How To Handle It (it being the heat, among other things)

We’re in the midst of the first heatwave of the year. The heat quiets the day, slows us down, binds us together. After sunset we all leak out again into the streets, congregating in the now barely tolerable night. The summer is an emotional season, buzzing with tension, ripe to break open. The heat boils us over, makes us antsy, angry, in love, at odds, always a little desperate for something we can’t quite put our finger on. 

At Dimo’s we’re always a little bit desperate for something. For food, drink, connection. A place to be, a reliable dose of unreliability. We’re all gaining energy this season. We’re trying to find ways to break open the heat. At Logan we’re hosting weekly events, monthly block parties, and in Lincoln Square we’re doing a monthly Dimo’s After Dark. It’s Cubs season in Wrigleyville and way too hot everywhere. 

What is it that’s getting us out of the house? It’s the hope that outside is cooler than inside, that Dimo’s has a/c, that you’ll meet someone new, that the trains are on time, that the bar has a patio, that the new weird sounding special actually tastes good, that you can get your energy bill down, that you’ll feel better around people even if you don’t talk.  

We can’t solve any of your problems truly. But we might be able to get you out of the house.

By now, maybe you’ve noticed that the majority of our events are centered around artists. This is coming from our belief (as stated in our Dimo’s Manifesto!) that “Art for the sake of art is important.” And in order to allow for the continuation of art for art’s sake, we must all do our part in supporting local working artists. This means creating small pockets of refuge for artists in our community, for the artist in each of us. Logan’s Poetry Nights aren’t just so we can listen to spoken word while working on the line, it’s also so that the poets or poet-curious in our community have a place they can find other artists, spend time with each other, drag their friends to make them listen, etc. And think of Dimo’s After Dark, the Block Parties. We want to bring people together, get people to dance. We want to support local DJs, musicians, to allow artists to showcase their pieces. Our events are meant to be celebrations of the art around us. Of the people around us.

So if we can get you out of the house, if we can get to engage with art, connect with the people around you, we can work towards a more interconnected community, one that has each other’s best interests in mind, one that we’ll all be grateful to be a part of. 

Love,

Dimo’s