Dinos and fossils now at LCFPs Dunn Museum

 

Lake County Forest Preserves Dunn Museum in Libertyvill, IL ( J acobs hofot)
Lake County Forest Preserves Dunn Museum in Libertyville IL  JJacobs photo)

See the Tully Monster and the Dryptgosaurus Dinosaur plus the duck-billed dinos of the Hadrosaurs group. They are just some of the creatures now on exhibit at the Lake County Forest Preserves’ Dunn Museum in Libertyville, IL

If you walk into the exhibit from the front admission desk you see a couple of samples tempting you to see more.  Then you walk through the permanent exhibits on the way to “Dinosaurs. Fossils Exposed.”

However, if you turn into the corridor just past the desk you are in the temporary exhibition space for the dinos and fossils. You can then go on to the permanent exhibits and exit back at the desk.

Touching is permitted.\. Many of the exhibit’s bones are skeletal molds  including a TriceratopsTyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor. The exhibit is interactive.

BTW, Tully monster is small enough to miss if you walk by its rocky fossile too fast.  When it existed it could be a foot long and look like a swimming sausage. The fossil rock was found in Lindenhurst in 1957 and has brachiopods, cephalopods and other ancient sea creatures.

Touching is permitted. The special exhibition is interactive. You can touch six full dinosaur skeletal molds including a TriceratopsTyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor. For photos, stand next to a 6-foot Apatosaurus femur. 

(Dinosaurs: Fossils Exposed was conceptualized by the Arkansas Discovery Network, The Preservation Foundation, the charitable partner of the Lake County Forest Preserves, provided support for the exhibition.)

This special exhibition is up through Jan. 15, 2024.

The Dunn Museum is at 1899 West Winchester Rd, Libertyville IL 60048. For more information call 847-968-3400.

 

 

Skeletons are not just Halloween figures

 

keletons populatge east side of Highwood ready for Day of the Dead (J Jacobs photo)
skeletons populate east side of Highwood ready for Day of the Dead (J Jacobs photo)

If you drive through downtown Highwood, a tiny northern suburb next to Fort Sheridan (they say they are a city) on the east side of the Metra tracks, you see many skeletons.

They don’t look scary. They look like family members who have gathered for a reunion similar to what may be seen at the National Mexican Museum in Chicago National Museum of Mexican Art, Pilsen, Chicago and Dia de Muertos.

The Highwood skeletons are a good reminder that Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated throughout the Chicago area as a time to pay homage to and reunite family and friends who are still around with those who have passed on.

The Museum of Mexican Art is one place to go but another place, maybe unexpected, is Brookfield Zoo.

Sponsored by Chevrolet, the zoo’s celebration is Oct. 28-29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The zoo celebration ranges from face-painting (fees) and getting sugar skulls (while supplies last) to taking photos with the catrinas (traditional skeleton characters).

For more information visit CZS.org/DiadelosMuertos.

Jodie Jacobs

Safe way to watch partial eclipse

On Saturday, you might hear “Look up.” But don’t do it unless you have the proper glasses to protect your eyes from the sun

Chicago’s Adler Planetarium is holding Eclipse Encounter ’23, a free, fun, educational and safe way to view a partial solar eclipse this Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Partial solar eclipses occur when the Moon comes between the Sun and Earth but just covers part of the Sun.

WGN meteorologist Tom Skilling will be there along with Adler staff, volunteers and teens who will pass out solar viewers (while supplies last) and help with Adler telescopes fitted with solar filters. The telescopes and event will be outside on the museum grounds.

Large solar glasses will be available to take fun eclipse selfies. The eclipse starts about 10:37 a.m. CDT and lasts until 1:22 p.m .CDT with its peak occurring at 11:58 a.m. CDT. That is when about 43 percent of the Sun will be covered by the Moon as seen from Chicago.

For more solar eclipse dates and locations visit NASA Maps.

Jodie Jacobs

Around The Town: From banned books to pumpkin patches

 

(Photo courtesy of Kroll’s Farm)

With Labor Day passed, fall now here and students back in school, Around The Town was going to focus on fun fall events. But first, in case it slips by unremarked Banned Books Week is Oct. 2-7, 2023.

Actors at City Lit Theater will be doing excerpts from the top 10 challenged books at eight sites around the Chicago area beginning Sept. 27.

Held in conjunction with the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom, the event is “Books on the Chopping Block” that takes place around the Chicago area through mid-November.

The program will include background on the books, reasons some people want them off the shelves and audience discussion.

The sites include the Edgewater Branch of the Chicago Public Library Oct. 3 and Belmont Branch Oct. 4, plus the DePaul University Library in Lincoln Park, the public libraries of Bellwood, Highland Park, and River Forest, the Vernon Area Library in Lincolnshire Public Library, and the Frankfort Public Library. A presentation is also taking place Nov. 14 at the Women of Temple Sholom Banned Books Event,  3450 N. DuSable Lake Shore Drive in Lakeview.

For all dates and locations visit City Lit Banned Books event BOOKS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK | citylittheater

The 18-year-old event is now in its 16th consecutive year to let folks know about books some people want off the shelves.

Pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns. 

The bad news is that Didier’s has closed its retail operation near Lincolnshire. But the good news is there is a really great place to find pumpkins, Halloween items, cider donuts and see farm animals north in Lake County, IL. It is the child and adult-friendly Kroll’s Fall Harvest Farm, Find it at 13236 W Town Line Rd, Waukegan, IL · (847) 662-5733

Carved pumpkins are Jack-O-Lanterns if you ask the folks at the Chicago Botanic Garden which is holding its “Night of 1000 Jack O Lanterns” that are artistically carved.

Or you can go to Highwood, a norther town, nearby that annually holds its Pumpkinfest . These orange, somewhat cut out gourds fill racks along the downtown.

The Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival  i s Oct. 6-8, 2023. No tickets. Just come and enjoy live music and food booths.

Night of 1000 Jaci O Lanterns is Oct. 11-15 and Oct 18-22, 2023. Timed tickets needed. But there is food available for purchase and you get to walk the garden.

Jodie Jacobs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Around town puts Oktoberfest Chicago and Jack o Lanterns on the calendar

 

Celebrate fall with an Oktoberfest the end of September. Then keep the fun going by following a glowing path of hand-carved pumpkins in October.

Polka and celebrate Bavarian food and culture with Oktoberfest Chicago, Friday, Sept. 22 through Sunday, Sept. 24 on the grounds of St. Alphonsus church in West Lakeview. There will also be Craft Beer Tasting nights of September 22 & 23 in the church.

Hours are Friday from 5–10 p.m., Saturday from 12 noon –10 p.m. and Sunday from 12 noon –7 p.m. St. Alphonsus Catholic Church is located at 1429 W. Wellington Ave in Chicago. For more information visitchicago’s tourism site at 21st Annual Oktoberfest Chicago | 09/22/2023 | Choose Chicago

 

Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns

(Photo courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden)

Imagine strolling a path after dark where pumpkins glare, smile and stare back at you. It’s Night of 1,000 Jack O Lanterns” at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Actually, it’s quite family friendly and artistic.

“…Visitors walk through the Garden after dark guided by the glow of pumpkins,” said Jodi Zombolo of Visitor Events & Programs. “It’s a great opportunity to spend an evening outdoors with friends and family while being entertained along the way.”

The event sold out last year so get tickets now. Tickets for members/nonmembers are Adult: $19/$21, children (age 3 – 12): $13/$15 and free to age 2 and younger. Parking is free for members and $15 for nonmembers/

Night of 1,000 Jack o’ Lanterns is Oct. 11-15 and Oct. 18-22 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. For more information visit Night of Jack O Lanterns or visit \https://www.chicagobotanic.org/halloween?

Jodie Jacobs

 

 

Around Town

 

Unlikely as it seems, many of the foods Chicagoans love to snack on will be ready to taste in Chicago’s Grant Park this week. It’s Taste of Chicago part 4. We had Taste in Humboldt Park in June, Pullman in July and Marquette in August.  So now it’s Grant Park’s downtown Chicago’s turn Sept. 8-10. And it’s free admission. 

Also happening is Lakeview East’s Festival of the Arts. Featuring more than 120 artists, live music and local restaurants, it runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 9-10. Music continues to 10 p.m.

Art on the Mart finishes this season this weekend and starts a new season the following weekend. So, stroll the Riverwalk near Wells Street if downtown Chicago to see what’s projecting on the Mart’s giant canvas.

Jodie Jacobs

 

A couple of July Fourth Weekend to Weekday options

 

Washington DC Fireworks co-sponsored by the National Park Service
Washington DC Fireworks co-sponsored by the National Park Service

Cruise Lake Michigan

Instead of worrying about getting around downtown Chicago with the NASCAR Race July 1 and 2 in 2023, consider taking a fireworks cruise on Tall Ship Windy that Saturday before or Wednesday after July 4.

It goes from Navy Pier so you get the Pier’s Fireworks without the downtown hoopla and street closures. You can also come down a day early  and stay in the Sable Hilton Hotel right on Navy Pier to enjoy fun rides, a beer garden, restaurants, art exhibits and a vacation with great views.

On the Fourth

Tune in to PBS at 8 p.m. CT July 4 for “A Capitol Fourth,” a really special annual concert from Washington D.C. that features international stars and patriotic music.

Among this year’s headliners are Renée Fleming, Boyz II Men, Belinda Carlisle, the Broadway cast of “A Beautiful Noise (Neil Diamond) the Muppets, the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jack Everly.

Then, stay tuned for Washington DC Fireworks shooting over the National Mall at 9 p.m. CT, co-sponsored by the National Park Service.

Happy Fourth!

Jodie Jacobs

 

 

This Weekend

 

Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park hosts music and dance performances. (J Jacobs photo)
Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park hosts music and dance performances. (J Jacobs photo)

 

Midsummer Concert

While it is still “Midsummer,” that sometimes mystical time of year around the Summer Solstice, go to the Grant Park Music Festival in Millenium Park to hear Mendelssohn’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

The concert, with Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar and the Grant Park Orchestra, is June 23 at 6:30 p.m. and June 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. The concert is free for lawn sitters and asks for donations for reserved seats.

The Grant Park Music Festival is presented by the Grant Park Orchestral Association with support from the Chicago Park District and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). For programs and other information visit Grant Park Music Festival.

 

Up close with exotic and other animals

For a peek at some exotic animals and those you thought you knew, watch NBC’s Earth Odyssey series on Brookfield Zoo.  Presented by Hearst Media, it starts 9 a.m. CT beginning June 24 with host Dylan Dreyer. She brings you up close to some of Brookfield’s 500 species such as a tamandua. For more about Brookfield Zoo visit Chicago Zoological Society – Brookfield Zoo Home (czs.org)

 

Free Joffrey Ballet Performance

Back in Millennium Park, the Joffrey Ballet is holding a free, pre-perfomance dance class at 4:45 p.m. June 25. It is followed by a free program at 5:30 p.m. that features the Joffrey Company Artists, the Joffrey Academy and the Joffrey community Engagement Students. For more information visit Joffrey Ballet.

Jodie Jacobs

Pride fun and festivals

 

Chicago Pride Parade, (Photo courtesy of Choose Chicago)
Chicago Pride Parade, (Photo courtesy of Choose Chicago)

It doesn’t matter if a member of the Pride community. The City of Chicago takes pride in supporting LGBTQ+.

Everyone is invited to what has become huge, fun, food and entertainment events such as Pride Fest in the Halsted Street area, a food and entertainment festival in Grant Park, and voila, one of the country’s largest Pride Parades that swings through several of the city’s neighborhoods.

Those events are in addition to some that already took place in neighborhoods and suburbs last weekend and events still to come at Navy Pier and the Chicago area. See the details and mark the events on the calendar.

Chicago Pride Fest, a two-day annual festival in Northalsted 

What to expect: Held the weekend before the Chicago Pride Parade, the Fest features music on three stages, good Chicago drag performances, the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, a Pet Parade, a high-heel race, a Youth Pride Space for teens and several merchandise and food vendors.

In addition, SHAB, a pop artist and Iranian refugee, will be among featured guests performing on the Bud Light North Stage on Saturday. She is just back from a UK tour centered on her new video Indestructible.

Details; Centered at Halsted and Addison, June 17-18, 2023, it opens at 11 a.m. Saturday and ends at 10 p.m. Sunday and attracts about 60,000 people over the two days. A $15 donation is requested to cover expenses. For more information visit Chicago Pride Fest 2023 | 06/17/2023 | Choose Chicago.

Pride in the Park

What to expect: an annual, two-day music festival that includes food, merchandise and art. It draws big name stars  that this year includes  Zedd, Zara Larsson and Saweetie.

Details: Grant Park, June 23 and 24, 2023. For more information visit Pride in the Park 

Back Lot Bash

What to expect: Dedicated to women, it’s a highly attended block-party of food and music that this year features DJ Mary Mac and Lauren Sanderson.

Details: Held in Andersonvilee, June 24, 2023. For hours and location or more information visit Back Lot Bash Chicago.

Navy Pier Pride

What to expect: Music in three Navy Pier venues.

Details: Entertainment June 24-25 on the West Performance Platform from 11 a.m. to noon and more entertainment on the Orsted Wave Wall Performance Platform from noon to 7 p.m. Entertainers at the Navy Pier Beer Garden from 2 through 11 p.m.

For more information and entertainment schedule visit Navy Pier Pride 2023 | Navy Pier

Chicago Pride Parade

What to expect: Begun as a protest march in 1970 following New York City’s Stonewall Riots, it has become one of Chicago’s largest parades with close to 200 entries and attracts more than a million people. Street closures start around 8 a.m. at Montrose, Irving Park and Wellington at Broadway and Addison and Grace and Roscoe at Halsted. Streets and fully reopen by 8 p.m.

Details: The parade is June 25. It assembles at 10 a.m. then starts at noon in the Uptown neighborhood at Montrose and Broadway. Then, it winds through neighborhoods including East Lakeview and ends in Lincoln Park near Diversey Parkway and Sheridan Road.  

For more route details and other information visit Chicago Pride Parade.

Three winning musicals rock Chicago area theaters this summer

 

First, find out which Broadway shows are deemed award winners when the 76th annual Tonys  are on CBS at 8 p.m. ET June 11, 2023.

Then, don’t wait until Fall to see some former good Tony-award winning musicals playing this summer in the Chicago area.

Goodman Theatre is doing The Who's Tommy this summer. (Photo courtesy of Goodman Theatre)
Goodman Theatre is doing The Who’s Tommy this summer. (Photo courtesy of Goodman Theatre)
  • The hot ticket this summer is Goodman Theatre’s “The Who’s Tommy.” Opening June 13 for previews, Goodman has already added eight performances.

Three decades after the show won Tonys for its creators, Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff, the duo has reimagined their production and is presenting this updated version first in Chicago.

The show’s official opening night is June 26 and runs through July 30 in Goodman’s Albert Theatre. For tickets and other information visit Goodman Theatre

  •  Another musical that brings back the old goodies is “Hair,” once a ground breaker in (tongue firmly in cheek) costume design.

Playing at Skokie Theatre June 23-July 30, audiences are likely to want to hum or join in such old favorites as “Good Morning, Starshine,” “Aquarius” and “Let the Sunshine In.”

Its book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot will remind audiences that yesterdays’ important issues of world peace and global responsibility are still around. For directions and more information visit SkokieTheatre.org.

  •  A third musical, a goodie though not at all oldie except arguably in an underworld concept that uses such know characters as Orpheus and Eurydice, is the 2019 Tony Award winning production, “Hadestown.”  On stage at the CIBC Theatre for a short run, June 20-June 25, the production is brought to the city by Broadway in Chicago. For tickets and other information visit Broadwayinchicago/Hadestown.

Jodie Jacobs