Val, Ryan talk possible Chicago NASCAR race, Disney Wish Cruise and new movies
CHICAGO (WLS) -- This week on Windy City Weekend, Val and Ryan chat it up at the desk with some Host Chat topics.
NASCAR wants to bring a special street racing event to Chicago next year. Would you go see it, and do you want cars going 200 mph on the streets?
Plus, one man was offered $100,000 to take a later vacation flight, but he said no!
And, do you go to the gym every day, or cram it all into Saturday morning? Well some experts explain how you can make either work to keep you active.
Disney Wish
Last week, Ryan got to take a trip to the Bahamas aboard the brand new Disney Wish Cruise!
The fifth and newest ship in Disney's fleet makes its official maiden voyage on July 14 and there is so much excitement on board - as well as some impressive stats. The 1,119-foot ship was built in Germany with 15 decks of fun, adventure and leisure. There are ten pools and water play areas, inspired by Mickey Mouse and his friends. The Wish also features Disney's first-ever attraction at sea, the AquaMouse. It's a water adventure where guests can ride a 760-foot water slide around the ship before splashing into the lazy river.
Guests can also visit the Marvel Super Hero Academy, a high-tech Avengers headquarters where kids aged 3 to 12 will train to be the next generation of super heroes with the help of some icons like Spider-Man himself. The ship also makes a stop at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas. On board, there's also fireworks, food, sweets, a Broadway show and more! And you can have the chance to win a magical vacation aboard The Wish too! To enter for your chance to win head to abc7chicago.com/promotions!
Blind Chef
Charlie Doman, chef and manager at Moe Joe's in Plainfield, Illinois, has a huge fan base. His boss, Jamie Littell, may be his biggest fan of all.
"Chef Charlie is the most inspirational human on Earth in my book," said Littell, owner of Moe Joe's. "Nothing gets that man down."
Around four years ago, Doman was declared legally blind after suffering two strokes within a couple months.
"It was terrifying," Doman said. "I had to learn everything all over again. Showering, using the bathroom, walking."
Fearing his cooking career was over, Doman consulted with his executive chef, Ryan Gramit, who encouraged him to try out different stations in the kitchen.
Four years later, Doman can do any job related to cooking and is now a manager at Moe Joe's.
"We never thought of him not working here," Littell said. "I was like 'we'll get the recipes in braille,' you know?!"
Despite being legally blind, Doman has a very narrow field of vision. He wears IrisVision electronic glasses to help enhance what little sight he has left so he can read order tickets and recipes. But during an event at the restaurant in April of this year, those glasses came up missing.
"We checked all the cameras and everything," Doman said. "Multiple people looked at the video system and it just, like, vanished."
Doman and Littell theorize that the glasses were stolen because they resemble virtual reality goggles. Not wanting to take up Littell's offer to buy him new glasses, Doman wanted to try doing a fundraiser instead.
"We came up with the pie idea, Executive Chef Ryan and myself," Littell said. "And it rhymed with 'eyes,' 'Pies For Eyes.'"
The team at Moe Joe's baked around 350 key lime pies and sold them to raise money to replace the missing glasses. In two days they racked up more than $13,000 in donations, making enough to purchase Doman's pair and two additional pairs for visually impaired children. They also visited 16 different hospitals, fire stations, and police stations with 100 additional pies that were purchased by people who weren't able to pick them up.
"The thing about this town is they don't let you fall and if you ask for help, they help you," Littell said. "Everyone rallies around each other here."
Littell said that after IrisVision heard about the fundraiser, they offered a discount on the glasses, allowing Doman to give away three pairs in total. Now he just has to figure out who the lucky recipients will be.
"[Charlie] just keeps going and persevering and taking everyone with him," Littell said.For more information on Moe Joe's, visit eatmoejoes.com
Spend or Save?
"Thor: Love and Thunder" - SAVE
Oscar winners Russell Crowe, Natalie Portman and Christian Bale join Chris Hemsworth in the fourth installment of the Marvel hero, Thor in "Thor: Love and Thunder".
"Black Bird" - SPEND
"Black Bird" is an Apple TV series starring Targon Egerton and Ray Liotta about a convicted drug dealer who is offered his freedom if he can coax a confession out of a suspected serial killer..
"Girl in the Picture" - SPEND
"Girl in the Picture" is a Netflix documentary about a young mother's mysterious death and her son's kidnapping.
"Moonhaven" - SAVE
And this last one is a futuristic sci-fi series. "Moonhaven" is an AMC+ original about a woman pilot trying to save mother earth.
