Todd Bleeker (who is alleged to be a cult figure in some circles) is speaking at two local events:

Building SharePoint Web Parts
Wednesday, April 18th
Chicago DotNet User Group (RSVP requested)
Microsoft Office in Downers Grove, IL

Ghosting, Master Pages, Themes, CSS, etc.
Thursday, April 19th
Chicago SharePoint User Group (RSVP required)
Microsoft Technology Center, 77 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL