Bingle

Country music star Chris Janson performs at the historic Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois. 

“If you can think it, we have probably hosted it,” says Alex Nerad. 

Nerad is executive director of the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois. The venue is one of the oldest and most popular arts destinations in this Midwestern city of more than 40,000 people.

I spoke with Nerad and Jeanine Holcomb, the theater’s communications and marketing director, just days before Chris Janson performed. The country music singer and songwriter, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, is known for such multi-platinum hits as “Buy Me a Boat” and “Things You Can’t Live Without.”

Evy in front of the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, which is located about 70 miles from downtown Chicago. 

INSPIRED BY KING TUT

How did DeKalb come to be the home of an Egyptian Theatre? In 1922, the tomb of King Tutankhamen was discovered. At the age of nine, Tut became the pharoah of Ancient Egypt. He ruled until his death at the age of 19.

The discovery of Tut’s tomb sparked widespread interest in the United States in Ancient Egypt and Egyptian culture. Thereafter, Holcomb explained, “more than 100 Egyptian theaters were built across the U.S. in this atmospheric Egyptian style.”

Everything about the theaters is based on Egyptian architecture, both inside and out. Many were closed or were demolished in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Today, only seven Egyptian Theatres remain. The DeKalb venue, which is run by a nonprofit organization, is the only one east of the Rocky Mountains.

The theater in DeKalb hosts 180 events and welcomes more than 42,000 visitors annually. “The Egyptian Theatre has close to $3 million in direct economic impact [for the area] each year,” Nerad said.

The historic building is also on a list compiled by the Chicago Tribune of 20 must-see architectural attractions in Illinois. Most important, Nerad and Holcomb told me, is that visitors feel welcome at the theater.

“We never want the arts to feel inaccessible to someone,” Holcomb said. 

“It’s so key to us that people feel seen, loved, heard, and welcomed here at the Egyptian Theatre,” Jeanine Holcomb told Evy. 

SPARKING JOY

Indeed, thousands of visitors were welcomed to the theater on October 20, when Janson took the stage. The three-time Country Music Association (CMA) Award nominee won the CMA Music Video of the Year in 2019 and has topped the charts several times. Fans cheered as the stage lights went on, and music filled the air. 

Nearly a century after its opening in 1929, the Egyptian Theatre remains a place that brings people together and sparks joy.

“It’s so key to us,” Holcomb said, “that people feel seen, loved, heard, and welcomed here.”

The Hawkeye Marching Band performs at halftime in an exhibition women’s basketball game between the University of Iowa and DePaul University. 

“I’m thrilled for our women to showcase their hard work and efforts,” said Lisa Bluder. “Women’s sports deserve this stage, and we’re proud to be leading the way.”

Bluder is head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Iowa. I emailed her before Iowa faced off against DePaul University in an unusual contest: a basketball game played in the end zone of a football stadium. The exhibition game took place on October 15 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. 

Iowa went on to defeat DePaul, 94-72. The event set a new NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) record for women’s basketball attendance. A total of 55,646 fans watched the action at the historic football stadium.

Dubbed “Crossover at Kinnick,” the game benefited the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. The hospital received a check in the amount of $250,000 from ticket sales.  

As the game got underway, fans participated in “The Wave,” which is known among Iowa Hawkeyes as the best tradition in college sports: Coaches, players, and fans turn to the Children’s Hospital behind the stands and wave to patients and families watching the game.

Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark attempts a three-point shot in the “Crossover at Kinnick,” an outdoor exhibition game. 

A LOCAL SUPERSTAR WITH NATIONAL APPEAL

Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark put on a stellar performance. She had 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. She also was recognized as the Collegiate Women’s Athlete of the Year, an award she won last June. 

“Events like the ‘Crossover at Kinnick’ are important for several reasons,” Patrick Kenny told me via email. “They create buzz and excitement to start a season [and] demonstrate the appetite fans have for women’s sports.” Kenny is communications director at the Big Ten Network, which broadcasts college games. 

In the 2022-’23 season, Louisiana State University defeated Iowa in the national finals. The championship game was the most-watched women’s college basketball game ever.

“Women’s basketball has been a growth sport for the Big Ten Network,” Kenny observed. “Last year, we experienced our most watched season ever with the No. 1 and No. 2 games in network history, the most watched Big Ten women’s basketball tournament in network history, and the highest per game average in network history.” 

The growing popularity of women’s basketball makes a big difference, according to Bluder. “This is so important,” she told me, “for boys, girls, women, and men, to see the positive impact women’s sports can have on our country as a whole.” 

The 55,646 fans in Iowa City agree.