Wicker Park was recently taken over by a hoard of music enthusiasts and quirky festivities that paid homage to a small, rat-shaped mark in Roscoe Village - a literal divot in the sidewalk that has sparked an unusual amount of affection and fanfare in Chicago. The inaugural Rathole Music Fest rocked Bourbon on Division this past Saturday and featured local bands such as Malört & Savior and The King of Mars. Attendees were treated to not just music, but also rat-themed poetry by Kro, The Traveling Typist, and a burlesque show starring a "rat queen," according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The ideas that spurred the event were initially in jest. It all began with a Facebook event that was never meant to take place, but the social media traction was undeniable. Soon the organizers found themselves trying to covertly throw a music fest that matched the local hype. The city may have laid new concrete over the rodent imprint, but apparently, the Rathole Music Fest was drilled into filling the void left behind, one festivity at a time. As Ricky The III, identified as one of the organizers and owner of The III Studios, told the Chicago Sun-Times, his accidental brainchild was a nod to "rattiness" or, as he poetically put it, "trash acceptance."
The original rodent-shaped divot, located in the 1918 block of West Roscoe Street, accumulated its kind of cult status, drawing in curious visitors and even playing host to engagements and weddings. As per CBS News, neighbors tired of the attraction had pressured the city into action, leading to its removal in April. But the Rathole Music Fest and the passion it brought to Wicker Park suggested that the rat hole's spirit lives on robustly.
The odd and fleeting moments of city life, symbolized by the short-lived yet much-discussed crater in Chicago's concrete, tend to only sometimes get their due. Whether the Rathole Music Fest continues to be an annual event or not, it has unarguably proven itself as a robust celebration of the city's weirdness and capacity for community. "I think the rat hole is fun. It’s kinda like Chance the Snapper. We just latch on to these silly things," festival attendee Molly Lartz said, as stated by the Chicago Sun-Times.
