These days Daley Plaza looks less like a courthouse square and more like a German market, thanks to the annual Christkindlmarket event taking place now through December 24th. The event features a wide-variety of booths selling German food, Christmas ornaments, jewelry, and more.
Here are some photos to give you an idea of what kinds of things to expect at the event:
Although the Chicago Cubs did not have the post-season that fans would have liked, it should not be overlooked that they did manage to win the National League central division. True Cubs fans likely purchased various memorabilia to remember the event, like T-shirts and hats. However, soon to be available at auction is a spectacular souvenir: The banners that hung throughout the city following their victory (see photo).
The City of Chicago’s “Sharing It” Banner Auction will take place November 14th and 15th in the east lobby of the Daley Center from 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. on both days.
In addition to the Cubs banners, fans can bid on banners from the Chicago Bears NFC Championship, the Chicago Marathon, and the Chicago White Sox World Series, as well as two autographed Gibson guitars from the Los Lonely Boys and the Black Crowes.
The auction is sponsored by Mayor Daley’s “Sharing It” program which raises money for the underprivileged. Specifically, proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation and the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Last year’s auction raised over $13,000.
I think that some of the items would be fun to own, although I think that I would pass on Chicago marathon banners, given my experience with it this year. Now that I think about it, I don’t even remember seeing Chicago marathon banners this year. Most of the usual locations were filled with the Cubs banners this year. Perhaps the banners are from previous years, since it seems like they are auctioning off older things, like the White Sox banners.
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The Museum of Science and Industry has a new Star Wars exhibit. The exhibit, called Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, features models, artifacts, and replicas from the movies and will run through January 6th. Advance tickets are suggested and are available online.
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This weekend will mark the 18th annual African Festival of Arts in Chicago. The event will celebrate the art and culture of Africa. It features three performance stages, including a hip-hop stage and a world music stage. Performers include MC Lyte, Naughty By Nature, and James Cotton.
In addition to music, the African Festival of the Arts will feature cultural programs including fine arts, fashion, a kids pavilion, and food sellers. There will also be a drum village featuring talented percussionists.
The event will take place in Washington Park at 51st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue on Friday August 31-Monday September 3rd from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
For more information, including how to purchase tickets, visit the African Festival of the Arts website.
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Photo from a protest on the opening day of Macy’s.
Although the downtown Marshall Field’s store has been known as Macy’s since last September, there is still a group of Marshall Field’s supporters hoping to return the store to it original name and identity. There is a website called Field Fans Chicago which is “working to bring back Marshall Field’s not only in name, but also in quality, service, culture, history, tourism, and more.”
The group has a protest planned for 1:00 p.m. on September 9th, 2007, on the one year anniversary of the change in the store’s name. The protesters will meet up underneath the clock at Washington and State Streets. They also are encouraging people to boycott Macy’s stores to show support for Marshall Field’s.
At their website, you can order free lapel stickers to show your support and learn more about the cause. They also have t-shirts available for purchase.
When I moved to Chicago seven years ago, I had never heard of the Air and Water Show. The day after I moved into my near north side apartment, I heard planes flying continuously overhead. I thought that I had made a big mistake and moved into a building that was in the flight path of the airport. I did not realize that I was listening to the rehearsal for the Air and Water Show. I was relieved to learn that the noise would not be permanent.
If you want to experience the amazing airplanes and exciting water acts yourself, you should head to this weekend’s Air and Water show.
The Chicago Air and Water Show shakes up the lakefront August 18 - 19, 2007 for the largest FREE show of its kind in the United States. This year the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights will headline the Chicago Air and Water Show along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach as the focal point. The water show begins at 9 a.m. and air show runs from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. both days.
In what has become a tradition that marks back-to-school time in Chicago, this Saturday, August 11, 2007, will be the 78th annual Bud Billiken Parade. The parade is the largest African-American parade in the country, named after Bud Billiken, the mythical protector of children.
In addition to typical parade participants, such as marching bands, drill teams, and floats, the event also features the Bud Billiken King and Queen.
In its 78 years of existence, the parade has hosted many celebrities, including:
Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Duke Ellington, Oprah Winfrey, Hop-Along Cassidy, Lena Horne, Spike Lee, L.L. Cool J, Bozo the Clown, Jack Brickhouse, Frank Thomas, Michael Jordan and President Harry S. Truman
This year’s parade will step-off at 10:00 a.m. at 39th Street and Martin Luther King Drive and head south to Washington Park. If you cannot make the festivities, the parade will be aired locally on both ABC and WGN, and will be shown nationwide on WGN.
For more information on the parade and its history, visit the official Bud Billiken Parade Site.
If you are looking for some new books to read, you may want to check out the annual book fair at the Newberry Library. Here is what the Library has to say about the event:
Feed your bibliomania at the Newberry’s annual Book Fair! More than 100,000 donated books have been sorted into 60 categories for your browsing convenience. With many books priced under $2, it’s easy to replenish your home library’s holdings on subjects ranging from antiques to zoology.
Here are the details:
Thursday, July 26, 2007, from 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Friday, July 27, 2007, from 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 28, 2007, from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday, July 29, 2007, from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Admission is free. For more information, check out the Newberry Library website here. The Library is located at 60 W. Walton in Chicago.
Chicago, Newberry Library, Newberry Library Book Fair, book fair
It what the city of Chicago has labeled a “one-of-a-kind experience,” visitors can participate in an immersion weekend, which includes a hotel stay, along with a behind the scenes look at a particular aspect of Chicago culture. Unfortunately several of them have passed already, but there are three left:
CHICAGO THEATER IMMERSION WEEKEND - THE COLOR PURPLE
Friday, August 10-Sunday, August 12, 2007
CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIRS IMMERSION WEEKEND
Friday, August 31-Sunday, September 2, 2007
CHICAGO THEATER IMMERSION WEEKEND - JERSEY BOYS
Friday, November 9-Sunday, November 11, 2007
According to the city of Chicago site:
Immersion weekends fuse the best of Chicago’s diverse hotels with the city’s arts and culture to bring the visitor distinctive presentations, behind the scenes experiences, and VIP access to events, activities and special guests.
For more information or to book your immersion weekend, visit the Chicago Immersion website here.
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This year’s Chicago Marathon, which will take place on Sunday October 7th, will mark the 30th anniversary of the event. For spectators, 83 days away probably sounds a bit early to be talking about an event. For those participating, like myself, it seems pretty close. So, to help my fellow runners, I want to share this video that I found on the Chicago Marathon website.
It was taken from a car who drove the entire length of the course prior to the start of last year’s event. It really gives you a great look at everything you will be passing throughout the 26.2 mile event and gives you a good representation of just how low you will be running. Although the video is of last year’s course, the course does not change all that much from year to year, so it should be pretty close. The 2007 official course map is not yet available. To check out this great video, click here.
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Are you curious about the history of blues music in Chicago? You can download a free audio tour on the topic. It is narrated by famed Chicago blues man Buddy Guy. Download the tour to your iPod or MP3 player and take Buddy Guy along with you on a tour of blues in Chicago. The enhanced audio tour also includes “sounds and stories of Sweet Home Chicago.”
To download the audio tour, or to listen on your computer if you prefer, visit this site.
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Admission is free and the hours are as follows:
May. 31: 5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Jun. 1: 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Jun. 2: noon - 11 p.m.
Jun. 3: noon - 10 p.m.
To honor those military personnel who gave the ultimate sacrifice, the city of Chicago will be holding a Memorial Day Parade on Saturday, May 26th. A wreath laying ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. at the eternal flame in Daley Plaza at State Street and Randolph. The parade will kick-off there at 12:00 p.m. and head south on State Street to Van Buren Avenue. The parade is estimated to have approximately 25,000 participants, making it one of the largest Memorial Day events nationwide.
The parade will also be televised live on the local ABC affiliate Channel 7, starting at 12:30 p.m.
One of the things that Chicago is most well-known for is its food! Whether you are a resident or a visitor, one fun way to get to know the city in a different way is through a food tour. A company called Chicago Food Planet offers food tasting walking tours of the Gold Coast, Old Town, and Lincoln Park neighborhoods.
According to their website, they offer a wide variety of food on the tour, including stops at a bakery, a fudge and confectionery specialty shop, a Middle-Eastern delicatessen, a tea specialty store, a spice and herb specialty shop, a local chocolate lounge, and an authentic Chicago pizzeria.
In addition to the food, the three hour walking tour is fully-narrated and includes information about the various neighborhoods, including history, culture, and architecture. Advance tickets (at $38 a person) are required and can be purchased on their website.
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In April of 2005, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opened for business in Springfield, Illinois. Although Springfield is technically not a suburb of Chicago, at 200 miles away it is too far to earn that title, I love the museum so much I thought I would include it in my weekly feature.
The museum is part history lesson, part mini theme park, complete with replicas of Abe and his family and interactive shows. I had the honor of being one of the first guests at the museum on opening day back in 2005, which was a fun day complete with several Abe Lincoln impersonators milling around in the town.
Known for its Midwest charm, despite its big city persona, Chicago just may be your kind of town! This is the place to learn all about Chicago including its history, attractions, events, and the best place to get deep dish pizza.
Chicago, IL Author(s)
