Isn’t October beautiful? The trees are in all their colorful Autumn glory and the air is cool and refreshing after Summer’s sometime stifling heat. We have many trips and adventures with so many exciting things for us to do. As always, please look ahead, visit websites, and make the necessary reservations. Also, October weather can be tricky; there will be days when sweaters or umbrellas might come in handy.

Tonight, Thursday, Oct. 3, we’re headed to one of our favorite places, the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, on the campus of College of DuPage, www.atthemac.org. This is the show we all really need to see right now: “The Outsider”, directed by Kurt Naebig, is completely nonpartisan, a hilarious and rapid-fire comedy that celebrates democracy while it completely lampoons election politics. Doesn’t that sound perfect?

Here’s the official description: “Ned Newley is the worst candidate to ever run for office…he has no political instincts and a fear of public speaking. When Newley is thrust into the spotlight, he seems destined to fail, but his political consultant sees things differently.” Broadway World had this to say:

“Funny, timely, and dare we say, entirely possible. The Outsider is a wonderfully crafted, superbly presented show…It is an insightful, witty satire about modern American politics that will appeal to a vast audience.”

The show starts at 7:30pm, but we’ll be there early to hear a talk called “Behind the Curtain: The Secret World of the Stage Manager”. It’s being presented by members of Buffalo Theater Ensemble (BTE), the wonderful resident company. If you’ve ever wondered about just what the stage manager does to ensure that the production, from opening night until the final performance goes smoothly, please join us just before 6:30 p.m., in the Playhouse Theatre.

Have we ever been skydiving? Let’s go! Today, Sunday, October 6^th, travel with us to iFLY Rosemont, 5520 Park Place, Rosemont, www.iflyworld.com, for a session of indoor sky diving. With our 11:00am group reservations, we can meet there beforehand, sign the paperwork, watch the videos and get ready to “dive”. The flight suit and gear are included, and after the video we’ll each get pre-flight training, one-on-one instruction and plenty of flight time.

Holy cow, this will be breathtaking! Stand with your instructor in the giant, vertical wind tunnel, and when the fans turn on, you’ll lean forward and let the airstream carry you up. This will be just like flying. Afterwards, we’ll each receive a photos and a video from the session; isn’t that cool? I can’t wait.

Tonight, Saturday, October 12^th, we’re going to see the legendary Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in concert, at the Rosemont Theater, https://rosemont.com/theatre/, 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont.

Frankie Valli is now 90 years old and still enthusiastic about going on stage. While his famously powerful falsetto voice is still with him, he often sings now in the rich tenor he always preferred. His career began in 1951, and he and The Four Seasons became famous with “Sherry” in 1962. Anyone who might think that their music is unrelatable or out of style is invited to listen to Nancy Wilson or Lauryn Hill do their jazz or hip-hop versions of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,”

In reflecting on the upcoming tour, Frankie Valli shared, “I am eternally grateful for the love and support of our fans throughout the decades. I always loved touring and can’t wait to see the fans.” Honestly, we can’t wait to see Frankie and the Four Seasons either. The show starts at 8:00pm. We’ll pick you up and arrive early; the crowd will undoubtedly be large.

This afternoon Sunday, October 13^th, let’s revisit Wayfarer, 1850 Second Street, Highland Park, www.wayfarertheaters.com, to see the premier of Adam Fried’s “EVERYTHING’S KOSHER”. The show starts at 4:00pm, please meet us there a bit early.

Wayfarer tells us:

“Adam, a divorced, Jewish father from wealthy, suburban, Deerfield, Illinois, embarks on a journey of forgiveness to fulfil a promise to never abandon his only daughter, like his own father did to him decades ago. He finds himself stuck living in a small German town with a history of Antisemitism, to be close to her, while fighting the urge to leave. As he struggles with his new life, he must confront the ghosts of his past in his search for strength to move forward and to be the best father he can be. He misses many things from the US, one of them being a simple skirt steak sandwich. So, against all odds, he attempts to open a Jewish deli. What could go wrong?”

Imagining some of the things that could go wrong already have me eagerly anticipating this movie. How will this turn out?

Today, Friday, October 18^th, is Sweetest Day, so I’m taking my sweetest to an early dinner at some quiet Italian restaurant. After that, we’ll be off to the MAC to hear Scott Keo perform his “Tribute to Michael Bublé”. Scott performances are alleged to be captivating; Denci Freeri, the famous ‘Las Vegas’ Legends in Concert’ producer says, “He just has that something special in his energy, his vocal tonality, and in his undeniable stage presence…Keo sounds so spot on and perfect pitch it’s truly amazing.”

We’ve neglected the Chicago Botanic Gardens,  www.chicagobotanic.org, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, for far too long, so tonight, Thursday, October 24^th, let’s go have “a spooky yet fun-filled evening with Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns.” We’ll wander through the garden after dark (don’t get lost), stare at intricately carved pumpkins that depict Chicago ghost stories, pop music artists, and so much more. We’ll see pumpkin-carving demos and various costumed entertainers. The kids can cover themselves in glow-in-the-dark tattoos and everyone can sample the festive food and drinks. Don’t forget to snap selfies at the themed photo station. Costumes are encouraged, so let’s dress up in a spirit of wild madness! The gardens close at 5 p.m. and reopen at 6 p.m. exclusively for ticket holders.

It’s Saturday, October 26^th, which must be an evening for a special encounter with spirits of the damned. Come with us on a visit to The Catacombs, https://scarypopcorn.com/the-catacombs, at St. Pascals Catholic Church, 6143 W. Irving Park Road, and be prepared to be frightened! They tell us that there are catacombs beneath this historic church, “a place that has harbored the undead and jailed the damned – a place that was never intended on being unearthed by mortal men…a home to ghouls and ghosts, monsters and madmen. The barrier that prevents these very creatures from entering our realm falls every October, allowing the undesirables to roam free.

You are free to enter if you wish…but exiting, we cannot guarantee.”

Well, since St. Pascal’s has been doing this for over 40 years, I’m rather sure we’ll escape with our lives intact and our sense of terror heightened.

It’s Thursday, October 31^st, Halloween, the perfect time to spend an evening in an old cemetery. We hope you will join us for a special concert, Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Classical Compositions, at Bohemian National Cemetery, 5255 North Pulaski Ave, https://feverup.com/en/chicago. The music starts at 8:45pm in the Chapel, and the (still tentative) schedule includes such bold and nightmarish classics as Night on Bald Mountain, Danse Macabre, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Tubular Bells (from The Exorcist), Funeral March, and such contemporary pieces as Thriller, the theme from Ghostbusters, and perhaps even Zombie (remember the Cranberries?).

Autumn is not complete without some apple picking, so today, Saturday, November 2^nd, we can all get together at Apple Holler, 5006 Sylvania Ave. Sturtevant, WI, www.appleholler.com, Here we can “Pick-Your-Own Apples” from whatever varieties are available. This orchard has over 30,000 dwarf trees and 30 apple varieties, so even this late in the year we’ll have a wide selection of fresh fruit to pick. There are some with which we are not familiar, such as Snapdragon or Ludacrisp, described as “sweet and spicy”. Our favorite, Pink Lady, should also be perfectly ripe right now; time to stock up! Pink Lady is known for its crisp texture and tart-sweet flavor.

There are so many delicious varieties to explore, like the Evercrisp and Cameo, which is firm, crisp, and great for both baking and eating. Speaking of eating, let’s be sure to stop into the Applewood Grill for some pot roast sandwiches, and corn on the cob, both hot off the grill. As for the baking, let us know when you start baking pies, we’ll be right over!

Let’s wander down to Humbolt Park, today, Sunday, November 3^rd, and visit Dayglow, 1757 N. Kimball Ave. It’s a different kind of coffee shop, partly because it’s also a subscription service that delivers some unusual and very tasty whole coffee beans to your door. Located within the Kimball Arts Center, and immediately next to the 606 Trail, this is another spot creatively expanding their neighborhood reach.

The ambiance and décor are definitely clean and Scandinavian, so this will be a great place to spend a few hours at ease with friends in good conversation.

Thank you, friends and readers, for joining in our ongoing activities and adventures. We’ll see you again next month.

Frank Brichetto

Chicago Correspondent