🎤📚Chicago Misconceptions: Al Capone Stories | CFC Winter Lecture Series🍸

🎤📚 Chicago Misconceptions: Debunking Grandma's Al Capone Stories | CFC Winter Lecture Series 🍸

Join us for the FIFTH lecture of the season in Chicago for Chicagoans’ 9th Annual Winter Speakeasy Lecture Series.

Every small town, grandparent, realtor, and restauranteur likes to brag about their connection to the likes of Al Capone, Charlie Chaplin, and Johnny Weissmuller. In reality, these Chicago “celebrities” were often ducking in side doors of obscure hotels, barely passing through town, or eating lunch somewhere much nicer than your local bar.

🎤 Lecture by Adam Selzer — expert historian, tour guide, and author.

REGiSTER NOW AS THIS ONE WILL GO FAST AS ADAM AS A BIG FOLLOWING!!!!

FIFTH LECTURE OF THE SEASON!
Lecture by Adam Selzer
📅 Tuesday, February 3, 2026

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🚨 REGISTRATION REQUIRED — READ FIRST
You MUST register outside of Meetup on Eventbrite to attend the live, in-person lecture.

This event is FREE, but registration is required to enter the speakeasy area for the lecture.
🗓 Registration opens: Tuesday, 1/20/26 at 9:00 AM (set reminder)
⚠️ Space is limited — register ASAP
👉 Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chicago-misconceptions-debunking-grandmas-al-capone-stories-registration-1975057162139

If registration is full:
• Join the Eventbrite waitlist — people cancel and waitlist guests DO get in
• Walk-ins are allowed, space permitting at 7 pm

⭐ NEW, BIGGER VENUE — but it still fills up fast!

****IMPORTANT!! PLEASE NOTE THAT TICKETS FOR THE EVENT ARE NOT YET AVAILABLE. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT EVERYONE SETS A REMINDER TO REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2026, AT 9 AM. RSVPING ON MEETUP DOES NOT SECURE YOUR SPOT. YOU MUST GO BACK AND REGISTER ON THE 23RD VIA THE EVENTBRITE LINK TO CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE. ****

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🕕 ⏰TIMING & ENTRY DETAILS (VERY IMPORTANT)
• Meetup group meets at 6:00 PM
• Doors open at 6:30 PM
• Registered ticket holders admitted first
• Walk-ins may enter starting at 7:00 PM, space permitting
• Lecture begins promptly at 7:10 PM
➡️ If you are not registered, arrive close to 7:00 PM and be flexible.

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📍 Venue
Bad Apple Lincoln Park
658 W Belden Ave · Chicago
Historic, handicap accessible, with great food & cocktails
🍔 YES — food is available during the lecture
✔ Separate checks allowed
✔ More seating than past venues
✔ Food is excellent
https://www.badapplebar.com/the-bad-apple-lincoln-park

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🏙️ About the Series
Chicago for Chicagoans returns for their 9th Winter Speakeasy Lecture Series, designed to teach Chicago residents about the history of their own city.

Hosted at Bad Apple Lincoln Park, these pay-what-you-can events spark discussion about Chicago’s past — and how it continues to shape our future.

📅 NOW ON TUESDAY EVENINGS!

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🔍 This Year’s Theme: MISCONCEPTIONS
This season explores the unfair stereotypes, urban legends, and dubious assumptions surrounding Chicago’s past.

Each week features a different local Chicago historian & expert for 12 one-of-a-kind evenings of:
• Legendary tall tales
• Corrected mischaracterizations
• Disproven myths
• Lively discussion + tasty cocktails
Attend in person or watch the recorded lectures online afterward.

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📚 THIS WEEK’S LECTURE — 02/03/26
Debunking the exaggerated and often fictional celebrity connections claimed by towns and storytellers everywhere, this lecture separates myth from reality surrounding Chicago’s most famous names — including Al Capone, Charlie Chaplin, and Johnny Weissmuller.

🎤 Lecture by Adam Selzer

🗓 Registration opens 1/20/26

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👩‍🏫 About the Speaker: Adam Selzer
Adam Selzer is a historian, author, and tour guide known for his deep dives into true crime, cemeteries, gangsters, ghosts, and Chicago history. After years of fact-checking popular tour narratives, he rebuilt Chicago’s most repeated stories from the ground up through original research using microfilm, legal archives, photographs, and historical documents.

He runs tours through Mysterious Chicago and has worked with Chicago Hauntings, Shoreline Sightseeing, and Weird Chicago.

Adam is also an acclaimed novelist and nonfiction author. His books include:
• Ghosts of Chicago (2013)
• Flickering Empire: How Chicago Invented the U.S. Film Industry (2015)
• The Smart Aleck’s Guide to American History (2015)
• Ghosts of Lincoln (2015)
• Mysterious Chicago (2016)
• HH Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil
His novels include Just Kill Me, Play Me Backwards, and cult favorite I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It.

Adam regularly appears on television, including American Ripper, Mysteries at the Museum, Haunted History, Monumental Mysteries, and more. Most recently, he appeared in the Scary Stories documentary.
🌐 https://mysteriouschicago.com/

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🌐 Learn More & Watch Recordings
Chicago for Chicagoans:
http://www.chicagoforchicagoans.org/
Effing Chicago:
http://effingchicago.com/

🎥 Recordings posted the following Thursday:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChicagoforChicagoans
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicagoforchicagoans/videos
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicagoforchicagoans

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💛 Support the Nonprofit
Chicago for Chicagoans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Tax-deductible donations:
http://www.chicagoforchicagoans.org/donate.html

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🚇 Getting There
Public transit:
Google Maps or CTA Trip Planner
https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/

🚗 Parking:
• Metered parking on Lincoln, Fullerton & Halsted
• Some free side-street parking (watch signs)
• SpotHero lot directly across the street

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⚠️ NO-SHOW POLICY (PLEASE READ)
• 3 no-shows without updating RSVP = 3-month event freeze
• RSVP cut-off = event start time
• If late, message the host directly
• Failure to check in counts as a no-show
• Continued no-shows may result in removal from the group