same students said they were not affected by racism: "It does not affect my life - I'm open to everyone." "I know a lot of people." "I'm not affected." "It doesn't affect me because I sit with different people at lunch."

The video closed with this tag: "If all of us are so personally open, why does segregation exist?"

Reasons to Reach Out

At the youth summit on May 3, author Mawi Asgedom urged students to take advantage of the opportunity to connect with students from different cultures and backgrounds while they are in high school and college. "If you can't find a way to connect with each other now, is there a chance that you will connect with somebody in your neighborhood area eight years from now?" he asked.

Mr. Asgedom gave three reasons for building cross-cultural relationships:
· "One of the things that limit people in a group is they only hang out with persons in their own group. That means they're not building bridges and connecting with other groups. The ability to reach out and talk to other people is a key to succeeding. ... Every group has something different to offer."

· "You're going to be limited to the power and influence of the group you select if you self-segregate."

· "Life is a lot more fun if you allow other people to teach you different ways to enjoy life. ... Check out how different cultures enjoy life."

'Neverwhere' Right Here in Evanston

A Theatre Review by Natalie Wainwright

The Actors' Gymnasium, Evanston's circus and performing arts school, has taken on the challenge of adapting Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere," a story that has become known - in contradiction to its title - nearly everywhere. It was a BBC 2 television series in 1996, an award-winning novel in 1998 and a graphic novel in 2005.

"Neverwhere" tells the story of young Richard Mayhew, who rescues an injured young woman named Door lying on a London street, and is repaid for his chivalry by losing his fiancée, his job and his place in his world, the world of "London Above." "Neverwhere" follows Richard's journey through the underworld of "London Below" to regain his life and to help Door find out who killed her family and avenge their deaths.

Nathaniel Drackett, a former Actors' Gym student and Northwestern University theater major, adapted and directs this show. He knows his "Neverwhere," and for the most part follows the book admirably. Changes made for time constraint and resource-availability are understandable, and often smooth. Some are not.

A scene that takes place on the London tube train, for example, is changed so dramatically that it is not clear that the companions have taken the train at all, leaving the famous tube announcement "Mind the Gap!" puzzling at best. The denouement, too, comes quickly, cutting out much of the suspense built up in the book and TV series.

As Richard Mayhew, Jim Hayner is wonderful. His ability to express confusion while dangling from a trapeze is delightful. The explanation that Richard is an American working in London works fine, and his acting enables the audience to ignore the issue after that.

Jill Heyser is just right for her part as Hunter: An experienced actor and a teacher for the Actors' Gym, she exhibits lithe grace and strength on the silks and in stage combat. Jack Schlesinger, as the corrupt bodyguard Varney, is pleasantly over-confident, though a little swallowed by his duster. New Trier High School sophomore Meaghan Falvey's Door needs some work; at times Ms. Falvey exhibits the paradoxical self-esteem and vulnerability of an aristocrat from London Below who is the only one left of her murdered family, but the otherworld-liness of Door, especially in the opening scene when she is in London Above, is not achieved.

Those familiar with the story might also find it difficult to overcome the portrayal of Old Bailey by a pretty young woman - in other versions he is always a tatty old man who somehow manages to survive in London Below, in part, by living physically above it.

The show is recommended for ages 10 and older. Children, as well as adults, will love the circus feats - which fit the story beautifully - and the choreographed scenes, such as the bodyguards' competition and rats' convocation. The music, if not the sound system, is excellent. Work by such interesting and evocative artists as the group Venetian Snares has been selected, clearly with great care. The darkness of the work, however, may be off-putting for children, even of 10 years of age, and if one does not already know the story of "Neverwhere," it may be difficult even for an adult to understand what is happening.

Those who have read or seen any form of "Neverwhere" will certainly enjoy this production. The gymnastic feats, performed only by those characters "who have slipped through the cracks" of London Above, emphasize the different skills and talents necessary to live in an "underworld."

A suggestion might be to watch or read a version of "Neverwhere" (the BBC series is available at video rental shops in Evanston, the book at many bookstores and the Library) - and then, please, go see the show.

Regular performances through June 1 Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. For tickets visit Brown Paper Tickets, or call 1-800-838-3006.