March 30, 2023
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UpRising Bakery allowed to host events going forward, drag show brunch back on for Sunday

ACLU announced Thursday the bakery came to agreement with village

By Amanda Marrazzo and Aaron Dorman
People walk into Uprising Bakery & Cafe in Lake in the Hills, Monday, July 26, 2022, after the store reopened Sunday after its front windows were smashed and epithets written on the walls, to long lines and enthusiastic community support. The cafe, which was planning to host an all-ages drag show Saturday night, had experienced backlash over the previous few weeks.

People walk into Uprising Bakery & Cafe in Lake in the Hills, Monday, July 26, 2022. The store reopened Sunday after its front windows were smashed and epithets written on the walls, to long lines and enthusiastic community support. The cafe, which was planning to host an all-ages drag show, had experienced backlash over the previous few weeks. (Gregory Shaver - gshaver@shawmedia.com/Gregory Shaver Shaw Media )

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 this weekend, the business announced on Facebook.

UpRising Bakery and Café has rescheduled the event, for 11 a.m. Sunday, after the business reached an agreement with the village of Lake in the Hills that allows it to continue hosting events, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois said Wednesday.

“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 was canceled when the shop was vandalized the night before. A week later, the village said UpRising could no longer host events and alleged they violated the village’s zoning code.

After about a week of back-and-forth, the two sides came to an agreement that will allow UpRising to continue hosting its events, the ACLU announced in a news release.

Lake in the Hills Village President Raymond Bogdanowski said Thursday the village’s concerns had been addressed and officials are “very pleased with being able to move forward.”

Jacqui Murk, right, of Crystal Lake, and her daughter, Izzie, write notes of support on the boarded up window at Uprising Bakery & Cafe in Lake in the Hills, on Monday, July 26, 2022, after the store reopened Sunday after its front windows were smashed and epithets written on the walls, to long lines and enthusiastic community support. The cafe, which was planning to host an all-ages drag show Saturday night, had experienced backlash over the previous few weeks.

Jacqui Murk, right, of Crystal Lake, and her daughter, Izzie, write notes of support on the boarded up window at Uprising Bakery & Cafe in Lake in the Hills, on Monday, July 26, 2022, after the store reopened Sunday after its front windows were smashed and epithets written on the walls, to long lines and enthusiastic community support. The cafe, which was planning to host an all-ages drag show Saturday night, had experienced backlash over the previous few weeks. (Gregory Shaver - gshaver@shawmedia.com/Gregory Shaver Shaw Media )

Lake in the Hills Village Administrator Shannon Andrews released a statement Thursday afternoon confirming an agreement between the village and the bakery.

“The village is pleased that through collaborative efforts with representatives for UpRising Bakery and Café, we were able to identify a mutually satisfactory approach going forward, which honors the village’s zoning concerns,” Andrews said in the statement.

ACLU attorney Kevin Fee said the agreement was “good news” for the community, and called it a “victory for free speech.”

“We applaud village officials for their willingness to quickly engage in thoughtful discussion leading to this understanding that allows UpRising to continue to service their mission of being a community resource for all people.”

The vandalism of the bakery came the night before the bakery was scheduled to host a family-friendly drag show, which itself attracted much attention and harassment. The building’s front glass windows were broken and messages were spray-painted on its brick exterior disparaging members of the LGBTQ community.

Joseph Collins of Alsip was charged with both a hate crime and criminal damage to property after he was seen fleeing the area by an Algonquin police officer about midnight July 23. Lake in the Hills police at the time called the officer “instrumental” in catching Collins.

Joseph Collins, 24, of Alsip, was charged with two counts July 23, 2022 related to the vandalism at UpRising Bakery and Cafe in Lake in the Hills.

Joseph Collins, 24, of Alsip, was charged with two counts July 23, 2022 related to the vandalism at UpRising Bakery and Cafe in Lake in the Hills. (Provided by McHenry County Sheriff's Office)

The show, which was canceled as a result of the vandalism, was expected to see both protests and counter protests from various groups and residents.

The vandalism prompted an outpouring of community support.

“Village officials supported Ms. Sac and her business in the immediate wake of this horrific event,” Fee said in the release. “Today’s agreement ensures an equitable and fair resolution moving forward, and recognizes that violent extremists cannot dictate the discussion in our society.”