Chicago, IL

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

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

Football season has again returned, with the Chicago Bears playing their opening game yesterday against the San Diego Chargers. Despite a strong defense that limited superstar Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson to only 25 yards rushing, the team, plagued by turnovers and a poor running game, lost 14-3.

More costly than the loss, however, was the injury to safety Mike Brown who left the game with a knee sprain. Speaking to the media following the game, Brown broke down, suggesting that the injury is far more serious than a sprain. Brown has missed many games during the last three seasons due to injuries and some media have speculated that it might be the end of his career.

The Bears will next play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs at home at Soldier Field.

Mike Brown, Chicago Bears, football, NFL

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

Registration is now available for the 2007 Race for the Cure in Chicago. The event, which will take place on Saturday September 29th, benefits the Susan G Komen foundation which funds breast cancer research. There is a 5k run/walk and a one mile fun walk.

Participants are encouraged to raise pledge money for the cause and there are rewards for various levels of money raised. Breast cancer survivors will receive a complimentary pink hat and T-shirt to wear during the event.

The event kicks off at Grant Park at 8:30 a.m. For more information and to register on line, visit the official website here.

Chicago, Race for the Cure, Susan G Komen, 5k, race, running

The top three finishers in the men’s competition at the Park Forest Scenic 10 Mile: Alene Reta (left) was first.

On Labor Day, the Chicago suburb of Park Forest, Illinois hosted the 30th anniversary of the Park Forest Scenic 10 mile. The event is a 10 mile race, with the first half going through a forest preserve and the second half going through the streets and neighborhoods of Park Forest. The town really puts a lot of effort into the event and the amount of volunteers, spectators, and cheering residents was impressive.

Because the event was commemorating the 30th anniversary, each half mile and mile marker had the name of a past winner of the event. The top finisher this year for the men was Alene Reta, with a time of 47 minutes 17 seconds and the top female finisher was Leah Kiprono, who finished in 55:06.

Park Forest, Scenic 10, Leah Kiprono, Alene Reta

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,

Chicago and the surrounding suburbs were hit with very severe thunderstorms yesterday, in addition to reported tornado sightings. There is widespread tree damage, power outages, and flash flooding.

Here is a photo of a tree in my front yard that was damaged during the storm.

Chicago, thunderstorms, tree damage

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

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

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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Here is a photo from Sunday’s Gullo International Pro Men Stage 3 race at the Tour of Elk Grove event in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. For results of all the events from the weekend, visit the official race site.

Below is a video of the same event. The cyclists were going by so quickly, that it starts to appear as if they are going backwards

Tour or Elk Grove, Chicago, Elk Grove Village, cycling, bicycling