It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we head to the heart of Amish country and speak with Sonya Nash, Executive Director of Visit Shipshewana! Sonya tells John where Shipshewana is located, what we should know about the Amish culture, the best places to shop and dine in the area, why Shipshewana is a bargain hunters paradise, the top artists who come through town to perform, and the big events they have coming up this summer and fall.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected]!

Sara Tieman is not only an ace Promotions & PR Manager for WGN Radio, but she is also a voracious reader (and world traveler!) who stops by every now and again to tell John about some of the best books she’s reading. What’s on her 2024 list so far? John, Steve Alexander and Bob Kessler also offer up their suggestions.

Recommendations from John Williams:

Sara Tieman’s reading list (year-to-date):

Recommendations from Steve Alexander:

Recommendations from Bob Kessler

‘There There’ by Tommy Orange

It lives up to the many accolades it’s earned. Gripping, heart-wrenching, compelling and essential. (2023 ‘One Book, One Chicago’ selection)

‘Peace Like a River’ by Leif Enger

An exceptional novel about a lot of things: hardships, saviors, selflessness and miracles but mostly about family.  It’s worthy of multiple reads because of the richness of the text alone (especially the epic Western poem which is presented in excerpts written by one of the main characters).

‘Prophet Song’ by Paul Lynch

At times a horrifying depiction of a family amidst urban warfare but I still couldn’t put it down. While this is fiction, much of what happens is real life for far too many people in today’s world.  

‘The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic’ by Daniel DeVise    A detailed and delicious account of the rise of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s careers and the creation of the movie. It reinvigorated my love for the film and the music it celebrates.

‘The Fetishist’ by Katherine Min      Part page-turner, revenge/kidnapping tale, part social commentary and part love story, this was heartfelt, biting and a bit heartbreaking.

‘A Fire in the Canyon’ by Daniel Gumbiner   The story isn’t exactly suspenseful or high-stakes … until it is. Uncontrollable climate events are the center of this and I was drawn in to the people, the place and sense of community in California wine country.

‘What a Fool Believes’ by Michael McDonald with Paul Reiser  Like Michael McDonald’s music, very likable and approachable. It’s an honest, revealing telling of his life, career and journey to sobriety.  

‘Why We Read – on Bookworms, Libraries and Just One More Page Before Lights Out’ by Shannon Reed  Delightful and insightful. Her long-standing love of reading is palpable and jumps off the page. It’s inspired me in my own ‘reading life’ – to stick with it, go deeper, diversify and savor every word.

Recommendations from Producer Pete

Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History by Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Alan Sepinwall

There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A.” and the End of the Heartland by Steven Hyden

The City Is Up for Grabs: How Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Led and Lost a City in Crisis by Gregory Pratt

Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood by Mo Ryan

60 Songs That Explain the ’90s by Rob Harvilla

‘Choosing to Run: A Memoir’ by Des Linden

Play Like A Man: My Life in Poster Children by Rose Marshack

Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival by Mark Guarino

The Loop Files: An Oral History of the Most Outrageous Radio Station Ever by Rick Kaempfer

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. It’s going to be getting warm in the Chicago area, so what should you know to make sure your lawn is protected?

Speed Jokes make you laugh. But today, they also make you cry! John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected]!

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about a new study that showed a healthy diet and lifestyle can slow down Alzheimer’s, the percentage of men who are using weight-loss drugs, the status of Moderna’s combined COVID-flu vaccine, and when we should be thinking of getting the next COVID shot.

Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the Fed policy meeting, if he thinks the Fed will do anything with interest rates, how many rate reductions he sees the Fed making this year, and the hot sector for investments right now.

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to explain why he no longer uses the word, ‘thug,’ and former president Donald Trump discussing boats, batteries, and sharks while he was on the campaign trail last weekend.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected]!

Mike LaVitola, co-founder of Foxtrot, joins John Williams to talk about the history of the upscale convenience store, how the market evolved through the years, what he made of the partnership with Dom’s, his position as executive chairman of the new company that plans to reopen stores, why he believes Foxtrot abruptly closed, and what changes he expects from this new era of Foxtrot.