Cigar smokers are drifting into the few remaining public areas where they can legally smoke after the state ban, including tobacco shops and private rooms in restaurants.

"There are no other options," says cigar lover Michael Perry Ladin, chairman of Havana Day Dreamers, which raises money for prostate cancer research through cigar parties.

Its next dinner-and-drinks fundraiser, Havana Day Dreaming, will be at Erie Cafe on March 21. For $200 per person, cigar smokers can sample brands, with proceeds benefiting Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

"It's hard to find space where you can do a big party," says Raki Mehra, owner of Hubbard & State Cigar Co., co-sponsor of the event. "We only have a small lounge in the store, and it's getting crowded."

When the weather warms up, Diana Silvius, owner of Up Down Cigar Shop in Old Town, will host monthly gatherings in the outdoor garden behind her shop ...

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