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Hobo Fest Set To Make A Triumphant Return to 'Bumtown' at Argus Brewery

By Mark Konkol | July 6, 2016 10:53am | Updated on July 11, 2016 10:58am
 After a several year absence Hobo Fest returns to Pullman on Aug. 20 at Argus Brewery, 11314 Front St.
After a several year absence Hobo Fest returns to Pullman on Aug. 20 at Argus Brewery, 11314 Front St.
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Argus Brewery; Wikipedia

PULLMAN —  Hobo Fest is set to make a triumphant return to "Bumtown."

Argus Brewery plans to revive the annual celebration of the free-spirited hobo lifestyle that vanished from Pullman a few years back without so much as a goodbye, much like the dwindling population of train-hopping traveling workers who once migrated across the U.S.

"We thought Hobo Fest was such a unique thing that you won't find in too many other places in America," Argus Brewery historian Nick Lubovich said. "Why bring back Hobo Fest? I don't have a really good answer except for, 'Why not?' "

Argus Brewery set up its brewery operation in the former Schlitz distribution stables on Front Street near 113th Street, formerly a strip of saloons that became known as "Bumtown."

"During the Great Depression if one of your relatives were a hobo and came through Chicago, chances are they stopped and had a beer here on Schlitz Row," Lubovich said.

"Hobo Fest was part of the neighborhood's cool factor. Hobos always came to Schlitz Row, so it's fitting to bring it back to what truly was a hobo jungle."

Back in 2008, Pullman's Hobo Fest boasted "Chicago's Largest Mulligan Stew Ever." It was the first time rail tramps were allowed to camp in the shadow of the Pullman Administration Building clock tower. Hobo "Luther the Jet" performed on the Greenstone Church's renowned Stearns & Turner pipe organ that year.

In 2010, the Tribune described Pullman's Hobo Fest this way, "Hobo Fest is unlike Chicago's other summer festivals. There's no admission fee. No flirting 21-year-olds. What little food there is gets cooked over the bonfire. And long-bearded, transients are the focus of the festivities."

The next year, hobo royalty, John "King Stretch" Wilson, slept under the stars with his dog in my neighbor's backyard after finishing off a case of Busch Light. He shared stories of riding open box cars across America. "Stretch" was quite the character, a man with opinions as strong as his odor.

Stretch told me that Pullman was a special place for "rail tramps." It's the railroad crossroad where he decides whether to head east toward Ohio to find work or continue south to avoid winter weather, and always a friendly place to stop for a rest.

Lubovich remembers that year, which happened to be the last time Stretch was spotted in Pullman.

"He arrived late and we had to boost him over the fence," Lubovich said. "We had to do it because they had already locked the gate with all the other hobos already inside."

That was the last time Stretch made a stop in Pullman.  The former "King of the Hobos" and his trusty dog reportedly died a few years back.

Lubovich said it was decided that Pullman's Hobo Fest revival set for Aug. 20 will be dedicated to Stretch, who former festival organizers said helped promote and energize Chicago's only hobo gathering.

This year's hobo gathering doesn't include camping and, unlike previous years, it isn't free. (Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door)

It will start with a "Hobo Run and Ride" at noon, a preamble to an afternoon of folk music, beer and food, including a batch of Mulligan Stew, at Argus Brewery, 11314 Front Street.

For tickets and more information click here. 

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