THIS WEEKEND IN CHICAGO - BIG WEEKEND IN CHICAGO!
Now that Lollapalooza is behind us, we have yet another big, and I mean BIG, weekend in Chicago. I bet you're wondering what could be bigger than Lollapalooza. It's the Chicago Cubs vs. the St. Louis Cardinals series this weekend! Yes, those pesky little red birds are back. Hopefully, the Cubs will continue to play well.
However, if you don't have a ticket already, or can't afford to buy one on the streets, or just aren't a Cubs fan, some of the City's neighborhoods are providing some good times. A few such street festivals are --
Taylor Street Festa Italiana, known as Little Italy, over on Taylor and Loomis Streets. You won't want to miss this one. Festa Italiana will feature food from about 12 local restaurants, which include The Rosebud, Tuscany, La Vita, Pompei Bakery and Hawkeye's Bar and Grill. The Hall of Fame Stage will host a live remote broadcast by none other than Dick Biondi with 94.7 WLS-FM on Friday. Cast members from the "Jersey Boys" will also make an appearance on Sunday, along with many other great entertainers all weekend long. Click here for more details and a line-up of the music schedule.
Caribbean Festival at Union Park (1501 W. Randolph St.). This street festival celebrates Jamaican independence with traditional food and crafts, as well as Caribbean music and dance acts, and much more. It runs all weekend long from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. Click here for more information.
The 51st annual Gold Coast Art Fair located in the River North Gallery District (700 N. LaSalle St.). This art fair is free and will feature over 350 juried artists, along with painting and sculpting demos. Of course, they will provide food and music as well. Click here for more details.
Finally, I saved for last, one of Chicago's oldest, yearly traditions - the 79th Annual Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic to be held on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Named after a mythical guardian of small children, this is the country's largest African-American parade, and they spare no expense. The parade will kick-off at 10:00 a.m. from 3900 S. Martin Luther King Drive and finish at Washington Park over at 55th Street at about 4:00 p.m., followed by a picnic in the park. Click here to join in the fun and get more details.
By the way, don't forget, Walking with Dinosaurs - The Live Experience is now appearing at the United Center. Saturday and Sunday shows are at 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Click here to get your tickets.
And finally, for you movie buffs, Movies in the Parks continues in August throughout various Chicago parks. Click here for movie and park locations. Also, the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival continues on Tuesday evening's in Grant Park. This Tuesday, August 12th, you can catch Touch of Evil starring Charleton Heston, Janet Leigh and Orson Welles at 8:25 p.m.
I don't know about you, but I definitely need to take the whole summer off to truly experience everything Chicago has to offer. Know of any job where I can do that, and still get paid?
Have An AWESOME Weekend, and GO CUBBIES!
SUE MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
