Kendra G and Raven Smith Team Up on ‘Windy City Weekend’; Val and Ryan Discuss Bud Billiken Parade, Windy City Smokeout, and Upcoming Movies.

CHICAGO (WLS) — On Friday morning, Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini invited viewers to join them at their studio located at 190 North State Street during “Windy City Weekend.”

Host Chat with Kendra G

During the “Host Chat” portion, they were joined by media personality Kendra G. In the past, Kendra was a recurring guest on the former “Windy City Live” program when she worked as a local radio personality at WGCI-FM.

Now, Kendra is an entrepreneur in Southern California, best known for her dating app, Kendra G Singles, which is available on a variety of platforms.

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Kendra G has returned to Chicago to promote her Kendra G Singles Live Tour, which will take place on Monday at The Promontory in Hyde Park. At this event, she will select the top 12 singles in the city and pair them up for a potential romantic connection. The event begins at 7 p.m. at The Promontory, located at 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Tickets can be purchased at www.promontorychicago.com.

In addition to talking about her event and app, Kendra also played the Kendra G Singles Live card game with Chiaverini and Warner, where they were both quizzed about their love matches.

They also talked about a new poll which says that the happiest shift workers are employed at marijuana dispensaries, with 92% of weed and vape store employees feeling good about their jobs.

Raven Smith

Smith first appeared on the show ten years during its incarnation as “Windy City Live.” She was a student at Morgan Park Academy, where she launched a clothing brand called “Straight From The Go,” where proceeds from all sales go to victims of gun violence in Chicago.

Since then, she’s become one of the youngest changemakers in the city and one of the youngest recipients of the Norman Bobins Award. She is also a two-time cum laude graduate of the University of Missouri and will return this August to pursue her master’s and possibly a PhD.

Smith talked to Chiaverini and Warner about her fashion show that she is curating on Saturday at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, 200 S. Ashland Ave. The show, called the Retrograde Fashion Show, will feature a celebrity signed “Straight From the Go” t-shirt. That shirt was signed by local celebrities, including Val Warner, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Doors open for the Retrograde Fashion Show at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are available on Eventbrite and at the Epiphany Center for the Arts website.

Road to ‘The Bud’

For the next few weeks, we’ll feature segments on some of the groups performing at the historic Bud Billiken Parade, a Chicago tradition since 1929.

This week, we profiled Dance Force Elite, a South Side dance school that’s been a staple at the parade since 2008.

The Bud Billiken Pared will be broadcast live on ABC7 Chicago from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 9.

Roeper’s reviews

Roeper also gave a “spend” to “Dexter: Resurrection,” a streaming series which is a sequel to the popular “Dexter” TV series.

And he also gave a spend to “One Night in Idaho – The College Murders,” a streaming documentary about the 2022 University of Idaho murders.

Windy City Smokeout

Tickets and a daily schedule of events at the Windy City Smokeout can be found on their website, www.windycitysmokeout.com.

Val honored by Happiness Club

Chiaverini then closed the show by congratulating Warner for receiving the Legacy Award from The Happiness Club, a nonprofit organization that provides a free performing arts education program for Chicago youth, largely from the South and West sides, who otherwise have limited access to the arts.

The award honors Warner’s contributions as a role model and beacon of hope to young creatives in Chicago.

Warner will receive the award in person at The Happiness Club’s annual benefit in Chicago on Sunday at the Park West Theater.