Pritzker visits Lake in the Hills bakery, where drag show brunch is back on
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Courtesy of Corinna Bendel-SacGov. J.B. Pritzker leaves his mark on a boarded-up window at UpRising Bakery and Cafe in Lake in the Hills during a surprise visit Friday.
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Uprising Bakery and Cafe in Lake in the Hills reopened July 24 after its front windows were smashed and epithets written on the walls. The vandalism prompted an outpouring of community support. Gregory Shaver/Shaw Local News Network
A drag show brunch at a Lake in the Hills bakery that was scuttled last month after the store was vandalized the night before is back on for 11 a.m. Sunday, the business announced on Facebook.
UpRising Bakery and Café has rescheduled the event, along with several others, after the business reached an agreement with the village that allows it to continue hosting events.
"We are elated to have come to a mutual agreement with the village of Lake in the Hills," UpRising owner Corinna Bendel Sac said in a Thursday news release from the ACLU of Illinois. "We look forward to getting back to baking and holding community-centered events."
The drag show event originally was set for July 23. But it was canceled when the shop was vandalized the night before. An Alsip man has been charged in the crime. A week later, the village said UpRising could no longer host events and alleged it violated the village's zoning code. After about a week of back-and-forth, the two sides came to an agreement on UpRising events.
On Friday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker made a surprise visit to the bakery.
"It was an honor to sit down with Gov. Pritzker this afternoon," Bendel-Sac said. "What happened here in July was horrible, but the path forward is paved with light and love from our surrounding community."
Pritzker even signed the boarded-up window, which has been filled in recent weeks with artwork and messages of support from community members.
"We must come together to combat the rising tide of hate against our LGBTQ+ neighbors and friends," Pritzker said in a Twitter post Friday afternoon. "Hate has no home here."
