When it comes to the 4th of July in Chicago, this Midwestern town is chock full of activities and events to celebrate Independence Day. The entire city embraces a festive vibe, especially during a long weekend. There is incredible food, a cool music scene, Lake Michigan as your backdrop, and some of the nicest people you will meet.

July is one of the hottest and sunniest months in Chicago with average temperatures hovering around 80 degrees. Warm weather and a packed calendar of festivals, events, and fireworks displays make summer the peak time to visit. School is out, along with the sun, and everyone wants to be outside and enjoy all the city has to offer. Explore the dining cruises, spectacular firework displays, scenic beaches, fun festivals, and events the entire family will love. 

Frank Brichetto

Chicago Correspondent

Friends and readers, welcome again to summer in Chicago. Yes, it’s hot and sunny, frequently windy and those thunderstorms just seem to rise up from nowhere, don’t they? It’s time for great fun, of course, so let the adventures begin.

World Chocolate Day is rapidly approaching, and you should, right now, get online, look up Sweet Designs by Kathy, https://departmentofsugar.com, shop, and get your order delivered by this Friday, July 7^th. You’ll want to keep your chocolates very cold. Put a few ice packs in a small cooler and hide it all in your car. After all, this is a day for celebrating both World Chocolate Day and National Strawberry Sundae Day.  So, meet us for dessert in Oak Park, where we can indulge ourselves in some monster strawberry sundaes at Petersen’s Ice Cream, 1100 Chicago Ave., (708) 386-6131. Petersen’s has been in business since 1919, and their hand packed ice creams have won numerous blue ribbons at the state fair.

Isn’t this just the thing on a hot July evening, especially when we get to finish our dessert with those oh-so-carefully-hand-made chocolates? The “Summer Collection” that we’re sharing has Lemon Meringue, Passion Fruit Coriander, Toffee Caramel Crunch, Peanut Giggles, and Dark Cherry Almond. Each one is a wicked indulgence, attesting to the skill of this fine, local chocolatier. I mean, really, aren’t they? Each one is so beautiful, so delicious, with a distinct take on flavors paired to chocolate. Mmmm, mmm, mmm.

Speaking of local businesses, today, Saturday, July 8^th, we get to visit Dearborn Denim’s new facility for the grand opening tour. Dearborn Denim, https://dearborndenim.us/, makes comfortable, well designed and properly constructed jeans, t-shirts, and other items, in Chicago, using (as far as possible) American sources for their materials. Beverages will be provided, and many Dearborn items will be for sale, but I am seriously interested in learning how this small company is successfully competing against the big-name brands with their overseas production and big marketing budgets. The factory is located at 4901 W. Arthington, and there is parking on-site.

Summertime is music time, so tonight, Thursday, July 13, let’s catch the 7 p.m. performance of Allan Harris at Lighthouse Artspace, https://www.lighthouseartspace.com, 108 W. Germania Pl. None other than Tony Bennet has called him “my favorite singer.” and the Miami Herald wrote that he has “the warmth of Tony Bennett, the bite and rhythmic sense of Sinatra, and the sly elegance of Nat ‘King’ Cole”.  Not only can he sing, he is a composer, guitarist and bandleader, with fourteen recordings and numerous awards, including “Outstanding Jazz Vocalist” (three times), to his name. This promises to be a fantastic show; I’m so glad you’ll be with us.

Today, Friday, July 14^th, is Bastille Day! www.bastilledaychicago.org, Vive le France! Bastille Day is France’s most important national holiday, commemorating two historical dates: The Bastille was a French prison, infamous for the many unjustly convicted and badly mistreated prisoners within its walls. It was stormed on July 14, 1789, during the French Revolution, and its fall remains a symbol of French resistance to tyranny. A year later the successful revolutionaries declared the Fête de la Fédération on July 14, 1790, to celebrate the revolution and national unification. As in America, independence from tyranny and the fight for fundamental rights remain values at the core of French culture, so let’s help them celebrate.

The festivities start at 5:30pm, in front of Navy Pier, at the Lake Stage in Polk Bros. Park. We’ll bring a picnic basket dinner, complete with croissants and several cheeses. While outside alcoholic drinks are prohibited, we can purchase and enjoy wine, champagne, and light cocktails in the picnic area.

While we’re here, let’s play some pétanque, a game very similar to bocce, while we listen to the youthful and talented ensemble “The Polyphonia Orchestra” who are from the Ile de la Réunion. We’ll be enthralled with their virtuosity across a variety of artistic genres. They play light classical music as well as Latin music, French songs and folkloric music from la Reunion and even some South African numbers.

It’s still time for music, so today, Saturday, July 15^th, let’s visit suburban Glen Ellyn for “Jazz Up Glen Ellyn” located at the intersection of Main St. and Duane St., this year’s program is called ‘Chicago Sound’, showcasing some of the wide variety of jazz styles that have made Chicago a jazz capital.

The Paul Marinaro group headlines, while Fareed Haque will play a tribute set to the late, great Ramsey Lewis. Gus Freidlander will play a set of King Oliver’s Chicago style traditional jazz and an all-star group from the AACM will represent Chicago’s modern jazz scene. Jazz Up and the local, highly regarded Bellas Artes School of Music will also have various student groups on stage.

The festival will continue into the night, so let’s pay attention and have dinner at a restaurant or pub where the Jazz goes down.

Chicago is wonderful throughout the year, but summer is also time for a long weekend getaway. Come with us, this Thursday, July 20^th, after work, for the easy drive to Galena, Illinois, https://www.visitgalena.org/.  We’ll check-in, stretch a little, then walk Main Street where buildings date from the 1800’s, and have dinner at a spot of your choosing.

There are so many things to do here, so let’s make some plans and make sure we visit the “Mines of Spain” park for a day of hiking along the imposing bluffs of the river. We’ll visit Gile Cheese Shop, https://gilecheese.com, then stop for a wine tasting in Galena Cellars, https://galenacellars.com, in preparation for an early dinner of wine and cheese back at the hotel. There’s always something fun to do along Main Street, and if we’re feeling energetic, we can trot up the walkways and stairs from the Galena River bank to the top of the valley. It’s steep, long and rewarding, so let’s go twice. We’ll relax at poolside, of course, and soak in some sun, have a long, relaxing dinner together and chat until nightfall. Then on Sunday, July 23^rd, we’ll learn how to hand carve a wooden spoon at the The Spoon Carver Cottage, https://galenaspoonco.com, before the drive home.

Speaking of wine and cheese, today, Tuesday, July 25^th, is National Wine and Cheese Day, and we are so glad that you have invited us all over for the occasion. You two have been practicing your pairings, it seems, and now it’s time to show your acquired talents. I see the deep red wines paired with aged cheeses we just bought. The Moscato and blue-veined cheeses pairings go surprisingly well together, don’t they? Your other choices are equally satisfying, thank you so much for this great evening.

Today, Saturday, July 29^th, may be National Lasagna Day, but not for us. We’re heading to the Chinatown Summer Fair, www.ccc-foundation.org/summer-fair. Chicago’s Chinatown is located on the near south side, centered where Wentworth and Archer streets intersect. Today’s neighborhood festival will open with a traditional lion dance procession at 12:30 p.m., then the welcome speeches at 1 p.m. on the main stage. After that we’ll experience Asian dance and art performances as well as kung fu demonstrations.

Let’s taste the delights from many of Chinatown’s great restaurants. They have booths and tables, so we’re going straight for some of the many varieties of dim sum, egg rolls, and other culinary delights right away. Please join us while we indulge, then stroll with us into unique gift shops and past the arts & crafts exhibits. Isn’t this food great? Authentic Chinese food is just so satisfying, isn’t it? Check out the beautiful paintings and sculptures at almost every shop and exhibit; aren’t they gorgeous? You know you want something; look around until you find it. How about this little statue?

The party goes on until 10pm, with lots of activities, music, demonstrations; there’s even a large area especially for the younger kids. What a great way this is to introduce them to other cultures, philosophies, and languages. In fact, I’m now thinking I should take a class in Chinese calligraphy, care to join me?

After all this action, aren’t you getting a bit hungry again? Let’s go sit down in Happy Lamb Hot Pot, 2342 S. Wentworth Ave., 312-929-3224. I’ve wanted to try the food here for a while, now is our chance. This is Mongolian style hot pot dining, very similar to a French fondue; a hot broth and cuts of fresh lamb, short ribs, vegetables and more are brought to the table. Look! Isn’t that just so fresh and oh, smell that broth. We’ll cook each piece in the broth for a short while, then plate it and eat. This is great, and I so love lamb. This has been wonderful, thanks for being with us.

Do you believe it? Today, Monday, July 31, Shemekia Copeland, arguably the best blues singer around, whose voice and lyrics just resonate with the human spirit, and Martha Redbone Roots Project, with her indescribable blending of folk, blues, and gospel, will be onstage at Pritzker Pavilion, starting at 6:30pm. Martha Redbone is a Native American and African-American singer and songwriter who gives voice to issues of social justice, bridging traditions from past to present, connecting cultures, and celebrating the human spirit.

We’ll end our adventures, as we so often do, in the next month, because today, August 2^nd, the Grant Park Orchestra, with David Danzmayr conducting and Aniello Desiderio on guitar, is bringing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 to the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. The program includes Unstuck Chin’s, “subito con forza” a 2020 composition written as a tribute to Beethoven, and Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez”, a guitar concerto from 1939 that established his reputation as a significant 20^th century Spanish composer. The performance starts at 6:30pm, so let’s get there early and get good lawn seats.