Chicago, IL

I suppose that saying that Olney, Illinois is a suburb of Chicago is a bit of a stretch, as it is approximately 250 miles southeast of the city. However, Olney is worth mentioning for what I imagine is their number one tourist attraction: White Squirrels!

Albino squirrels are unheard of here in the city, but Olney apparently has quite the population of the cute critters, dating back to 1899. The city prides themselves in the squirrels so much that they even changed the leash law to include cats so that the squirrels would not be harmed by free-roaming felines.

Every year volunteers from the town spend several Saturdays counting the white creatures to determine whether or not the population is thriving or decreasing. This year’s count will take place October 13th, 20th, and 27th. If you are interesting in participating, you can call the Olney city hall at 618-395-7302.
For more information on the town of Olney, visit their official website.

Olney, White Squirrels, Illinois, Chicagoland

Now that it appears that fall has arrived to the Chicago area, it is great weather for apple picking. Here are five apple orchards in the area where you can pick apples, as well as participate in other fun fall activities.

Apples on Oak
16146 Oak Avenue
Joliet, IL
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
U-Pick apples $1.25/pound

Curtis Orchard
3902 S. Duncan
Champaign, IL
Monday-Saturday 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
$8 per half peck bag (approx. six pounds)
Other activities: bakery, petting zoo, corn maze, pony rides

Garden Patch Farms
14154 W 159th Street
Homer Glen, IL
Everyday 8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Other activities: Halloween castle, bunnies, chickens

Honey Hill Orchard
11747 Waterman Road
Waterman, IL
Open daily 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Other activities: Petting zoo, wagon rides

Kuiper Family Farm
1N318 Watson Road
Maple Park, IL
$6 admission fee includes 1/4 peck bag of apple and wagon ride
Other activities: corn maze, pony rides

Source: Family Fun Time Magazine, September 2007

Chicago apple picking, Chicagoland, apple orchards, corn maze, fall in Chicago

If you are expecting a new baby, or all have one or more youngters in your house, you may want to check out the Baby Expo at the Tinley Park Convention Center on September 29th.

There will be a wide variety of vendors there, will all of the latest products for babies and toddlers. Other booths include doctors, child care centers, and park districts.

There will also be fun for the kids, including a dino jump, pony rides, a booth from Radio Disney, and an acting stage for storytelling.

For more information on the event, visit the Baby Expo website.

Chicagoland, Tinley Park, Baby Expo

This Sunday, September 23rd, suburban Palos Heights will host the Lake Katherine Monarch Butterfly Festival. The event will feature a butterfly tent, a traveling science center, and a live insect museum. Children are encouraged to wear butterfly or other insect costumes.

Other events include:

Children’s games
Arts and crafts fair
Canoe Rentals
Face Painting
Hayrides
Scarecrow making

This sounds like a great fall event, with all of the fun things that I love about fall. Just add some cider and it sounds like a great fall day!

The event runs from 11:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and will be $6 for adults, $4 for kids ages three to twelve. The location of the event is 7402 W. Lake Katherine Drive in Palos Heights. For more information, you can call the Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens at (708) 361-1873.

Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens, Lake Katherine, Palo Heights, Monarch, butterfly

Want a delicious activity for you and the family this weekend? You should check out Eli’s Cheesecake Festival which runs September 15th and 16th.

Admission to the event is free and includes musical acts, a car show, cooking demonstrations, and best of all, free samples of cheesecake! There is also a “family stage” which will include such events as a cheesecake eating contest and hula hoop contests.

Money raised from the event will benefit the New Horizon Center for the Developmentally Disabled and The Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Details:
Saturday September 15th: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Sunday September 16th: 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Location:
6701 W. Forest Preserve Drive in Chicago

For more information on the event, including the schedule, visit Eli’s Cheesecake.

Chicago, Eli’s Cheesecake, cheesecake, cheesecake festival

This weekend, September 15th and 16th, is the 11th annual Celtic Fest Chicago. The free event takes place in Grant Park and runs from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. both days.

This 2-day festival in Chicago’s Grant Park celebrates the music, dance and traditions of the 7 original Celtic Nations: Ireland; Scotland; Wales; Isle of Man; Cornwall; Galicia, Spain and Brittany, France.

Saturday at 4:50 p.m., at the Celtic Crossroads stage, they will hold a “men in kilts” contest, with an award going to the man with the best legs in a kilt.

For more information, including the schedule of performers, visit the website here.

Chicago, Celtic Fest, Men in kilts, kilts, festival

The Tall Grass Arts Association presents the Park Forest Art Fair on September 15th and 16th in downtown Park Forest, Illinois. This will be the 52nd iteration of the far, which will feature more than 100 artists. The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.

Glassware, paintings, photographs, jewelry and other forms of fine art will be exhibited and available for purchase at the 52nd Annual Park Forest Art Fair. The public is invited and admission is free. The Park Forest Art Fair is one of the longest running suburban art fairs in existence; and has more than 100 artists displaying and selling original artworks and features live entertainment, a variety of foods, and activities for the children.

Park Forest Art Fair, Park Forest, Art Fair, Tall Grass Arts Association, Tall Grass

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.

Chicago, African Festival of the Arts, African Festival, Naughty by Nature, MC Lyte, James Cotton

If you are looking for a great venue to hear some wonderful music, you should visit Ravinia Festival in Highland Park. They host a wide variety of artists from different genres. For example, this week will feature B.B. King, the Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, and Diana Krall, on different nights of the week.

On Labor Day, Ravinia will host a “Labor Day Spectacular” which will feature the Ravinia Festival Orchestra playing many patriotic tunes, ending with a finale of Tchaikovsky’s “1812″ Overture, featuring live cannons.

At the outdoor venue, you have a choice of sitting in reserved seats or on the lawn. For more information on Ravinia, including directions, ticket prices, and schedules, check out the Ravinia Festival official site.

Friday, August 31 through Sunday, August 2, all are invited to join the festivities in Grant Park FREE music on three stages. The event opens daily at 11 a.m., with music beginning at noon on the Jazz on Jackson stage and 12:30 p.m. at the Jazz and Heritage Family Stage. Then at 5 p.m., music lights up the night at the Petrillo Music Shell for three evenings of spectacular Jazz performances, tributes and entertainment for any fan of Jazz music to enjoy.

This year’s Artist in Residence is Charlie Haden. One of the most respected jazz bassists today, Haden became famous playing with Ornette Coleman in the late 1950s. He will play in Grant Park on multiple stages with the Jazz Institute of Chicago Jazz Links Students on Friday, the Liberation Music Orchestra on Saturday, and “A Chicago Jam,” with local jazz veterans on Sunday.

For the full list of performers, visit the city of Chicago site about the festival here.

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Chicago, Jazz Festival,

Looking for a fun way to say goodbye to summer, while also helping a good cause? This weekend is the Riverview Music Festival, which brings together nine different bands for two days of performances. Headliners Umphrey’s McGee will perform both nights at 8:00 p.m. The proceeds from the event go to the Boys & Girls Club.

Date: August 25, 2007 - August 26, 2007
Time: 1pm to 11pm daily
Location: 3300 N. Campbell (DeVry University Campus)

For more information, including the full musical line-up, as well as ticket information, visit the Riverview Musical Festival site.

Riverview Music Festival, Umphrey’s McGee, Boys and Girls club

Celebrate Greek heritage and culture this weekend at the Taste of Greece. The event will take place in the heart of Greektown, on Halsted Street, from Monroe to Van Buren.

A celebration of Greek heritage includes food from area restaurants, live music on two stages (5 p.m.), beer and wine, belly dancing, games and more. The Hellas Dance Troupe and the Orpheus Dancing Group perform nightly beginning at 7 p.m.

The event runs from 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

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Chicago, Taste of Greece, Greektown

The two-day Viva! Chicago Latin Music Festival will take place this Saturday and Sunday, August 25th and 26th. The event will feature dozens of musicians on two different stages, including Moenia and Mike Roman and the Tellstars featuring Jose Feliciano.

According to the official city of Chicago release, the event will feature:

Distinctive types of Latin music like cumbia, reggaeton, salsa, merengue, tango, bachata, banda and Spanish Pop! The Viva Chicago Latin Music Festival is considered one of the largest events of its kind in the Midwest and the festival entertains both residents and visitors alike.

Admission to the event is free and takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Millennium Park. For more information and the complete schedule of performers, check out the official Viva Chicago site.

Chicago, Latin Music Festival, Viva Chicago Latin Music Festival, Moenia, Mike Roman and the Tellstars, Jose Feliciano

Do you think you have what it takes to perform at one of the city of Chicago’s summer music events? The Chicago Mayor’s Office of Special Events has posted information for those musicians who would like to be considered for a spot in the Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Taste of Chicago, Chicago Country Music Festival, Viva! Chicago Latin Music Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival or Celtic Fest Chicago.

The deadlines for submissions vary, although most are due this fall or early winter. For full information on how to apply and what the deadline is for the event you are considering, view the official announcement here. Who knows, I could be writing about your performance next summer!

Chicago, MOSE, Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Taste of Chicago, Chicago Country Music Festival, Viva! Chicago Latin Music Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Celtic Fest Chicago, music audition

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.

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