Election Day Parties
Regardless of your party, you can still party today. Look!:
Food and non-alkie drink: Starbucks is giving away coffee to voters. Ben & Jerry's is giving away free scoops of ice cream at participating shoppes; click here for deets. And Krispy Kreme is passing out patriotic donuts in a campaign of generosity called “Hot Vote Now.”
“I used to fit into these jeans and now I can’t” = CHANGE.
Bin Wine Cafe: Red wine on special, and burgers for those who, like Sarah Palin, don't care about the innocent creatures (meanies). 6 p.m. 1559 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Bipartisan Blowout Election Night Party: Open bar, food and fun. But oh noes – it’s sold out! Hit up your pals in Evanston to try to get into this one. 7 p.m. McCormick Tribune Auditorium. Northwestern University, 1870 Campus Dr., Evanston.
Election Day! Showing: First Tuesdays with the Midwest Independent Film Festival continue with this special screening of the award-winning South By Southwest fave. A question-and-answer session with producer and Chicago filmmaker Maggie Bowman follows the screening. 6 p.m. Landmark's Century Centre Cinema, 2828 N. Clark. After-party hosted by Forno Diablo, 433 W. Diversey.
Election Fight Night!: Join the folks of Lumpen and the Silver Room -- and yours truly -- at Sonotheque, where four projector screens will blare all the latest counts, and all specialty cocktails (the Black Velvet sounds O-so delicious) are just $5. I'll be painting Joe Biden on-site, as well as making block prints of our next president (so help us). 9 p.m.-2 a.m. 1444 W. Chicago.
Equality Illinois Election Party: Watch the returns with the community and Equality Illinois. Bring your voting stub and get your photo taken with the Sidetrack version of “our next president,” which probably doesn’t mean "Bob Barr." No cover. Must be 21 and over. 6 p.m.-2 a.m. Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted.
Finch Gallery: The Finch folks are collectively crossing their fingers, and inviting you to join them. Stop by after 7 p.m. 2747 W. Armitage (just east of California). 312-622-8921.
Fizz Bar & Grill: Free food (with drink purchase), $5 Svedka cocktails, photo booths and more. 6 p.m. 3220 N. Lincoln Ave.
FitzGerald’s Nightclub: Democratic Party of Oak Park and State Senator Don Harmon (and you?) watch the election results on a 9’x16’ screen. Gotta be 18 for this scene. Free! 5:30 p.m. 6615 Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn.
GOAt Election Watch 2008: Join the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' GOAt audience in the Schubas music room, share your partisan passion with fellow Chicagoans and engage in the discussion as election results roll in and guest political experts provide commentary. Arrive before 7 p.m. to enter the "Swing State Prediction Raffle"! 6:30 p.m. Schubas. 3159 N. Southport.
Illinois for McCain Election Night: The Cook County Republican Party, the Chicago Republican Party, and Illinois for McCain Chairman Jim Durkin get together to finish off a long campaign. Lots of big names are on the invitees list, including Mike Ditka. Open bar. 6:30 p.m. English Restaurant, 444 N. La Salle St. For more information, call 773-235-9467 or email jon@chicagogop.com.
LUMA Election Night Party: Watch the returns, eat patriotic foods, get sloshy on "Libertinis," and win stuff. $20. 6 p.m. Loyola University Museum of Art, 820 North Michigan Ave.
Rockit the Vote: The Rockit Bar and Grill features live election coverage all night long with sound on 14 HDTVs. Lounge Opens up at 4 p.m. with full dinner service. You can stay until 2 a.m.! Just keep ordering food. 22 W. Hubbard.
Post-Partisan Comedown: After this doozy of an election, you'll need time to decompress and process. But stopping your freak-out on Nov. 5 is kinda premature, sad to say, given that our economy’s in the shitter, we’re at war with two or three countries (depends on the day), we’re obese from too many donuts and ice cream cones and our bridges are all falling down. So, what’s next? Find out at a round-table discussion held by the Public Square, a program of the Illinois Humanities Council. Jeremy Scahill, author of the award-winning book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army; Dedrick Muhammad, Senior Organizer and Research Associate for the Institute for Policy Studies; Tracy Van Slyke, Program Director of The Media Consortium; and James Thindwa, Executive Director of Chicago Jobs with Justice, will offer their thoughts on the election. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Roosevelt University's Congress Lounge. 430 S. Michigan Ave. Free, but reservations are required; e-mail events@prairie.org or call 312-422-5580.