Katie and Tim Tuten, former owners of The Hideout, are this year's Donna Ducharme Leadership Award recipients.

Named for North Branch Works' founder, the award honors people who have shown outstanding leadership and service to the North Branch community.

We presented the award to Katie and Tim at Fall Fest (pictured above with NBW Executive Director Jonathan Snyder).

The Hideout has a storied history of bringing people together, launching bands, and offering respite to the neighborhood's industrial workers.

Immigrants built the house in the 1860s to serve the area's workers, and it has served alcohol legally since 1934 and maybe a little bit before then.

Under Katie and Tim, The Hideout also became a music venue, hosting artists such as Jeff Tweedy, the White Stripes, Billy Corgan, and Mavis Staples.

Comedian Sarah Sherman performed there before joining the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2021.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzer appearing at The Hideout

Michael Che, co-host of Weekend Update, recently performed five shows at The Hideout to warm up for his Netflix special, Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota.

Tim and Katie do much more than run The Hideout.

They led the creation of the Chicago Independent Venue League (CIVL), which advocates for small independent venues.

This work is vital to nurturing new bands and counterbalancing large ticket-selling monopolies.

The arts matter to Chicago beyond entertainment, tourism, and attracting new residents.

The Arts Alliance Illinois reports that the region's creative economy generates $50 billion in economic output and $5.7 billion in tax revenue, making it essential to Chicago's identity and economy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Katie played a prominent role in the #SaveOurStages campaign, which pushed the federal government to aid small independent venues.

Working with Congressman Mike Quigley, the campaign won a major victory: the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, a federal program critical to these businesses' survival.

The Hideout (1354 W Wabansia Ave)

Tim and Katie have also hosted many politicians, including mayors, governors, senators, state legislators, and alderpeople, as well as community groups organizing to improve our city, state, and country.

This is only some of what Tim and Katie do.

Although they sold The Hideout earlier this year, they remain deeply involved in the community and in efforts to improve the city.

North Branch Works is especially grateful to Tim Tuten for his service on our board of directors.

Please join us in congratulating Tim and Katie Tuten on this great honor! Thank you for all you do to make the North Branch a great place to work and own a business.

Tim & Katie Tuten