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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
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Good Vibes Only: 6 Stories That Made Us Love Chicago This Week

 A closer look at the woolly mammoth costume.
A closer look at the woolly mammoth costume.
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Bill Motchan

CHICAGO — Another pour-your-own-beer taproom is coming to the city, a group of lifeguards saved an 11-year-old and there's a dog parade this weekend.

These stories will remind you how awesome Chicago is (and cheer you up when the rain keeps you inside Friday and Saturday).

Catch up with the neighborhoods:

[DNAinfo/Josh McGhee]

Lifeguard Who Helped Save Boy: 'The Adrenaline Definitely Kicked In'

WOODLAWN — Jasmine Bates was having an "easy day" when she heard an emergency call over the radio at 63rd Street Beach earlier this month.

Within seconds, the swim instructor and her crew of lifeguards were at the shore ready to jump into action, Bates recalled this week. The brave lifeguards saved the life of an 11-year-old boy after he fell out of a boat on Lake Michigan near the beach, but the boy's uncle, James R. Hammond of Albany Park, died trying to save him. 

The crew of lifeguards were honored with a standing ovation for their heroic efforts at the Chicago Park District board meeting this week.

Read more.

[DNAinfo/Andrea Watson]

Thousands Of Young Men Mentored Thanks To 'Better Man Than Me'

BRONZEVILLE — Before Morgan Park native Paul Phillips launched his male mentoring program, he had his lessons prepared, but not the lure.

The Better Man Than Me Foundation began as a leadership training program six years ago, but Phillips said he knew right away that the format wasn’t going to work.

“I had gotten about eight guys to come, and they were bored to death,” he said. “I’m like, this is not working.”

So he tweaked the program, bringing the guys to restaurants. Then he tweaked it again, letting them play basketball for part of the program.

Read more.

[Courtesy the Estate of Vivian Maier]

U of C's New Vivian Maier Prints Are Amazing: Take A Look

HYDE PARK — The University of Chicago will be the first research institute to hold works by Chicago photographer Vivian Maier after a donation of nearly 500 prints.

The university announced on Wednesday that filmmaker John Maloof has donated nearly 500 prints by the photographer known for her street scenes of Chicago and New York City to the university library’s Special Collections Research Center.

“This collection of prints will help researchers and students to understand Maier as a working photographer,” said Daniel Meyer, director of the center. “As a new discovery in 20th-century American photography, Vivian Maier’s work also offers fresh insights into the viewpoints and graphic styles of her contemporaries.”

Read more.

[DNAinfo/Mina Bloom]

Peek Inside Logan's First 'Pour Your Own Beer' Taproom, Opening Saturday

LOGAN SQUARE — The latest bar to join the neighborhood has serious do-it-yourself vibes.

Logan Square's first "pour your own beer" taproom, on the ground floor of the "L" luxury apartment building at 2211 N. Milwaukee Ave., debuts to the public Saturday.

Longtime friends Erik Swanson and Tim Enarson, both 36, are behind the bar, which they've dubbed Navigator Taproom.

Read more.

[Bill Motchan]

Dog Parade Set For July 29 In West Town

WEST TOWN — A dog parade in West Town is set for July 29, thanks to organizers from the Smith Park Advisory Council who're encouraging folks to strut their "community-wide pet pride."

Set to begin at 10 a.m. the 1.1-mile parade route will start at 1800 W. Rice St. and go to 650 N. Campbell Ave. in West Town's Smith Park.

Read more.

 

Dude seriously just asked why no ketchup.

A post shared by JEFF ZIMMERMANN (@jeffzimmermann) on

Chicago's Most Prolific Hot Dog Muralist On The Right Way To Eat A Wiener

DOWNTOWN — You can find Jeff Zimmermann's hot dogs all over the city — but they're not the kind you slather in mustard and eat.

Zimmermann, of Humboldt Park, estimates he's painted 20 to 30 hot dogs in murals found throughout Chicago and in canvas paintings for galleries. You can see the dogs at Oak Street Beach and at California Avenue and Cortez Street, among other locales.

Zimmermann just has one rule: The hot dogs never have ketchup.

Read more.