Sunday's 'After Dark' event featured performance by Bear Williams Trio, great weather
Bear Williams leads the audience in a call and response song during his concert on the lawn of the Hinsdale Public Library Sunday evening. The event attracted people of all ages, including Avery and Kinsley Namik. (Jim Slonoff photos)
Ryan Kowalczyk and Cristína Henriquez enjoy their "date night" at the concert, which was sponsored in part by the Friends of the Hinsdale Public Library.
The Hinsdale Public Library is a great place to check out a book, use the 3-D printer or pick up a DVD to watch over the weekend.
On Sunday night, it also was a great place to hear some blues. The Bear Williams Trio performed outside on the lawn for the library's After Dark event, which also celebrated the end of the summer reading program.
"I thought their musicianship was fantastic," Karen Keefe, the library's executive director, told The Hinsdalean this week. "I loved the variety that they provided. I think you can get kind of a hook in your head when you think about blues music and think it's a little repetitive."
The trio mixed things up, she noted, performing cover songs, original music and even a call-and-response piece.
"It was really, really fun," said Keefe, who attended with her daughter, Lily.
Library supporter and Hinsdale author Cristina Henríquez also enjoyed the performance.
"They were amazing," she said Wednesday. "I actually didn't really know much about them. I don't usually listen to the blues, but I thought they were incredible. The crowd seemed into it, too. Everyone was clapping."
Henríquez and her husband, Ryan Kowalczyk, had an early dinner before grabbing their chairs and walking over to the library.
"We made it a date night," she said.
She said she noticed the concert while reading the library's newsletter, which she always reviews to see what's going on.
"It as a no-brainer. You're out on the lawn in the fresh air, in the honeyed sunlight, and you're getting free snacks and drinks and listening to good music," she said.
"The amazing thing about these is that they're free. As long as you sign up and get on the list, you can go and enjoy it. That's pretty incredible," she added.
Neale Byrnes decided to go after attending other enjoyable concerts at the library.
"It just sounded cool. Blues on the Memorial (Building) grass. I kind of like blues," he said.
The Bear Williams Trio was recommended by the Old Town School of Music in Chicago, which typically helps the library arrange its summer concerts, Keefe said.
"They have been fantastic about recommending acts that will be family friendly," she said. "They've helped us book Hawaiian dancers and traditional folk musicians and, this summer, blues. We love the variety of contacts they have in the Chicago area."
Byrnes said he and his wife, Nickie, enjoyed the band along with the drinks and appetizers the library served to attendees. Byrnes, who is also a trustee, couldn't help thinking about how nice the area will be after the upcoming plaza renovation is complete.
"It's going to look really cool. I was pointing that out to my wife," he said.
The village and library are splitting the cost of the $400,000 project, which will expand and repave the patio and add seating and landscaping.
"We are very excited to see what that project is going to add to our outdoor events," Keefe said.
She encouraged residents to watch for the next After Dark event, which will be the 10th anniversary of Trivia Night, one of the library's most popular offerings.
"We have people calling us for the date so they can schedule other fall events around it," Keefe said.
Byrnes said he truly appreciates having the library in the community.
"When I moved here, I wasn't thinking about the library," Byrnes said. "I use the library way more than I thought I would."
Henríquez agreed.
"It's one of my favorite things about living in Hinsdale," she said. "I think every community would be lucky to have something like this. I think it's so great that we do."
