Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie headlining Barrington Town-Warming
Barrington's old-school Town-Warming in late January will feature former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as the headliner.
Christie will anchor the annual event at Barrington's White House on Saturday, Jan. 25, in a fireside chat with Greg Brown, chairman and chief executive officer of Motorola Solutions. Christie is expected to discuss his new book, "Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics."
Village leaders revived the Town-Warming two years ago in an effort to bring people together in cold weather to learn about issues affecting their community and the world at large. It was popular in the 1930s and '40s but faded from the winter social calendar until the village brought it back in 2018.
The 2020 event is scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a reception following.
Other highlights of the day include a discussion on media and politics in an election year. WFLD-Channel 32 news anchor Corey McPherrin will moderate, and the panelists will include Daily Herald Editor John Lampinen, freelance editorial cartoonist Scott Stantis and Channel 32 Political Editor Mike Flannery.
Another panel will explore the importance of the arts as a foundation during turbulent times. That roundtable will feature novelist and former Barrington resident Veronica Roth, Chicago Architecture Foundation President/CEO Lynn Osmond, and Anthony Freud, general director, president and CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago.
John Williams, a talk host from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays on WGN 720-AM, will mark a return to the heady day by interviewing President Theodore Roosevelt, as played by humanities scholar and character actor Clay Jenkinson.
Tickets will go on sale Thursday, Jan. 2. For tickets, visit barringtonswhitehouse.com/events.
Premium tickets are $150 and include live viewing of the program in the White House's third-floor ballroom, a continental breakfast, a boxed lunch, a cocktail reception and a copy of Christie's latest book. The $75 general admission tickets include all the extras, but the program must be viewed over a live feed on the White House's first floor.
Presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin headlined the 2019 Town-Warming. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, a former Barrington resident, and Williams were part of 2018 gathering under a different format.
Barrington Village President Karen Darch will serve as host for this year's Town-Warming. The Rev. Zina Jacque of Community Church of Barrington is scheduled to provide inspirational opening remarks.
Village officials said the Town-Warming will raise money for the Barrington Cultural Commission, which presents programming in the arts and humanities throughout the year.