The Chicago Gourmet Festival 2009 is going to be a huge foodie event in Chicago. On Saturday September 26th and Sunday September 27th in Millennium Park (age 21 and up because there is a lot of wine!) there will be many opportunities to revel in being a foodie and try out new wines with some of the top gourmet food in Chicago. (see schedule below) This is the ultimate event for someone who really likes to be on the cutting edge for cooking/entertaining with friends and wants to learn from the expert presentations. The Chicago Gourmet Festival does get crowded though and sometimes there is more wine than food, which is not always a good combination.

So, my advice for attending the Chicago Gourmet Festival is take the CTA public transportation, get there early before they run out of food and bring a notepad to take notes if you hear something you really want to make at home. You can also purchase cook books at chef signings which is cool but expensive. The neatest part is to get to see some of these accomplished chefs work in person in their demonstrations and possibly taste some new gourmet flavors and wines.

Tickets are $120for general admission from 11 am – 5 pm for one day. (Saturday or Sunday)Tickets for 2 days are $240. Tickets for Grand Cru tastings are $175 in addition to the admission fees. Its not cheap, but it is rare that you can get access to an event like this open to the public, so for the people who love gourmet food and the exclusivity of the famous presenters it is probably worth it for the unique experience. Then again they probably assume that if you’re cooking gourmet food all the time, you can probably afford it. (I’m not sure that is true anymore in this economy though) They have an elaborate buy tickets online system and you print them directly off the internet so there is no waiting for tickets in the mail. Print this page for the complete schedule to take with you the day of the Chicago Gourmet Festival. AMEX card holders get a special 15% discount.

The events and demonstrations and book signings are listed below with the schedule for the 2009 Chicago Gourmet event:

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26:

Listings by Time Title Host and Location
11:30am – 12:00pm Perfect Pairings Ted Allen, Food and Wine Ambassador for
Robert Mondavi Private Selections wines Jay Pritzker Pavilion Main Stage
12:30pm – 1:00pm Mexico Meets the Sea Rick Bayless,Frontera Grill/Topolobampo
Paul Bartolotta, BARTOLOTTA Ristorante di Mare Marcus Samuelsson, C-House Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Main Stage
1:30pm – 2:00pm Peaches & Pork Mindy Segal, Hot Chocolate Bill Kim, Urban Belly
Stephanie Izard, The Drunken Goat Jay Pritzker Pavilion Main Stage
2:30pm – 3:00pm Signatures of Santa Margherita Fabio Vivani, Bravo’s Top Chef and Cafe Firenze
Anthony Terlato, Terlato Wines International Jay Pritzker Pavilion Main Stage
3:30pm – 4:00pm Fish with Flair John Hogan, Tavern at the Park/Keefer’s Tony Mantuano, Spiaggia
Thierry Rautureau, Rover’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion Main Stage
4:30pm – 5:00pm The Artistry of Seafood & Salt Jose Garces, Mercat a la Planxa Jimmy Sneed, SugarToad
Ken Vedrinski, Trattoria Lucca Jay Pritzker Pavilion Main Stage
5:15pm – 5:45pm Prime Cuts Klaus Fritsch, Morton’s The Steakhouse
Rock Harper, Chefrock Inc. Jay Pritzker Pavilion Main Stage
12:00pm – 12:30pm Seasonal Cuisine Bruce Sherman, North Pond Gourmet Pavilion Culinary Stage
1:00pm – 1:30pm Upgrading Your Pantry: Must Have Pantry Items From “Wine Bar Food” Tony and Cathy Mantuano, Spiaggia Gourmet Pavilion Culinary Stage
2:00pm – 2:30pm Spice Up Thai Food Arun Sampanthavivat, Arun’s Gourmet Pavilion Culinary Stage
3:00pm – 3:30pm Demystifying Whole Fish Cookery Paul Bartolotta, BARTOLOTTA Ristorante di Mare Gourmet Pavilion Culinary Stage
4:00pm – 4:30pm The Multi Uses of Mojo Randy Zweiban, Province Gourmet Pavilion Culinary Stage
5:00pm – 5:30pm Two Countries, Two Traditions, One Plate Carlos Gaytan, Mexique Gourmet Pavilion
Culinary Stage

WINE SEMINARS
Time Title Host Location
11:45am – 12:30pm Exploring Champagne Fernando Beteta, Master Sommelier Choral Room
1:00pm – 1:45pm Understanding the Difference between Great Wines and Good Wines William Terlato, President Terlato Wines International Choral Room
2:15pm – 3:00pm Franciscan Estates Bordeaux Style Blending Fred Dame, Master Sommelier Choral Room
3:30pm – 4:15pm American Tradition Since 1795 Fred Noe, Master Distiller
Beam Global Choral Room
4:45pm – 5:30pm Beer’s Intrinsic Affinity For Culinary Pairing Ryan Johnson, U.S. Trade Brewer/Certified Cicerone MillerCoors Choral Room
11:30am – 12:15pm Green Winegrowing Paul Dolan, Owner
Mendocino Wine Co. Park Grill South Plaza Tent
12:45pm – 1:30pm Where Innovation Meets Tradition:
The Versatility of Prosecco Manlio Collavini, Owner Mionetto Winery Park Grill South Plaza Tent
2:00pm – 2:45pm Why French Wine Matters Today Martin Sinkoff Frederick Wildman & Sons Park Grill
South Plaza Tent
3:15pm – 4:00pm Discovering the Wines of Costello di Monsanto… A Tuscan Treasure Laura Bianchi, Owner Moet Hennessy Park Grill South Plaza Tent

GRAND CRU TASTING
Listed by Time Title Host and Location
4:00pm – 5:30pm Grand Cru Tasting Event Fred Dame MS, Alpana Singh MS, Serafin Alvarado MS and Fernando Betata MS Choral Room

GOURMET TASTINGS PAVILIONS
Listed by Time Theme Presenter and Location
11:00am – 2:00pm Regional American Paul Virant, Vie Restaurant Gourmet Pavilion I
11:00am – 2:00pm Regional American Paul Kahan, Blackbird
Michael Sheerin, Blackbird Gourmet Pavilion I
11:00am – 2:00pm Regional American Kevin Hickey, Four Seasons Hotel Gourmet Pavilion I
11:00am – 2:00pm Regional American John Hogan, Keefer’s Gourmet Pavilion I
2:30pm – 5:30pm Regional American Stephanie Izard, The Drunken Goat Gourmet Pavilion I
2:30pm – 5:30pm Regional American Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia Gourmet Pavilion I
2:30pm – 5:30pm Regional American Graham Elliot Bowles, graham elliot Gourmet Pavilion I
2:30pm – 5:30pm Regional American Jimmy Bannos, Heaven on Seven Gourmet Pavilion I
11:00am – 2:00pm Latin Carlos Gaytan, Mexique Gourmet Pavilion II
11:00am – 2:00pm Latin Randy Zweiban, Province Gourmet Pavilion II
11:00am – 2:00pm Latin Jose Garces, Mercat a la Planxa Gourmet Pavilion II
11:00am – 2:00pm Latin Café 28 Gourmet Pavilion II
2:30pm – 5:30pm Latin Zapatista Gourmet Pavilion II
2:30pm – 5:30pm Latin Nicholas Ibarzabal, 5411 Empanadas Gourmet Pavilion II
2:30pm – 5:30pm Latin Mario Santiago, May Street Café & Catering Gourmet Pavilion II
2:30pm – 5:30pm Latin Mercadito Gourmet Pavilion II
11:30pm – 2:30pm Stockyard Philip Foss, Lockwood at Palmer House Gourmet Pavilion III
11:30pm – 2:30pm Stockyard John Gatsos, Tavern on Rush Gourmet Pavilion III
11:30pm – 2:30pm Stockyard Mario Navarro, Gene & Georgetti’s Gourmet Pavilion III
11:30pm – 2:30pm Stockyard Fogo De Chao Gourmet Pavilion III
3:00pm – 6:00pm Stockyard Capital Grille Gourmet Pavilion III
3:00pm – 6:00pm Stockyard Flemings Gourmet Pavilion III
3:00pm – 6:00pm Stockyard Ditka’s Gourmet Pavilion III
3:00pm – 6:00pm Stockyard Gale St. Inn Gourmet Pavilion III
11:30pm – 2:30pm Asian Jackie Shen, Red Light Gourmet Pavilion IV
11:30pm – 2:30pm Asian Rodelio Aglibot, Sunda Gourmet Pavilion IV
11:30pm – 2:30pm Asian Joshua Linton, Ajasteak Gourmet Pavilion IV
11:30pm – 2:30pm Asian Bill Kim, Urban Belly Gourmet Pavilion IV
11:30pm – 2:30pm Asian Le Colonial Gourmet Pavilion IV
3:00pm – 6:00pm Asian Arun Sampanthavivat, Arun’s Gourmet Pavilion IV
3:00pm – 6:00pm Asian Hans Aeschbacher, Trader Vic’s Gourmet Pavilion IV
3:00pm – 6:00pm Asian Tony Hu, Lao Szechuan Gourmet Pavilion IV
3:00pm – 6:00pm Asian Gene Kato, Japonais Gourmet Pavilion IV
3:00pm – 6:00pm Asian Carol Wallack, Sola Restaurant
Alex Shalev, Sola Restaurant Gourmet Pavilion IV
11:30pm – 6:00pm Dessert Fannie May Dessert Pavilion

BOOK SIGNINGS
Time Title Author(s) Location
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm The Food You Want To Eat Ted Allen Author’s Corner
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm Mexican Everyday The Soul of a New Cuisine Osteria Tru
Amuse-Bouche Rick Bayless Marcus Samuelsson Rick Tramonto

Author’s Corner 2:30pm – 3:00pm Wine Bar Food Tony and Cathy Mantuano
Author’s Corner 3:30pm – 4:00pm Taste TBD Anthony Terlato & Fabio Viviani
Author’s Corner 4:30pm – 5:00pm Morton’s The Steakhouse: 100 Steakhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen
Rover’s: Recipes from Seattle’s Chef in the Hat!!! Klaus Fritsch Thierry Rautureau

Author’s Corner 5:15pm – 5:45pm Latin Evolution Jose Garces Author’s Corner

Sunday, September 27, 2009 11am – 5pm

LIVE COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS
Time Title Host Location
11:30am – 12:00pm Farm to Table Carrie Nahabedian, NAHA
Kevin Hickey, Four Seasons Hotel Chicago Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Main Stage
12:30pm – 1:00pm Tallgrass and Green City Market Bounty Sarah Stegner, Prairie Grass Cafe
George Bumbaris, Prairie Grass Cafe Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Main Stage
1:30pm – 2:00pm Flavors of Italy John Colletta, Quartino
Federico Comacchio, Phil Stefani’s 437 Rush Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Main Stage
2:30pm – 3:00pm Asian Delights Jackie Shen, Red Light
Takashi Yagihashi, Takashi Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Main Stage
3:30pm – 4:00pm Rustic Delicacies Dirk Flanigan, The Gage
Tony Priolo, Piccolo Sogno Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Main Stage
4:15pm – 4:45pm Savory Starts Michael Altenberg, Bistro Campagne
Art Smith, Table Fifty-Two Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Main Stage
11:15am – 11:45am How to Make a Classic Hollandaise Sauce Shelley Young, Chopping Block Gourmet Pavilion
Culinary Stage
12:00am – 12:30pm Cheese Fonduta John Colletta, Quartino Gourmet Pavilion
Culinary Stage
1:00pm – 1:30pm TBD Paul Katz, Harry Caray’s Gourmet Pavilion
Culinary Stage
2:00pm – 2:30pm Savory and Sweet Desserts Martial Noguier, Café des Architectes
Suzanne Imaz, Café des Architectes Gourmet Pavilion
Culinary Stage
3:00pm – 3:30pm Mini Rockit Burgers James Gottwald, Rockit Bar & Grill Gourmet Pavilion
Culinary Stage
4:00pm – 4:30pm Caribbean Ceviche Luigi Garcia, RIVA Gourmet Pavilion
Culinary Stage

WINE SEMINARS
Listed by Time Title Host and Location
11:45am – 12:30pm Wines Best Kept Secrets Revealed Serafin Alvarado, Master Sommelier Choral Room
1:00pm – 1:45pm Wine Pairing in Chicago Neighborhoods Alpana Singh, Master Sommelier Choral Room
2:15pm – 3:00pm Special Ticketed Event -GAJA: 150 Years of Winemaking Heritage Gaia Gaja, Co-Owner

Gaja Family Wine Estates Choral Room
3:30pm – 4:15pm Carneros… Napa’s Unique Appellation Jay Schupert, President

Cuvaison Estate Wines Choral Room
11:30am – 12:15pm The Versatility of Prosecco Enore Ceola, Winemaker
Mionetto Winery Park Grill

South Plaza Tent
12:45pm – 1:30pm If The Wine Matters, So Does The Glass Robert Hall, President
Bottega del Vino Crystal Park Grill

South Plaza Tent
2:00pm – 2:45pm Green Wine Revolution: What Does It Mean? Serafin Alvarado MS, Alpana Singh MS,
Fred Dame MS, and Fernando Beteta MS Park Grill

South Plaza Tent
3:15pm – 4:00pm Seasonal Cocktails from the Garden to
Glass Bridget Albert, Mixologist
Southern Wine & Spirits of Illinois Park Grill
South Plaza Tent

GRAND CRU TASTING
Listed by Time Title Host and Location
3:30pm – 5:00pm Grand Cru Tasting Event featuring Fred Dame MS, Alpana Singh MS, Serafin Alvarado MS and Fernando Betata MS in the Choral Room

GOURMET TASTINGS PAVILIONS
Listed by Time Theme Presenters and Location
11:00am – 1:45pm Gastropub James Gottwald, Rockit Bar & Grill Gourmet Pavilion I
11:00am – 1:45pm Gastropub Dirk Flanigan, The Gage Gourmet Pavilion I
11:00am – 1:45pm Gastropub Chris Pandel, The Bristol Gourmet Pavilion I
11:00am – 1:45pm Gastropub John Manion, Goose Island Brewing Co. Gourmet Pavilion I
2:15pm – 5:00pm Gastropub Chris Curren, Blue 13 Chicago Gourmet Pavilion I
2:15pm – 5:00pm Gastropub Jared Van Kamp, Old Town Social Gourmet Pavilion I
2:15pm – 5:00pm Gastropub Paramount Gourmet Pavilion I
2:15pm – 5:00pm Gastropub Michael Cisternino, Tavern at the Park Gourmet Pavilion I
11:30pm – 2:15pm Seafood Shawn McClain, Spring Gourmet Pavilion II
11:30pm – 2:15pm Seafood Mark Grosz, Oceanique Restaurant Gourmet Pavilion II
11:30pm – 2:15pm Seafood Luigi Garcia, RIVA Gourmet Pavilion II
11:30pm – 2:15pm Seafood Laurant Gras, L20 Gourmet Pavilion II
2:45pm – 5:00pm Seafood Seth Siegel-Gardner, C-House Gourmet Pavilion II
2:45pm – 5:00pm Seafood Ryan Pitts, RL Restaurant Gourmet Pavilion II
2:45pm – 5:00pm Seafood TBD Gourmet Pavilion II
2:45pm – 5:00pm Seafood TBD Gourmet Pavilion II
11:00am – 1:45pm French Christpohe David, NoMI Gourmet Pavilion III
11:00am – 1:45pm French Martial Noguier, Café des Architectes
Suzanne Imaz, Café des Architectes Gourmet Pavilion III
11:00am – 1:45pm French Tim Graham, Tru Gourmet Pavilion III
11:00am – 1:45pm French Michael Lachowicz, Michael Restaurant Gourmet Pavilion III
2:15pm – 5:00pm French Matt Tobin, Marché Gourmet Pavilion III
2:15pm – 5:00pm French Shelley Young, Chopping Block Gourmet Pavilion III
2:15pm – 5:00pm French Chris Nugent, Les Nomades Gourmet Pavilion III
2:15pm – 5:00pm French Frank Ferru, L’Eiffel Bistrot & Creperie Gourmet Pavilion III
11:30pm – 2:15pm Mediterranean Reza’s Gourmet Pavilion IV
11:30pm – 2:15pm Mediterranean Koren Grieveson, Avec Gourmet Pavilion IV
11:30pm – 2:15pm Mediterranean Tony Priolo, Piccolo Sogno Gourmet Pavilion IV
11:30pm – 2:15pm Mediterranean Jimmy Bannos, Purple Pig Gourmet Pavilion IV
2:45pm – 5:00pm Mediterranean Federico Comacchio, Phil Stefani’s 437 Rush Gourmet Pavilion IV
2:45pm – 5:00pm Mediterranean John Colletta, Quartino Gourmet Pavilion IV
2:45pm – 5:00pm Mediterranean Carrie Nahabedian, NAHA Gourmet Pavilion IV
2:45pm – 5:00pm Mediterranean Mark Sparacino, PROSECCO Gourmet Pavilion IV
11:30pm -5:00pm Dessert Fannie May Dessert Pavilion

BOOK SIGNINGS
Time Title Author(s) Location
12:15pm – 12:45pm TBD Author’s Corner
1:15pm – 1:45pm TBD Author’s Corner
2:15pm – 2:45pm 200 True Italian Pasta Dishes John Colletta Author’s Corner
3:30pm – 4:00pm Takashi’s Noodles Takashi Yagihashi Author’s Corner
4:30pm – 5:00pm Market Fresh Mixology Bridget Albert Author’s Corner

The Chicago International Film Festival is a little event run by a few people on a shoestring budget but it packs a big punch. Somehow, the Chicago International Film Festival manages to get access to the latest independent films and often times show the award winners that year before they have gone mainstream. This year the Chicago International Film Festival has done it again, they have found some really interesting unique films that may not be shown in Chicago otherwise and are presenting them October 8th through the 21st, 2009.

This year the festival has changed formats slightly, locating all the showings in one theater rather than at 4 or 5 across Chicago (which I always found confusing). The one theater you need to know about in order to see these amazing new films is the AMC River East on Illinois Street.

45th Chicago International Film Festival
October 8 – 21, 2009
150 films from more than 40 countries.
All in two weeks. All under one roof.
AMC River East 21 (322 E. Illinois St.)

The films available this year look better than usual. I normally have interest in 2-3 films, but this year almost all of them look like something I would be curious about.

Tickets aren’t cheap but they aren’t any more than the regular price of a movie either. The Gala Events bring in celebrities that you wouldn’t normally see in Chicago and can be worth the extra money for the experience of the event.

SAVE UP TO 40% OFF Your ADMISSION!
If you buy now, get an extra $10 off your order with the promo code 45FEST09, valid until 9/23.

You can purchase tickets now online at: CHICAGOFILMFESTIVAL.COM

the Chicago International Film Festival Packages are:

MOVIEGOER (10 admissions)
$80 for Cinema/Chicago members; $110 for non-members

PASSPORT (20 admissions)
$155 for Cinema/Chicago members; $210 for non-members

GALA PASS (4 admissions to Gala Presentations)
$80 for Cinema/Chicago members; $100 for non-members

There are a limited number of Chicago International Film Festival Gala Passes are available. The Moviegoer and Passport Passes are not valid/available for/including Gala Presentations. All passes are not valid for Opening Night or Closing Night.

Individual tickets on sale September 23
$9 for Cinema/Chicago members, students, and seniors; $12 for regular admission

Gala Presentation event tickets
$20 for Cinema/Chicago members; $25 for non-members

Some of the movies I plan on seeing are:

The Chicago Theater hosts the Gala Event for the Chicago International Film Festival

Motherhood

(Gala Presentation) – USA
Director: Katherine Dieckmann. Uma Thurman is in a charming, high-energy comedy as a beleaguered Manhattanite just trying to survive another day of the madness that comes with raising two young kids (and a husband and best friend).

Made in China – USA – Director: Judi Krant
Wes Anderson’s whimsy meets David Mamet’s love of duplicity in the peppy, comic tale of a wide-eyed Texas hayseed who travels to China to find a manufacturer for the novelty product he hopes will put him right up there with the guy who invented the whoopee cushion

Hipsters / Stilyagi – Russia – Dir: Valery Todorovsky
Moscow, 1955. Soviet uniformity is the order of the day, but incurring the wrath of all the grim-faced comrades in Russia isn’t enough to stop a group of young “hipsters” from donning outrageous threads, puffing up their pompadours, pushing up their cleavage, throwing back martinis, and shakin’ their hips. Could this romantic, infectiously fun musical be this year’s Slumdog Millionaire?

These are the updates I just got about Memorial Day Parade and Street Closures in Chicago. If you are planning on attending the Chicago Memorial Day Parade, The JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge Race, The Memorial March, or the Bike the Drive event, check this list first to find out where the streets are closed and where/when the events happen. I hope eveyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend and have a burger from the grill for me!

J. P. MORGAN CHASE CORPORATE CHALLENGE (3.5 miles) on Thursday, 21 May 09, 6pm – 10pm:

This event site will be in Grant Park, Lower Hutchinson Field.

The run will take place on Columbus Drive from Roosevelt Rd to Wacker Drive.

Start time for the run is at 7:10 pm.

Columbus will close at 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm from Roosevelt Rd to Balbo.

Columbus from Balbo to Wacker Drive, as well as the east west streets in this area will remain open for as long as possible to allow for the end of rush hour traffic.

The on site CPD Commander will give the order to close the streets shortly before the race begins.

At the end of the race, as soon as it is safe to do so, Columbus from Balbo to Wacker Drive and the east west streets in the area will be opened.

MEMORIAL DAY PARADE on Saturday, 23 May 09:

The parade route is from Wacker Drive to Van Buren on State Street, step off 12 noon.

State Street and the east west streets along the route will close at 11:30 am.

Wacker Drive will be closed for staging from Wabash to Lake Street at 8:00 am.

Van Buren will be closed for vehicles and disbanding from Michigan to Franklin at 8:00 am.

The parade will last approximately 2 hours and streets will be opened to traffic as soon as it is safe.

BIKE THE DRIVE on Sunday, 24 May 09:

The event site will be in Grant Park, Butler Field the bike route is on Lake Shore Drive.

Lake Shore Drive will be closed to vehicle traffic from 5:00 am to 10:30 am from Hollywood to 63rd Street.

AMERICANS FOR LIFE, LIFE MEMORIAL MARCH on Friday, 22 May 09:

This group will meet at the Thompson Center Plaza; the march will step off at 11:30 am.

A group of 2000 to 3000 people will march south on Clark St to Adams, east on Adams into Federal Plaza.

The group will hold a rally at Federal plaza until approximately 2:30 pm.

During the march traffic will be affected from Wacker Drive to Jackson and State to LaSalle.

As soon as it is safe, streets will be opened to traffic.

Chicago Blues Festival 2008 by lanet and phil via Flickr.

The Chicago Blues Festival showcases the music Chicago is known for. If you are a fan of the Blues Brothers or maybe have seen BB King on commercials you may think you know something about the Blues. The thing is there is an entire world of Blues Music in Chicago with an incredible depth of talent just waiting to be discovered. the Chicago Blues Festival is a way for the general public to come discover these musicians, singers and talented artists perform their work. This speing on June 12, 13 and 14th Grant Park will be alivewith the sound of Blues, Soul and Jazz intermixing and providing some great entertainment to the city of Chicago. It is a living art form that is not to be missed.

Black Blues Guitar by Mr Noded via Flickr

It’s no surprise that Chicago Blues Festival is the largest blues festival in the world since Chicago is the largest of the cities known for Blues Music. What you may not know if that the Chicago Blues Festival the largest of Chicago’s Music Festivals. The festival lasts three days and contains six stages of performers. It’s pretty incredible that the Mayor’s Office of Special Events says that more than 640,000 blues fans attend the event and prove that Chicago is the “Blues Capital of the World.”

And did we mention it is FREE to the public?

Crowd at the Chicago Blues Festival in 2008. By Lanet and Phil va Flickr

The Chicago Blues Festival attracts big name mainstream performers who like to collaborate with local Blues singers and musicians including Bonnie Raitt, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy and Koko Taylor.

This year if you are looking to attend the Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Parkit will have performers live on 6 stages from 12 noon to 9:30 pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. From the looks of teh schedule it should be a great weekend for music. (if the weather cooperates)

And did we mention it is FREE to the public?  (oh, we did)

Location: Grant Park at Jackson Blvd. & Columbus Dr. in Chicago, IL 60604  

Admission is FREE but, Food and Drinks tickets are sold in quantities of 12 for $8. (most food/drinks are a bit pricey, but the festival being free makes up for it)

There is also a city site with a lot of history about the Chicago Blues Festival available at explorechicago.org/city/en/things_see_do/event_landing/special_events/mose/chicago_blues_festival.html.

 

The Flight of the Conchords show has taken off by storm lately. What was a cult hit last season is mainstream popular this year.

I just heard that Flight of the Conchords will be playing at Arie Crown Theater on March 24th in Chicago. This is going to be a very popular show judging by how about 50 people I know have become “fans” of them on Facebook in the last 3 weeks.

..

If you are wondering who these Australian New Zealanders are you may want to check out some episodes of their show or download their album from iTunes or Amazon. They use the most creative (improvised?) satirical lyrics in their songs possible. Flight of the Conchords is like combining Moxy Fruvous’ Music, Second City Mainstage’s Improv/Comedy and the show The Office’s awkwardness all at once. This seems to be a magical combination for fans because the popularity is still growing for this ever “failing” band.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, check out their episodes online and see if this mockumentary style show grows on you too. if you go to the concert post your comments below and let me know how it goes!

The Flight of the Conchords Show Details are:

Show Date: April 28, 2009

Time: 7:30 pm

Address: 2301 Lake Shore Dr At McCormick PL, Chicago, IL 60616

Ticket Prices: $38.50 before tax, tip, and licence and doc fee. About $50 each after.

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.  After those sell out there might be a few on StubHub or Ebay, but with the restrictions that is doubtful.

There are a lot of restrictions on reselling these tickets so be careful if you buy them, you must have them at will call and no alternate person can pick them up. There is also a 4 ticket limit to purchase. Wow, they anticipate this will sell out like crazy. If you can’t get tix remember there will always be discount Flight of the Conchords Season 1&2 DVDS to enjoy at home.

It is freezing cold out side, what better time to look at summertime recreational equipment at the Chicago Boat and RV show. Maybe we will feel warmer looking at the boats and campers? McCormick place holds a lot of the local conventions and is the only location large enough to hold all these huge boats and RVs.

Although we are close to a metropolis like Chicago many people still enjoy nature by going camping, sailing, boating, fishing or traveling by RV during the summers in the Midwest. (and some rich people have boats docked in the downtown harbors of Lake Michigan) Many people make a yearly family trip to a summer home this way or rent a place on a lake to retreat from the hectic daily work life in the woods. This is the one show that you can look at (and dream about) all the newest innovations in recreational vehicles.

Some of the fun features they have brought to this year’s Chicago Boat and RV show are:

GEICO the world’s fastest offshore racing boat (speedboat), a power boat docking challenge, a Shedd Aquarium display about taking care of Lake Michigan, Green Boating Zone with environmentally friendly boating products, the Texas Bass tank where you can see many kinds of fish up close and personal, the affordability pavilionwhere you can find modestly priced boats to fit your budget, the State Farm Experience challenges with prizes, the Huck Finn Trout Pond where kids can learn to fish and the Loop Rock Girl. And don’t forget the RV’s! All the local RV and Marine shops will be there to answer questions and show their latest new products.

The Chicago Boat and RV Show dates and times are:

Dates: January 14-18, 2009

Location:
McCormick Place in the North Building
2301 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60616

Show Hours:
Wednesday: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Check out chicagoboatshow.com for tickets and maps of the convention floor.

Tickets are $10 (just like the auto show) and teens are $4 and kids under 12 can attend for free.

Harry Potter’s props costumes and sets will be coming to the Museum of Science and Industry Exhibition in Chicago in April 2009. The exhibition will be there through September 7th 2009. This is much like the Star Wars Exhibition that they had there in the winter of 2007-2008. The movies are so popular that Harry Potter and Star Wars bring a whole new audience to The Museum of Science and Industry and help raise awareness of the museum for tourists and visitors as well as local residents.

The following for Harry Potter Books is huge in Chicago and an entire generation grew up on these books, reading them from cover to cover over and over again. I expect the tickets to easily sell out for the first few months at the exhibit. I would also expect there to be some demonstrations in the exhibit about how the magic effects happened in the movie and some explanations of how the Harry Potter movies were made.

Tickets on sale now at the Museum of Science and Industry website; $26 for adults, $19 for children, and $25 for senior citizens. There are discounted prices for everyone during the evening hours after the museum closes which is nice since people will pretty much line up forever to see these items in person if they are superfans. And judging from how many people stood in line at bookstores at midnight to get the books each time they were published, I think this will be one of the most popular exhibits at the museum of science and industry to date.

I also think this makes a good trip activity idea for the kids over spring break or summer break in 2009. There are a lot of other educational exhibits there that you should see too if you can make it. The bodyworlds exhibit is always popular. Just stay away from the internet exhibit (ala 1997) and the automobile exhibit (ala 1985). There are some areas of the museum that need a lot of updating.

See harrypotterexhibition.com for details and to buy tickets online.

From December 5th 2008 through January 4th 2009 the Bank of America Winter Wonderfest will be open at Navy Pier in Chicago. This is one of the many Chicago Christmas events that are perfect for the family to attend while kids are on holiday break. A trip downtown on the metra is always an exciting day for kids. The Bank of America Winter Wonderfest is a spectacular holiday event that begins its 8th holiday season with more attractions and over 170,000 sq ft of indoor family activities.

The Chicago Winter Wonderfest includes lots of amazing decorations with over 750,000 Christmas lights, 25,000 ornaments and hundreds of Christmas trees. The activities at Winter Wonderfest include Winter Themed carnival rides, games, music and live bands and entertainment daily. Many families found that this was a great yearly tradition to go to with the kids and return every year. (in addition to going to the walnut room at Macy’s for dinner under the great tree.

One of the attractions at the Winter Wonderfest is the eWish Center. The ewish center is open in Festival Hall from December 5th through January 4th. Kids can email Santa Claus their holiday wishes on the internet. Elves are there to help the kids write or send the emails. The emails go direct to Santa Claus. This is far more hip than the old write your list on paper and send it through snail mail method.

strong>Santa Claus arrives at Winter Wonderland at Navy Pier on Saturday November 29th at 5 pm on the Grand Staircase. This was for the opening of the holiday season and the official lighting of the pier for the holidays. Santa Claus also made a stop on the Family Pavilion Stage. Then he and Mrs. Claus listened to the holiday wishes of children from 6:00 pm. until 9:00 pm. Since Santa can’t be there every day, the ewish center makes sure that Santa Claus gets all the wish information and everyone gets their wish.

The Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier is free to enter and walk around but it is either $12 or $16 to ride the activities and rides. The $16 wristband includes ice skating, the $12 wristband ticket does not include ice skating. There are a few family packs that include parking and 4 wristbands that offer some discounts. There is a winter wonderfest family pack for $64 that includes 4 premium wrisbands (the ones that include skating) and free parking if you drive downtown. Navy Pier is located at 600 East Grand Avenue. Phone Number: (312) 559-1212.

The hours that the Chicago Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier is open are:
Bank of America Winter WonderFest will be open:
 
December 5, 2008 to December 18, 2008
Sunday through Thursday: 10:00am to 5:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 10:00am to 10:00pm December 19, 2008 to January 4, 2009
Sunday through Thursday: 10:00am to 8:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 10:00am to 10:00pm
Special Holiday Hours:
Wednesday, December 24, 2008: 10:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday, December 25, 2008: CLOSED
Wednesday, December 31, 2008: 10:00am – 8:00pm
Notes:

In addition to the Winter Wonderfest, Navy Pier is also the location for the largest New Year’s Eve Party in Chicago. Get tickets online to experience the best fireworks presentation and festivities of the New Year in Chicago!

Every winter the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago has a Zoolights festival to celebrate the season. The Lincoln Park Zoo is a free admission zoo in the center of Chicago located on the north side of the city. When you get all those zoo lights up for the holiday and a free admission Zoo to see the animals, why not take the family to the zoo for the day? (parking us usually not free though)

The Lincoln park Zoo’s Zoo lights winter festival runs from December 5th 2008 through January 4th 2009 from 5-9 pm. (closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) The sun goes down at about 4:30  pm in Chicago in the winter so there is more time to view all the beautiful tiny colored lights and decorations. I hope the animals enjoy the festivities too. Every evening there is a musical lights show extravaganza on the south lawn.

The Lincoln Park Zoo is located at 2001 North Clark Street in Lincoln park in Chicago, IL 60614. Phone number 312-742-2000.

The Zoo Lights festival at Lincoln Park Zoo also has a number of activities and food available at the park. Crafts, gifts and holiday foods will all be for sale at the event. On December 5th and 6th visit the starbucks there for a free hot cocoa drink to celebrate the season. And as always the Lincoln Park Zoo has a large collection of animals living there from all around the globe.

The different animal sections of the zoo that you can visit are: Reptiles & Amphibians, Birds and Mammals. The Regenstein African Journey, McCormick Bear Habitat, McCormick Bird House, Regenstein Birds of Prey Exhibit, Kovler Penguin and Seabird House, Helen Brach Primate House, Kovler Lion House, Kovler Sea Lion Pool, Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo, Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House, Hope B. McCormick Swan Pond, Flamingo Habitat, Regenstein Center for African Apes, Antelope & Zebra Area, Farm-in-the-Zoo Presented by John Deere and The Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. 

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I have been to the Chicago Inaternational Film Festival every year for the past 3 years and it has been an event not to miss in Chicago. The Chicago International Film Festival runs for two weeks from October 16th to 29th showing scheduled independent movies from all over the world at three theater locations in the city. The locations of the theaters selected for showing the scheduled ”movie buffet” at the festival this year are the AMC River East 21 theater (322 East Illinois Street Chicago, IL) and the AMC 600 North Michigan 9 (600 North Michigan Avenue) as well as the Harris Theater (205 East Randolph Drive) for the opening and closing night ”Gala” events. I always like that it is like an advance screening to several films that you get to see months before they come out to the general public.

Right now theChicago International Film Festival early bird advance passes are available at a 40% discount through the chicagofilmfestival.org website (which has mostly 2007 information on it) before September 30. They have the 10 movie ticket pass for $110, the 20 movie ticket pass for $210 and the 40 movies ticket pass for $385. (non member prices, membership is $60 for the year but knocks off $30, $55 or $100 off the price passes) I do not have a membership but I attend the Chicago International Film Festival yearly anyway.

This year looks like it won’t disappoint in the range of independent films and themes that will be presented at the Chicago International Film Festival. There are simultaneous showings on most nights so download the entire schedule here (when it becomes available) and mark off which films you want to see ahead of time. With a 10 movie pass ticket it makes it easy to plan your 2 weeks of movies and just show up wherever they are playing ready to go.

I usually always go to the Chicago International Film Festival’s opening night gala and closing night gala. These events will be held at the uber modern Harris theater in Millennium Park in Downtown Chicago. They aren’t saying which films will be scheduled or featured on which nights but these are the 3 gala feature films:

A Christmas Tale / Un conte de Noël  from France and Director Arnaud Desplechin. A Christmas Tale stars Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussillon, and Mathieu Amalric who play members of a family who conceive a third child in the hopes of using its bone marrow to save the dying firstborn child. 

Happy-Go-Lucky  from the UK and  Director Mike Leigh. The perennial optimist Poppy is played by Sally Hawkins and charges through life with breathless enthusiasm and a sincere desire to help others, struggling as she encounters fellow Londoners who do not always share her sunny outlook.

Pride and Glory  from the USA and Director Gavin O’Connor. Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, and Jon Voight star in a gritty and emotional portrait of a multigenerational New York City police family forced to choose between loyalties to each other and loyalties to the department.

Check back to this post in a few weeks. I will post more information about the films and Chicago International Film Festival schedule as it becomes available.

This year the Chicago Windy City Wine Festival is being held on September 5th and 6th at Daley Plaza downtown in Chicago. The Wine Festival starts on Friday evening at 4pm and goes until 10 pm. It continues on Saturday afternoon at 3 pm and is open until 10 pm again. Tickets are available to purchase for the Windy City Wine Festival Online at windycitywinefestival.com/buy.html or call 847-382-1480 to purchase them by phone.

Tickets are $25.00 for the wine tasting in advance and $30.00 each at the door. Additional tasting coupons can be purchased for more tasting at the festival for $5.00. There is even a designated driver ticket available for $10.00 which gets you 2 non-alcoholic drinks and food as well as access to cooking demonstrations and a copy of the festival program.  

They have also included live bands performing at the event to add to the relaxed atmosphere and they have brought in several local wine experts and Sommeliers to present information about choosing, buying and pairing wines with food as well as information about the wine making process.

It is interesting that even though the economy has slowed down people have certainly not stopped drinking wine. People have decided that buying cheaper food and clothing as well as saving energy were all bearable changes but the Chicagoans are not giving up their wine drinking. Wine sales have increased an enormous amount in the last decade thanks to movies like Sideways that made it a cool, independent, social and cultural hobby to have.

Chicago may not have any vineyards or be written about much in Wine Spectator but we have a lot of wine drinkers and buyers in the Chicagoland area. They have been a fan of the Chicago Wine Festival and the Naperville Wine festival the last few years. Also a few stores like Armanetti’s, Sam’s Wines and Spirits and Binny’s have made buying from huge selections of wine from all over the world possible under one roof for very affordable prices. Also, hundreds of small wind boutiques have popped up like Wine Expressions and Wine Styles in all the small shopping centers in the suburbs.

Yuppies and baby boomers liked taking a bottle of wine to dinner at a friend’s house or serving a new wine guests had never tried before at parties. This novelty as well as great taste has kept wine popular while other luxury items have trailed off in popularity since the economy has slowed down. Click here for a map of the wine festival grounds and plan your trip today.

The entertainment and educational presentation schedule for the fest:

Friday, September 5 – 4-10pm

5:00-5:25pm – Tim Laird, Mixology, The Art of the Wine Cocktail.
5:30-6:00 pm – “Cutting Edge White Wines” Serafin Alvarado, Master Sommelier Director of Wine Education, Southern Wine and Spirits of Illinois
6:05-6:35 pm – Sheri Sauter Moran, Wines of France
6:40-7:10 pm – Colleen Stewart, The Bonterra Vineyards Organic Road Show
7:15-7:45 pm – THE HEARTY BOYS
8:00-9:45 pm – KIM MASSIE

Saturday, September 6 – 3-10pm

3:30-4:05 pm – Sheri Sauter Moran, Wines of France
4:10-4:40 pm – Steve Ciappette Viand
4:45- 5:15pm – Fetzer Eco Tour “Growing Green”
5:30-6:40 pm – DAYNA MALOW
6:50-7:20 pm – Tim Laird, Mixology, The Art of the Wine Cocktail.
7:25-7:55 pm – THE HEARTY BOYS
8:15-9:45 pm – MICHAEL HEATON BAND

This weekend in Chicago there are plenty of events to attend if you are still making your plans. First off the Olympics are ending this weekend and the closing ceremony will be on Sunday evening NBC Channel 5 in Chicago at 8pm.

Everyone is a Buzz over Barack Obama announcing his Vice President Choice via Text Message today. We still await the text message. Barack has chosen Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware. We hope there wasn’t a server crash sending out all those emails and texts… I am sure most people will be tuned in to the Democratic National Convention on Monday since Obama-mania is sweeping Chicago. Everywhere I go people are wearing Barack Obama T-Shirts, buttons, hats and other merchandise. He really is a phenomenon in Chicago. We may not win the Olympic bid for 2016 but we may get to have a cool connection with the next president of the United States.

Another event happening this weekend that will be a lot of fun is the Chicago Viva Latin Music Festival August 23-24 in Grant Park downtown.  (200-300 East Jackson. Jackson Street will be closed from Columbus to Lake Shore Drive Thursday to Monday for the Festival) Viva is a two day festival that features all styles of Latin Music along with food, a low rider car show and latin dancing too. The Viva Latin Music Festival is free and open from 10:30 am to 9:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday! The CTA is the best way to get to the festival. Please see the CTA web site for directions from where you live. The schedule of music performers is as follows:

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Saturday August 23rd 2008
2:30-2:35 pm Opening National Anthem
2:35-3:30 pm Everardo Rey y su flota musical
3:40-4:35 pm Malo featuring Jorge Santana
4:45-5:30 pm Don Tetto
5:40-6:20 pm Tommy Torres
6:25-7:05 pm The Dey
7:10-8:20 pm Yamil, El orgullo de México con el Mariachi, Zapopan y el Ballet C’Acatl
8:30-9:30 pm Alexis y Fido El Duo Sobrenatural

Sunday August 24th 2008
2:30-2:35 pm Opening National Anthem
2:35-3:05 pm Menudo
3:15-3:30 pm MTV Winner
3:40-4:40 pm Cruz Martínez y Los Súper Reyes
4:50-5:50 pm Los Creadores del Pasito Duranguense
6:00-7:00 pm Fobia
7:10-8:00 pm Mike Roman & The Tellstars Featuring Jose Chepito Areas and Armando Peraza
8:10-9:30 pm – Los Lobos

Also, you should tickets if you want to see Dirty Dancing the Musical when it opens at the Cadillac Palace Theater in Chicago September 28th. These tickets are selling fast because this show got such great reviews in New York. And remember, nobody puts baby in a corner. Broadway in Chicago sells all the tickets for the theater and musicals in Chicago and they are also listed on Ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $27.50 to $125.50 each. 

The Accenture Triathalon is also happening this weekend in Chicago. You probably wouldn’t think of entering unless you have already been training for 6 months, but if you want to go watch very fit people compete and get some inspiration for your own fitness goals you can watch the triatheletes. The race starts early on Saturday Morning at 6 AM at Chicago’s Foster Avenue Beach. It is all over by 11 am  though so you have to be an early riser to compete or be a spectator. The weather should be nice for a day at the beach in general though…

The Labor Day Holiday is also just around the corner and planning your shopping trip, camping expedition or last cookout BBQ of the season would be good right about now.  Or maybe it is just more fun to stay home and play Rock Band or the Wii. Personally I may go see the new movie The Rocker with Rainn Wilson in it and I have some Fantasy Football Drafts to attend. (although I am only playing fantasy football because my boyfriend asked, not because I understand anything about Football) Whatever you do this weekend, have fun with it!  

There are a lot of very affordable (cheap) entertainment and (family) fun options this weekend in Chicago. Whether you live in the suburbs or are planning on getting a hotel room and vacationing in Chicago for the weekend, there is lots to do. If you haven’t gotten tickets to see the award winning show Wicked (the musical) or Jersey Boys, get them quick, the last block of tickets is on sale now. Also, in perfect timing with the Olympics on TV, Circqe Shanghai: Gold is in town performing at Navy Pier. The Museum of Science and Industry also has a new exhibit on Glass Making called The Glass Experience that is a lot of fun for the family. The Chicago Shedd Aquarium also has a new exhibit also called Lizards & the Komodo King. Here are my recommendations and best picks this weekend in Chicago:

1. Everyone knows that the Opening Ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympics will begin on NBC Channel 5 at 6:30 pm Friday evening. You can also see Cirque Shanghai: Gold at Navy Pier’s Pepsi Skyline Stage this weekendin between watching Olympic TV events from China. They will be performing there through September 1st so get tickets for later in the month if you are already booked. Tickets are very affordable from $15.00 to $30.00 and it is a fun family event. If you re coming in from the suburbs, take the metra and then a cab or bus from the train station to avoid traffic and the high cost of parking the car.

2. The Museum of Science and Industry has a new exhibit on Glassmaking and Glassblowing that is a lot of fun for the family while also being a learning experience. The Museum of Science & Industry is located at the address: 57th Street & Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60637. Call 773-684-1414 for more information. The Glass Experience, runs through September 1 and this interactive exhibition reveals the science, craftsmanship and beauty from the world of glassmaking. There are live glass blowing demonstrations, Dale Chihuly glass bowls artwork, Tiffany glass shaded lamps and Frank Lloyd wright stained glass windows. Admission is 8.50 for kids and $13.00 for Adults. the Museum of Science and Industry and the Glass Experience is open from 9:30 am to 4pm daily.

3. The Chicago Shedd Aquarium has a new exhibit also called Lizards & the Komodo King through September 1. The John G. Shedd Aquarium is located at the address 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive (Museum Campus) Chicago, IL 60605. Call 312.939.2438 if you have questions for the Shedd Aquarium. This exhibit is neat because the world’s largest lizard is making his first-time appearance in Chicago and they have brought out all the lizard creatures he is related to for show also. Lots of great fish and amphibious creatures are always viewable at the Shedd Aquarium (penguins!) also. Admission is $27.00 for an adult day pass which includes this exhibit.

4. The award winning show Wicked is ending it’s Musical Theater run in Chicago at the Ford Center for the Performing arts (formerly the Oriental Theater) in January. The last blocks of tickets to the shows through December have gone on sale now. They won’t last long, plan tour trip to Chicago and book your hotel rooms now before it sells out. Get your tickets to see Wicked from Broadway in Chicago before it leaves Chicago whether you have seen it many times or have never seen the show before. I saw it 3 times and loved it. Ticket prices range from around $30.00 to $100.00 per seat.

Have a happy and safe Olympic weekend in Chicago!

Chicago’s IO Theater has been a local school and proving ground for improv and comedy royalty for decades. These are the shows currently running at IO Theater in Chicago and my thoughts on the shows and actors I have seen. Most of the time when I go to IO, the improvisers surprise and enlighten me about something very funny. The theater isn’t new, so overlook some of the aging details and have a beer or two and enjoy the comedic genius. The history of IO and Del Close is a great contribution to the arts in Chicago and they deserve your support because they really do put together great work and very funny comedy shows. Whether improvised or scripted, they are all very high level performances and experimental at the same time. 

Shows usually cost between $5.00 and $18.00 per ticket depending on the popularity of the show and if they usually sell out tickets. Shows are an hour to an hour and a half depending on the show. IO also has some basic food you can buy there for snacks but the menu is limited to things like pizza, chips and whatever is microwaveable. The bar list of mixed drinks is much more advanced and they offer many microbrew beers from all over the country and the world. Improvisers love their beer. They also serve $2.00 Schlitz for those uncultured people who just like a cheap buzz. The theater also hosts special guest shows and performances from time to time, check the web site for updates or get on their email list for email schedule show updates too. Parking is tricky in this crowded Wrigleyville neighborhood. Get there a 1/2 hour early to find street parking or expect to pay $10-$25 to park in a lot within a few blocks of the theater.  Being across the street from the cubby bear and Wrigley field has its pluses and minuses and parking is definitely hard to find if there is a cubs game going on.

Most improv shows are at 8pm or 10pm, check IOChicago.net for full details and to buy tickets online or call 773-880-0199 for tickets and show times.  The theater is located at the corner of Addison and Clark Street in Chicago.

You can’t see performances or entertainment like this anywhere else in Chicago or the MidWest. Check out these recommendations below: 

Sunday Night IO Theater Shows

I haven’t seen these shows and most likely they are teams that may change by the month. So, check the IO Theater site to see who is playing this week.

3033
Children of a Lesser God
Level 4 Student Shows
Middle Age Comeback
Student Graduation Show
The Grasshopper Show

Monday Night IO Theater Shows

Sketch Writing Student Performance

The Armando Diaz Experience - This is an interesting format where a local celebrity guest is invited to tell a story to the audience and then the team of pro improvisers does scenes using some of that material. The results are usually twisted and hilarious. The team of pros changes weekly but can contain TJ Jagodowski, Susan Messing and many of the Reckoning team members. The best funny IO has to offer.

Tuesday Night IO Theater Shows

Big News - The Chicago version of the LA show that usually comes to Chicago for sketchfest every year. This show combines sketches, music, songs and some improvisation to make light of the week’s news. They are big into Political satire, of which you would expect more from Second City, but they do it on the fly with only a few days to write and prepare each show. It is a cross between improv and the daily show with very funny results.

Cook County Social Club
The Frank Hayes 4
The iO Pub Quiz
The Lottery

The Reckoning – a pro level of performance on Tuesdays! Every one of the performers in this group is so good they can make us laugh without even uttering a word.

Wednesday Night IO Theater Shows

Felt - Like Avenue Q, but improvised and funnier.

The Better Half

TJ & Dave- The best show at IO all week! See TJ and Dave while they last, we always think TJ or Dave will fly off to LA or NY and become famous one of these days so you never know how long this amazing improv show of interesting quirky characters will last.

Thursday Night IO Theater Shows

I haven’t seen any of these shows, so I am not sure how their format works or how funny they are, if you check them out let me know how funny they are in the comments.

Razzmatazz
Shotgun!
Shreeman Showma
Stubs
The Lindbergh Babies 2.0
The Living Room

Friday Night IO Theater Shows

Guy Friends

Improvised Shakespeare - Very funny show with some really talented performers. I highly recommend this show.

Steve and Jordan, Respectively

The Improv Jam - At midnight, expect this show to be a bare bones example of what happens when you get drunk novices trying to get up on stage with drunk experienced performers. All hell breaks loose.

Saturday Night IO Theater Shows

Cupid Has A Heart On - Very funny show about relationships told through song. I recommend this show for dates or for girls nights out. (Bachelorette’s parties too) Brian Posen has created a very funny and clever show about all the ups downs and sideways turns of our relationships.

Hogwash 
Klusterphuk
The Chicago Improv Rebellion

The Deltones - Improv in Song. This show was created to replace Baby Wants Candy which left after many years performing there. I think the format is much the same, they improvise and make an entire musical out of a few suggestions. All the performers here are very talented singers and improvisers, it is amazing to see this all come together using the harold format and song.

Whirled News Tonight - Very funny weekly improv show based on news headlines of that week. It usually sells out, so you should buy tickets in advance and get there early for a seat. You never know what will come out of this show.

The Chicago Improv Festival is always a great collection of shows and improvised comedy for one week every year. This year it snuck up on me because I have been focusing on other things (like this blog) and not doing Improv classes anymore. That said, I hope to still get tickets and attend some of the Improv and sketch shows this week in Chicago. The Chicago Improv Festival is one of several comedy festivals that hits the city for a week and brings in talented performers with a Chicago tie-in or just comedy groups who are very good at what they do and want to travel to perform in front of new audiences. They usually try and bring back one or two people who have made it from the Chicago Improv scene to NY or LA on Saturday Night Live or any one of a few other comedy shows on TV.

They also feature some of the best improv troupes in the city of Chicago at CIF. This is always a great opportunity for the rest of the city to enjoy their talents. Usually only a certain number of people venture into the basement of IO or the Skybox theater of Second City to see new emerging artists in Improv. The Chicago Improv Festival gets a much wider attendance and hopefully helps jump start their careers.

Monday night the Chicago Improv Festival kicks off with the superpower comedy duo of Jack McBrayer  (from 30 Rock) and Paul Scheer (also of 30 Rock) at the Lakeshore theater in Lakeview. The first few nights of the festival are at the Lakeshore Theater which is an ok venue except there is no parking. So, if you go to this it will be a hilariously funny show that ends with the hilarious towing of your car. (sirusly still go to it anyway)

Tuesday Scott Adsit (also of 30 Rock, the major employer of Chicago Improv Alum) hits the stage at the Lakeshore Theater with 3 local Improv Gods (read: they make a living at this in Chicago): Susan Messing, Mick Napier and TJ Jagodowski.  I have to go to this one too now. (shit! when am I going to sleep this week?)

Wednesday  there are no CIF shows at the Lakeshore Theater. Thank god, I can finally get some sleep. Or not? There is a show at the ETC stage at Second City with Franken Matt, Frank Caeti  and Matt Craig opened by Brian Gallivan’s one man show. Zexy.

Thursday night the Chicago Improv Festival recovers with Miller and Middleditch, two veteran IO performers that should surely deliver the goods at the Lakeshore Theater. All these shows btw are at 8pm.

Friday night the Improv fest features a group of familiar faces at the Lakeshore theater with DITKA featuring some of the best Second City Mainstage cast to go to LA in the past few years: Frank Caeti, Maribeth Monroe, Brian Gallivan  and Marc Warzecha. It is always interesting to see new groups of people play together and this is a new pairing that shouldn’t disappoint. 

On Friday night The Playground Theater gets in on the action also with 2 shows, The Irish Mutts and Ay Diego with Zabeth Russell  and Will Luera.

Saturday has many shows:  7:30 starts off with 313 from LA, which has a cast of very talented alley jumpers Keegan-Michael Key, Larry Joe Campbell, Nyima Funk, Josh Funk, Marc Evan Jackson and Andy Cobb.  8 pm features the cast of Sports Action Team of which you might have seen on at midnight after SNL here on NBC Channel 5 in Chicago. It actually has a great cast of very funny people in it ,but the show has never really been a good use of their talents. I hope they are paid well. This show will most likely feature a screeching hawk at some point.

And Sunday we all fall over and die from all this comedy and partying and no sleep. Seriously though this is a huge week for comedy in Chicago and if you can make it to any of the shows from the Chicago Improv Festival it will be well worth the time, money and towing fees. Check out chicagoimprovfestival.org for the full bios and for more information on tickets and addresses of the theaters.

It finally feels like spring in Chicago and we should get out and enjoy it before the oppressive heat starts! Here are some suggestions for activities and events this weekend in Chicago.

1. Chicago Green City Market opens on May 14th and they have a special event with Mayor Daley on Saturday May 17th. The Market will be open weekends now until fall at 1799 N. Clark, and Stockton Drive. This is very close to Lakeview and Lincoln Avenue. Green City Market’s 10th Anniversary Rally for Local Sustainable Farming  Saturday, May 17, 9:00-10:00 am, South Lincoln Park *RAIN OR SHINE*. Come see what fruits, vegetables and foods have been locally grown and delivered fresh. I assume though that because of the location and the premium to raise produce locally these prices will be higher than your grocery store. I think that if you can afford it, locally grown food is a better choice for ecological sustainability.  Check out the Green City farmer’s market for what food is fresh and local this weekend.  (Many of the suburbs have local farmer’s markets also starting soon)

2. Lollapalooza Tickets  are still on Sale and if you want to make it to this fantastic festival this summer get them now before they are sold out. They have also set up a contest called Last Band Standing that you can find out more about on their site.

3. Eddie Izzard  is playing at the Chicago Theater on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm. Tickets are about 95% sold. See Ticketmaster for those last few nosebleed seats if you can get them. Eddie is fantastically funny and not to be missed since it may be another 5 years before he comes to Chicago again.

4. Chocolate Grape Restaurant opened last weekend and now that the crazy rush has passed it might be a good time to stop in and give them a try. Expect wine and chocolate themed food. It sounds luscious. Chocolate Grape Restaurant is located at 2113 West Division Street, between Damen and Hoyne Ave. call 773-772-3990 for reservations. 

5. The Field Museum  has  several new exhibits opening in May 2008. Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters opens next weekend May 23rd and advance tickets can be purchased online. This may not seem like regular Field Museum Fare (maybe more Science and Industry?) but it will be interesting in our current climate crisis. They also have a new permanent exhibit the “DNA Discovery Center” open now and “Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids” is open at The Field Museum through September 1, 2008.

6. Before you blow your $600.00 government economic stimulus rebate check at Home Depot on a giant grill consider these options. Jewel food stores are offering a 10% bonus if you give them the entire check amount. This may seem like a lot of money for groceries, but with no time limit for the card usage, who wouldn’t really get good use out of a 10% bonus on your money?  Also, consider the tax implications of this money. I think you still have to pay taxes on it like income. If you have most everything you need right now, why not stash it away in an interest bearing savings account like the ones online at ING? This will provide a safety net for when you need it later. You never know how much worse the economy is going to get or how global economic conditions will affect your job in the long term.

7. Register to start training for the Chicago Marathon.  I know this is a huge bragging right of passage in Chicago every year, to say you ran and finished the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. (they were bought by Bank of America so the name may change?) What most people don’t know is that you have to train for 6 months to get in shape enough to run 26 miles of Chicago city streets. It is about 6 months from now, so if you are interested the Chicago marathon site has training program guides available and Nike.com has some great running training tools and groups they coordinate for running locally. Check them out to get into better shape and stay away from the malls this summer.

8.  Chicago Mayfest  is this weekend and this opens the summer event festival season officially. Expect streets to be blocked off and traffic to be backed up for social-networking yuppies to be drinking al fresco all summer. The Chicago Mayfest includes the ambiguous staples such as beer, live music and dogs. It is located in Lakeview at 3100 N. Ashland Ave. It will be open from noon to midnight Friday Saturday and Sunday and is $5 to enter.

9. Try the ginormous Iron Maiden Burger  on a yummy pretzel bun at Kuma’s Corner.  (seen in the picture above) They are located at 2900 W. Belmont Ave in Chicago, IL 60618. Phone 773.604.8769 for more info.

In Chicago there are now 2 radio stations that play Christmas Music non-stop from November 3rd until December 31st. They both are getting rid of DJs and the regular formats in favor of all Christmas Carols and Holiday Music all the time for the next 2 months. I heard about this on the news but then in my car listening to the radio yesterday found that one of them is in my presets and was playing White Christmas as I was driving.

The 2 radio stations playing the non-stop Christmas music are 93.9 FM WLIT “The Light” and 105.9 WCKG owned by CBS. The latter is a new entry into this market and I think they realized that people go do other things for the holidays and with family this time of year and they don’t listen anyway, so it’s cheaper to give the staff a long unpaid vacation and just play Christmas music on the radio with a computer. I can’t say I blame them, and the ads still run so they still make revenue during this time just without a DJ. 

I like Christmas music as much as the next Bing Crosby but isn’t this a little soon? Putting away presents early in the closet is one thing, but decking the halls 2 months in advance is a little scary. I will keep note of this info for future radio listening in December when I am wrapping presents and decorating the tree at their regularly scheduled holiday time.

When it is Christmas week or even earlier in December it is a welcoming and comforting thing to have Christmas carols playing on the radio and listen when I am in the car or at home in the evenings. I never ceases to amaze me how many thousands of Christmas songs have been recorded over the years. Some are old favorites that we hear all the time, but then there are really obscure ones too that I can’t imagine why someone wrote it or recorded the song. I think they must have the popular Christmas carols and songs in rotation on the radio stations more than the obscure ones.

But that isn’t the end of it really, I just saw someone putting Christmas Lights up outside on their house this weekend too. These are the people who celebrate Christmas in July too right?