Chicago, IL

As part of the Taste of Chicago, Broadway in Chicago will be holding a special concert featuring the casts of several different Broadway shows. The casts of The Color Purple and Wicked will perform, as well as the Show Choir of the Chicago Children’s Choir. Also appearing are the casts of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and High School Musical on Tour. The event will take place Monday July 2nd at 6:00 p.m at the Petrillo Music Shell.

This is a great opportunity to see some of the best theater in Chicago for free!

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There’s an old saying. If there’s one thing a filmmaker hates, it’s another filmmaker. Ok, maybe it’s not old. Maybe I just made it up. But, in the spirit of breaking down walls between artists, you should check out The Future Filmmakers Festival. See “Passionate, Honest, Inventive” student films for free! Who knows, some of them might even be watchable.

Friday June 29 & Saturday June 30th

Columbia College
1104 S Wabash
Rooms 705 & 709

Check out the website for a complete list of screenings: HERE

Future Filmmakers Festival, Student Film, Chicago, Columbia College

The Taste of Chicago is not all about eating! In addition to all the great musical acts, there are a lot of events that the city has created for families with children.

The Taste of Chicago runs through July 8th and there are family events each day. The full list is here. Below is the list of events that will be taking place at the Taste’s Family Village this weekend.:

Saturday, June 30, 2007
11 a.m.-2 p.m. - Create and wear a fancy Taste of Chicago memory book to record your favorite foods and activities with Chicago Children’s Museum
11 a.m.-4 p.m. - Chicago Department of Children and Youth Services (outdoor activities for ages 3-5, free giveaways)
Noon-5 p.m. - Jumping Jack Inflatable
2:30-5:30 p.m. - Make tie-dye butterflies and flowers with Wonder Works Children’s Museum www.wonder-works.org
6-7 p.m. - Free Family Bingo (win prizes)

Sunday, July 1, 2007
11 a.m.-2 p.m. - Create & eat a chocolate Chicago Bear with the Washburne Trade School Chef’s Alumni Association
11 a.m.-4 p.m. - Chicago Department of Children and Youth Services (outdoor activities for ages 3-5, free giveaways)
11 a.m.-7 p.m. - Free Stamps for Kids presented by The Chicago Philatelic Society
Noon-5 p.m. - Jumping Jack Inflatable
2:30-5:30 p.m. - Play Chess with the Illinois Chess Association Warren Jr. Program
6-7 p.m. - Bubbles, Bubbles, and More Bubbles

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This weekend, June 30 and July 1st, Chicago will host its annual Country Music Festival, as part of the Taste of Chicago. The event, which features local and national country music acts will take place at the Taste stage and the Main Stage of the Petrillo Music Shell.

The headliner this year is Kenny Rogers, who will perform at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday at the Petrillo Music Shell. They will also be holding a Kenny Rogers look-a-like contest. Other top acts include Sara Evans and Craig Morgan, who will be performing at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, also at the Petrillo Music Shell.

In addition to the musical acts, there will also be an exhibition of country music artifacts from legendary performers such as Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn. The over 250 items will be on display behind the seating area at the Petrillo Music Shell.

The best part about the Chicago Country Music Festival is that it is free!

For more information and a full schedule of events, visit the official website here.

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Do you want to be able to eat whatever you want at the Taste of Chicago and not have to worry about your waistline? Consider running in the Race to the Taste, which is a 5k (3.1 mile) run or a 2 mile walk taking place Sunday July 1st at 8:30 a.m. The race begins at Columbus and Balbo. All participants receive a Dri-fit shirt and a strip of food tickets for the Taste!

In addition to the 5k race and the walk, there will also be a Kids Dash, for the little runner in your family. The Dash begins at 10:00 a.m., with registration taking place at 9:00 a.m.

Registration for the 5k is currently available online here.

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I don’t know how many of you ride the brown line, but I ride it every day. One of my favorite things is seeing all the new graffiti on the buildings close to the train stations. One particular piece of art caught my eye last week, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. It’s on the S-curve near the Steppenwolf theater, and who-ever did it must have had to literally climb up the L-track to get to that spot. It’s really kind of amazing. It is written in almost girly scripted pink spray-paint, and it reads, “I ruined your life, sorry Sarah.”
What else can you say? “I climbed the L-track in the middle of the night and vandalized private property so that you (and all 60,000 brown line riders) can know that I’m sorry that I ruined your life.”
I wish I got apologies like that.

Brown Line, CTA, Chicago, Graffiti

This weekend marks the beginning of an annual event of indulgence in Chicago: The Taste of Chicago! The event takes place in Grant Park and is in its 24th year. It features musical entertainment, cooking demonstrations, and, of course food. The event runs June 29-July 8.

While admission to the festival is free, the food will cost you. Food and drinks are purchased with tickets, which you can purchase at the Taste or your local Dominick’s grocery store. One great way to sample a lot different kinds of food are to purchase “taste portions,” which are smaller portions and cost 2-3 tickets.

No matter what type of food you enjoy, there is a vendor at the Taste for you. From the mundane to the exotic, they have it all. My personal favorite is corn on the cob on a stick.

For a full list of restaurants participating in the Taste, click here (in pdf).

Throughout the duration of the Taste, which runs until July 8, I will be highlighting various events and happenings that are taking place at the Taste of Chicago: it is more than just food!

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In the mood for some Greek food this weekend? You should check out the “Taste of Greece on La Salle Street,” Friday June 22-Sunday June 24. Th event, part of the 2nd Annual Greek Festival of the Annunciation at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral runs from 4 p.m.-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from noon-11 p.m. on Sunday.

According to this website, the Taste of Greece will feature traditional Greek food, beer, wine, ouzo, soft drinks, Greek pastries, a Greek souvenir shop, a tour of the cathedral, Greek dancing, and live Greek music provided by The Linardakis Band. The church will also be hosting a raffle with cash prizes.

The event address is: 1017 N. La Salle St. For more information, or to buy raffle tickets prior to the event, call the church at: 312-664-5485.

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So, if you are up for a pretty amazing day, Sunday is your day. In the culminating event of Pride Month (June), the Pride Parade in Chicago will be this Sunday (June 24th) at noon. Some estimate crowds in past years as high as 450,000 people. That. Is. Amazing.

The international theme for Pride 2007 is United For Equality.

The parade route: Step off from the Halsted & Belmont corner, proceeding north on Halsted (to Broadway); then south on Broadway (to Diversey); then east on Diversey to Cannon Drive, in Lincoln Park.

This year’s Grand Marshal will be former NBA player, John Amaechi.
What a great chance to get together as a community and make a statement that we are all one big human family.
I hope to see you there!

Pride Parade, Gay, Lesbian, Chicago, John Amaechi, United for Equality

There is a new type of fitness facility in Chicago that can bring out your bad-girl side. According to their website, Flirty Girl Fitness is a “premiere women’s lifestyle facility that is outrageously unique and entertaining to inspire women to get fit and feel fabulous.”

Classes available at the facility include pole dancing, striptease chair dancing, boxing (with pink gloves), as well as many other types of classes. Drop-in classes are $25 each, but you can save by buying multiple class passes (i.e. five classes for $100).

The instructors are also available for at-home parties, as well as parties at the studio. I think this would be a fun idea for a bachelorette party.

The studio is located at 1325 West Randolph. For a full class schedule, as well as prices, check out the Flirty Girl Fitness website here.

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This weekend, June 23 and 24, the Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the Belmont Arts and Music Festival.

The event will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Belmont Avenue between Damen and Leavitt.

BAM will feature two stages of live music from acts such as Bob Mould, The Redwalls, and the Omega Moos. In addition to the bands, there will also be entertainment for the kids from 12-3 on both days.

For more information and a full list of bands, check out this link.

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So, awhile ago, I wrote about a smaller-cast version of Ragtime: the Musical that was playing at the Theater Building. Well, as it turns out, that production was a booming success, and it has re-opened at the Apollo! Wahoo! The upside is that it is a great show, and it’s playing in town. The downside is that the tickets are $41.50 - $46.50. Ugh. So, I guess you should go see it, if you have cash to burn.

Opened June 16.

Open End

Sundays : 3:30 p.m.
Thursdays : 7:30 p.m.
Fridays : 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays : 7:30 p.m.

Price: $41.50-$46.50
Ticketmaster: 312-559-1212
Box office: 773-935-6100
Produced by: Porchlight Music Theatre

Ragtime, Chicago, Apollo Theater

This weekend, June 23 and 24, Wheeling, Illinois will host to Brickworld 2007, which calls itself the “1st Annual LEGO Exposition.” The exposition will take place at the Westin Chicago North Shore.

The event will showcase thousands of displays spread over 15,000 square feet of event space, including castles, sculptures, and trains. The event will also feature competitions, demonstrations, raffles, and auctions.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and are available at the door only. For more information on the event, visit the official Brickworld site.

Do you want an interesting and new way to explore Chicago and its architecture? You should consider taking a ride on the Loop Tour Train. The special train ride consists of a 40 minute fun and educational journey of the Chicago Loop. Docents from the Chicago Architecture Foundation narrate the tours to give you the history of the area.

The best part of this Loop Tour train ride is that it is free! Trains depart every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. from the Randolph and Wabash Chicago Transit Authority elevated train station. Tickets are required and can be picked up the morning of the ride at the Chicago Office of Tourism Visitor Information Center in the Chicago Cultural Center, which is located at 77 E. Randolph Street.

For more information on the tours, which run now through September 29, visit the City of Chicago website.

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Last night I went to the preview of the new Thursday 8pm show in the Del Close Theater at iO featuring BUST and Indra’s Net, two new improv teams that promise big and exciting things. It’s a tough time slot at iO, because downstairs in the Cabaret, the legendary team The Reckoning has been an installation for what seems like forever. Maybe, though, because some of The Reckoning’s team members are off traveling, and they have been inviting others to join them that just don’t have the same chemistry…maybe it’s time to check out what’s going on upstairs at the Del Close Theater.
BUST is a two-woman improv team that to me, felt like the female version of the Nogoodniks in a lot of ways. Obviously there were only two of them, so the limitations of that dynamic are ever-present. I feel like these two are going to be really awesome once they find their grounding. This time felt like they were trying to cram every character they could think of into one show. My advice, as an audience member: Slow down.
Indra’s Dream made a good first showing. It’s a very cool concept. Read their show description HERE. Some of their players seemed to make a lot of common mistakes - repeating the same character one too many times, or entering the scene and shouting something pseudo-preposterous. But, overall, it was a good show with a lot of really promising elements. I saw a few cast members that seem to have been team-hopping recently. I, personally, enjoyed this combination. Most pointedly, I love seeing Kate Duffy, especially when she seems like she’s good-naturedly mocking her teammates. Also, I’m a new fan of Lisa Linke. I think she is smart and interesting to watch with an advanced wit. It always seems like she’s taking the scene in a direction that I didn’t expect. Love it. Plus, Joe Burton is always masterful and smart. It often seems like one or two people pick up his uber-cerebral references, but not everyone as a whole. But, you have to love an improv show that has a scene in which he gives an astonishingly thorough explanation of Avagadro’s Number. Well played.
Sad you missed it? Well, don’t miss iO’s line up tonight. A little bird told me that Seth Meyers is bringing SNL producers to scout for new talent. Charna Halpern is lining up some of the best for a great showcase. The Improvised Shakespeare Company’s regular 8pm show will be followed by a command performance by Moist. Then, at 10:30, downstairs will be The Reckoning and Bullet Lounge, while upstairs Dave Pasquesi is teaming up with Tracy Letts for what hopes to be a memorable experience. It’s a great opportunity to see some extremely experienced improvisers put on their A-game for the scouts.

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