Festivals – Chicago Theater and Arts

Dazzling Lights

Light up the night at Lightscape

Stroll a path you haven’t quite taken in the Chicago Botanic Garden. (Photo credit: Chicago Botanic Garden)

It’s just over a mile but it’s a December night so the air can be brisk. Bundle up or pick up hot chocolate or coffee along the way. Parts of the path may be familiar. However, that won’t matter. There are signs and helpers guiding the route.

The path is the Chicago Botanic Garden’s annual Lightscape event that seems to wander past and amidst multi-lit trees, pastures and geometric shapes. Opened Nov. 15, 2024 and continuing through Jan. 5, 2025. the path is glorious!

The Cathedral at Lightscape. (J Jacobs photo).

But the route is also practical. Just about two-thirds through when you could use a whatever break, you reach the education building with its restrooms, snack bars and tables.

Then, continue past more beautifully lit landscapes to the finish after walking through the”Cathedral,” a multi-lit archway kind of tunnel.

What you need to know: The event is by timed entry that begins at dusk – 4:30 p.m. and goes usually to 9 p.m. depending on the date.

For tickets and more information visit Lightscape | Chicago Botanic Garden.

Jodie Jacobs

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Maria Elena Ramirez blesses the space during the 43rd annual Muertos de la Risa procession in Pilsen on Nov. 2, 2022. ( Photo by Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago.)

Although traditionally observed Oct. 31-Nov. 2, it’s not too late to look for and join a Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. The Mexican holiday that honors deceased loved ones is not celebrated on just one dia or day in the Chicago area, but at least for more than a week in late October and into early November.

Event festivities include artwork, alters, food, dance and items such as skeletons and photos that are not meant to be scary but are ways to remember relatives and others who have died. Chicago has already had several such events but here are more to come and join.

1. Naturally Chicago’s Day of the Dead Party IV | Naturally Chicago on Glue Up Oct. 30, 3-6 p.m at 1924 W. 21st St.. All ages can dress up (or not) for this event that includes refreshments, a community altar, face painting and other activities. RSVP and contribute to the altar by emailing [email protected].

2. Eventbrite has tickets to Cafe El Tapatio’s event at 3400 N. Ashland Ave. in Lakeview from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 30. It includes painting calavaera (decorative skulls). Event includes painting materials, appetizers and cocktails. Tickets are $60.

3. Drag Paint & Sip: Day of The Dead & Halloween, Oct. 31 at Pinot’s Palette, 2768 N. Milwaukee Ave. , 7-9:30 p.m. The event features Boo Boo Kitty F*ck, Ricky Ruff, X and Ash Wednesday performances. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets range from $10-$42. Click above at Drag Paint for tickets.

4. 45th Annual Pilsen Día De Los Muertos Celebration And Procession, Nov. 1 at Dvorak Park, 1119 W. Cullerton St. from 3 to 7 p.m. Considered the longest-running Día de los Muertos celebration in Chicago, the Free celebration will include free face painting,music, refreshments, performances and a community procession, sponsored by SGA Youth & Family Services, After School Matters and the Chicago Park District.

Jodie Jacobs

Film Festival ‘Light of Truth’

Richard Hunt

4 Stars Highly Recommended

Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells

Significant public sculpture has a special place in Chicago that might easily have begun with Lorado Taft’s 1922 “Fountain of Time” at the west end of the Midway Plaisance or his 1913 “Fountain of the Great Lakes” sculpture outside of the Art Institute.

What really kicked off the post-modern proliferation of public art was the 1967 installation of the Picasso sculpture in the Civic Center Plaza. The controversy and ultimate acceptance of this abstract colossus ushered in a new era of world class public sculpture that includes thought provoking works by masters such as Calder, Miro, Chagall and Chicago’s own Richard Hunt whose work speaks to and for the African American experience.

The documentary, Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells, follows Hunt’s creation of a monument to civil right champion and woman’s suffrage leader Ida B. Wells. Using the depiction of his process as an opportunity to showcase each of their contributions to society, he does so within the greater context of the history of the black experience.

Ida B. Wells was born at the dawn of emancipation. She worked together with the likes of Frederick Douglass, stood up for the dignity of everyday people of color by refusing to give up her railroad seat decades before Rosa parks did the same on a Montgomery bus, marched side-by side in Washington D.C. with white suffragettes and carried the message of black American’s struggle for equality as a lecturer around the world.

In the urban renewal period of the 1960s, her name was associated with a low-income housing project on Chicago’s southside. It is on that site that the monument is erected as a tribute to her and as a legacy for the many people who identify this location as their neighborhood and home.

A master of metal work, Hunt manages to fashion tons of steel into forty-foot-tall flickering flames reminiscent of the lightness and brilliance of Aether projecting skyward as though illuminating the heavens.

In this way, Hunt’s creation transcends Wells’ physical form in favor of reflecting her qualities of leadership and courageous spirit of hope.

This informative film by Producer/Director Rana Segal and Chicago based Producer Laurie Little, points out an interesting but tragic similarity that was a turning point for each of these subjects.

For Wells it was the lynching of three prominent black men in her hometown of Memphis while for Hunt, it was the public viewing in 1955 of the disfigured body of Emmit Till, a black teenager brutally beaten by white southerners while visiting in Mississippi.

In Light of Truth, editors Tom Desch and Rana Segal skillfully weave together biographical information about to the two main subjects of Hunt and Wells while providing important historical insight and illuminating the continuing quest to overcome what many call America’s original sin.

The premier of the 67-minute documentary Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells is being screened as part of the 60^th Chicago International Film Festival October 16-27, 2024. For festival information visit ChicagoFilmFestival.com For film information visit http://amonumentforidabfilm.com

Reno Lovison

Chicago Air and Water Show back in town

U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights (Photo credit: Sgt. Brian Collett Courtesy of U.S Army Parachute Team)

Photos courtesy of DCASE (Dept of Cultural Affairs and Special Events) and the City of Chicago)

Figure now where you want to watch Chicago’s famed Air and Water Show, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Aug. 10 and 11, but also Aug. 9 in 2024.

The extra day isn’t a misprint or a rescheduling of the show. It is the Friday before the big weekend when pilots practice and check out the territory and weather.

North Avenue Beach is ground zero but the planes will be seen zooming overhead up and down Chicago’s lakefront. This year features the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights.

Tip: Looked forward to every year, the experienced visitors know that Friday is good because the beach venue is the least crowded and many of the performers, including those featured, will be around.

U.S. Navy Blue Angels (Photo credit Patrick L. Pyszka, City of Chicago)

Typically, the Blue Angels perform towards the end of the afternoon, but crowds gather early on the beach, so plan to spend the day watching all the action (bring sunscreen and hat protection).

Crowds is an understatement. Begun in 1959, the Chicago Air and Water Show, has become the largest and oldest, free admission exhibition of its kind in the United States, attracting more than two million viewers during its two-day event.

Among this year’s showstoppers are military performers from the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U. S. Air Force and the National Guard.

In addition, are aerobatics by such civilian pilots as Bill Stein and Kevin Coleman plus barnstormer Susan Dacy.

Susan Dacy

For more information and the schedule visit City of Chicago :: Chicago Air and Water Show

Jodie Jacobs

Grant Park Music Festival ages well

Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park hosts music and dance performances. (J Jacobs photo) — Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park hosts Grant Park Music Festival and other music and dance performances. (J Jacobs photo)

Grant Park Music Festival now and then

NOW

Sit on the grass or bring a chair or reserve a seat to hear great classical music interspersed with special programs. It’s summer as celebrated downtown Chicago at the Pritzker Pavilion. The Blues Fest was just here but now a summer-long music festival starts.

Grant Park Music Festival opens tonight, June 12, 2024, with the Dvorak Cello Concerto played by Alban Gerhardt and continues this week with Christian Tetzlaff playing Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto. At the podium is Carlos Kalmar who has been conduction the Grant Park Orchestra since 2000.

And so goes the Grant Park Music Festival in 2024 with free tickets for those who don’t mind sitting further back of the Pritzker Pavilion or with a low price, often $27, for reserve seats closer up. Visit GPMF Schedule, orgpmf.org or call (312) 742-7647 for more information.

(Common is performing July 20 so tickets are higher. Visit Common :: Grant Park Music Festival.

THEN

Summer concerts started in Grant Park in the 1930s and became a tradition in 1935. By 1944 the Chicago Park District started the Grant Park Orchestra to be led by Conductor Nikolai Malko. He was followed by such renowned conductors as Irwin Hoffman, Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman, Zdenek Macal and Hugh Wolff.

The Grant Park Chorus was formed in 1962 by Thomas Peck and then led by Michael Cullen and guest conductors. Christopher Bell took over in 2002.

In 1962, the Grant Park Chorus was established under the direction of Thomas Peck. It was subsequently led by Michael Cullen (1994–97) and a series of guest conductors until the appointment of current Chorus Director Christopher Bell in 2002.

As to location, the Grant Park Music Festival was in the bandshell at the south end of Grant Park then moved in 1978 to the Petrillo Bandshell named for former musicians’ union president James C. Petrillo who joined with then mayor Anton Cermak to start a music festival in Grant Park.

When Millennium Park opened in 2004 with Jay Pritzker Pavilion designed by architect Frank Gehry, it became home to the Grant Park Music Festival and other music performances and festivals.

Best US chefs and restaurants named by James Beard Foundation

James Beard Awards and Events

The James Beard Awards for Best chefs and Restaurants announced in Chicago, June 10, 2024

Best Chefs by region

Best Chef: California: Ajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson Milord Maynard Llera, Kuya Lord, Los Angeles, CA

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH): Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, MI

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA): Harley Peet, Bas Rouge, Easton, MD

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI): Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis, MN

Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY): Matt Vawter, Rootstalk, Breckenridge, CO

Best Chef: New York State: Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, NY

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT): David Standridge, The Shipwright’s Daughter, Mystic, CT

Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA): Gregory Gourdet, kann, Portland, OR

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR): Valerie Chang, Maty’s, Miami, FL

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV): Paul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, WV

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK): Rene Andrade, Bacanora, Phoenix, AZ

Best Chef: Texas: Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, TX

The Following awards are for Outstanding Chefs, Restaurants and contributions

Outstanding Chef: Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C.

Outstanding Restaurant: Langbaan, Portland, OR

Best New Restaurant: Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA

Outstanding Restauranteur: Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker, ID EST (The Wolf’s Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and others), Boulder, CO

Emerging Chef: Masako Morishita, Perry’s, Washington, D.C.

Outstanding Bakery: ZU Bakery, Portland, ME

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, ME

Outstanding Hospitality: Lula Cafe, Chicago, IL

Outstanding Wine and Beverages Program: Lula Drake Wine Parlour, Columbia, SC

Outstanding Bar: Jewel of the South, New Orleans, LA

Watch theChef/restaurant awards livestream Chef awards that were on June 10. 2024 James Beard Awards Presented by Capital One Restaurant and Chef Awards (youtube.com)

Chef Art Smith at Navy Pier

(Photo by Carole K. Brewer)

From the Reunion website:

“The food does not have to be elegant, complicated, or fancy. We find that busy people like simple food—the busier they are, the simpler the food. Our menu at REUNION is straightforward, down-home Southern food with a few more contemporary dishes.”

Agree, but it should taste good. And the restaurant interior should be a little more atmospheric than the standard food court inside Navy Pier.

Having followed James Beard awards and nominations for several years, I was looking forward to trying award-winning chef, Art Smith’s restaurant, “Reunion,” at the front of Navy Pier.

The outside wasn’t open when our group visited but it did look inviting. Inside, not so much.

The menu also looked inviting. But it did matter what you ordered as far as taste goes.

My friend and I ordered the three Chicken Sliders on the “First Bites” section of the menu because we hoped it would be a taste treat of Smith’s famous Southern Chicken. Except for the honey, the sliders were barely edible and not encouraging as to trying other chicken dishes.

However, another member of our group ordered the crab cakes, also on the “First Bites” menu. They were little but she declared them “spectacular.” Coming from the DC area where she gets Maryland crab cakes, that’s a high recommendation. She also liked that they were mostly crab and not mostly filling.

Would be happy to hear what you think if you have been to chef Art Smith’s restaurant at Navy Pier.

(Photo courtesy of Reunion website)

Navy Pier is at 700 Grand Avenue, Chicago.

For more information visit Reunion Restaurants.

Jodie Jacobs

LCFP Beer Garden opens

Now that the weather is encouraging outdoor dining consider going over to Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville. The LCFP has opened the Beer Garden at Independence Grove.

What to expect: picturesque view and craft brews on tap, in cans and as beer flights plus wine, hard cider, non-alcoholic beverages, packaged snacks and fire pits.

There is a seasonal menu through Untappd, a geosocial networking service used through a mobile app that updates weekly. You can receive notifications and check out a calendar of upcoming events.

“The beer garden has truly become a beloved spot,” said Angelo Kyle, president of the Lake County Forest Preserves. “It offers families a unique recreational experience and a wonderful chance to enjoy time spent in nature as the weather turns warmer.”

Seasonal Hours
Tentative hours pending staffing levels and weather: Beginning May 4: Friday–Sunday, 1–9 pm. Special hours: Monday, May 27, 1–9 pm., Beginning May 28: Tuesday–Thursday, 5–9 pm and Friday–Sunday, 1–9 pm.

New Brew Festival: Brews & Views from 4–8 pm on Friday, May 31. There will be a $20 punch card to try 10 different brews, each served in a 3.5-ounce pour, as well as an appetizer. Local breweries include 9th Hour Brewing Co., Glunz Family Winery, Harbor Brewing Co., Liquid Love Brewing Co., Mickey Finn’s Brewing, Phase Three Brewing Co., Ravinia Brewing and Roaring Table Brewing. Non-alcoholic options and food will be available for purchase. All ages are welcome at the Beer Garden but tastings are for adults 21 and over.

Independence Grove Parking:
Parking is free for Lake County residents. Nonresidents are charged per car from spring–fall: $6 Monday–Thursday; $12 Friday–Sunday and holidays. After Labor Day, parking fees are collected on weekends only.
For weather updates or to learn if the Beer Garden is open, view status map here.

Pets Not Permitted
With the exception of service animals, dogs, horses and other pets are not permitted at Independence Grove.

Host an Event
The Beer Garden can be reserved for special events such as birthday parties, reunions, picnics, corporate retreats and other celebrations. Available to rent late spring through late fall, the Beer Garden features semiprivate and full buy-out options, and casual lakeside seating. To reserve the space for an event, fill out an event inquiry form or call 847-968-3473. For catering arrangements, contact Relish Events at Independence Grove at 847-665-9221 or [email protected].

Jodie Jacobs

RhinoFest is back

(L to R) Holly Holsinger and Claudia Cromly in MARIE CURIE HORROR STORY as part of Rhinoceros Theater Festival 2024. (Photo by Bob Perkos)

If you used to look forward to seeing the shows of Rhinoceros Theater Festival, (RhinoFest) or if you just are interested in creative theater and performances, mark May 25-June 30, 2024, on the calendar.

Also, write in the tickets and more information date of May 6. Tickets are pay-what-you-can with a $20 suggested price.

Originally instigated by some of the Bucktown Arts Fest folk as a two-day add-on, it has grown over the years. RhinoFest has been adding more days and been held at more or different neighborhood sites. It also moved to different months.

This year, for its 35th festival, it will be held at six locations throughout the Chicago area from the end of May to end of June and feature more than 50 shows ranging from new plays and works in progress to concerts and revivals.

The 2024 festival will start with a Full Moon Vaudeville concert 7 p.m. on May 25 at Facility Theatre, (1138 N. California Ave) with an art/folk/cabaret act featuring The Crooked Mouth.

Locations: Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave. in Humboldt Park, Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. in River West, Labyrinth Arts Club, 3658 N. Pulaski Ave. in Irving Park; Perceptions Theater, 1825 East 79th St. in the South Shore neighborhood; Experimental Sound Studio, 5925 N. Ravenswood Ave. in the Ravenswood neighborhood and Women and Children First Bookstore 5233 N. Clark St. in the Andersonville neighborhood.

For more information visit RhinoFest.com

Jodie Jacobs

River turns green and Chicago holds a major parade

Chicago River turns green. (Photo courtesy City of Chicago)

Plan ahead to watch the Chicago River turned to green then watch Chicago’s big St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

February gave us better weather than the usual cold and snow for many readers. And a St. Valentines Day celebrated with flowers, chocolate and or dinner out broke up the month in the middle.

Now, March is already seeing tulips and hyacinths poking their heads through the soil due to our still unseasonably warm weather. And we have such St. Patrick’s weekend events as turning the Chicago River a charming Irish color of green.

More is coming about other parades and places to be in the next article. But this one is about the river because you should start thinking now about going downtown Chicago to watch this annual event a week from this Saturday on March 16, 2024. The coloration is due to start at 10 a.m. Then the downtown parade starts at 12:15 p.m.

First colored in 1962 thanks to the local plumbers union, the river dyeing is still done by them with a secret, environmentally-friendly dye.

What to know: The dyeing of the Chicago River, now celebrating 69 years, is held the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day and is followed by the city’s main parade which starts at Balboa Drive and pipes its way north on Columbus Drive to Monroe Drive. In the parade are politicians, Irish dancers, marching bands and bagpipers.

Where to watch: First colored in 1962 thanks to the local plumbers union, the river dyeing is still done by them with a secret, environmentally-friendly dye. Today, more than one boat is used to drop in the coloring. Best is to find a spot on the Michigan Avenue bridge or just west of it along the river. (The lower Riverwalk will be closed.) You need to get there early because the best spots fill quickly.

You can also watch from a river cruise such as Chicago’s First Lady (Wendella. is sold out) Afterwards, grab a snack or coffee and head west of Michigan Avenue to Columbus Drive for the parade.

Jodie Jacobs