More than 10 percent of current Phoenicians are from Chicago, according to Bryan Waymyth, founder of the Chicago Phoenix Club.
There’s even more history between the two cities beyond Chicagoans moving to the desert, from the Wrigley and McCormick families to Frank Lloyd Wright and Spring Training. “I strongly believe that Chicago and Phoenix are domestic sister cities,” Waymyth says. “There’s so much connection between the two.”
Waymyth created the Chicago Phoenix Club to celebrate that connection, creating events for Chicago transplants and Phoenix residents alike. All proceeds from these endeavors benefit Special Olympics of Illinois and Arizona.
One such event is taking place in Scottsdale on Saturday, March 19 at 6 p.m. – a star-studded fundraiser celebrating Spring Training season. Hosted at the home of former Chicagoans Joe and Julie Davies, A Night With the Stars will feature special guests Brian Urlacher, 13-season Chicago Bears linebacker and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer, and his wife Jenn, plus standup comedy by Mark Cordes, live music by crooner John Vincent and entertainment by Dean Simons, a renowned Garth Brooks impersonator. “He looks like Garth and sounds more like Garth than Garth,” Wymyth quips. The evening will also include a Q&A with Brian Urlacher.
“I look at the event as something we can have for people that have supported us. We need, as recipients of donations for our cause, to give back to our donors,” Wymyth explains. “Most of the time, we don’t have the opportunity to do that. We do with this event.”
Wymyth usually hosts a baseball-themed fundraiser, but the MLB lockout led to a lot of uncertainty, he says. “Typically, I would have the manager of the Cubs and current players at the event,” he explains. “With the lockout, they weren’t here, and they didn’t know if they had a season, either.”
Now that Spring Training is in full swing, A Night With the Stars will simply serve as a reason for the community to come together for a good cause, enjoy wonderful weather and celebrate sports.
Wymyth says the club will be hosting a mixer when the Chicago Cubs come to town in May. The club is free to join and is open to both native Phoenicians and Chicago transplants. “It’s the Chicago Phoenix Club for a reason,” he says. “You don’t necessarily have to be from Chicago to be part of it.”
