XXX! August in Chicago
Frank Brichetto
Chicago Correspondent
Isn’t this a great summer? August will be at least as busy as June and July have been, so be prepared! We’ll be outdoors often so checking the weather is always important. As usual, many of our events and adventures require tickets or reservations, so please call or go online in advance.
Let’s start the new month today, Saturday, August 8th, with a new festival, shall we? The inaugural Ravenswood Feel Good Fest is a free day-long block party intent on using the live music, good food and dynamic art to enhance “feeling good, doing good and fostering meaningful community.” I really want to join a yoga class, and look-at 3:00pm there is an intro to Swing Dancing. That’s a must for us. Would anyone care to join the fun? Check out the list of shows, music and presentations; there’s everything from Hot Yoga demos to Swing and even Afro-Columbian music. The strong focus on health and wellness is apparent, just look at the companies in the booths and tables. 5411 Empanadas is here, they are an excellent casual eatery, and Begyle Brewing is here as well, so we won’t go thirsty. The event is free to attend, but they will ask for a $5.00 donation to support the nonprofit Great Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, https://ravenswoodchicago.org/, and that’s more than reasonable. The fest is on Sunnyside Ave. just west of Clark St., next to the Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark St., and runs from 11am-5pm.
It’s August, it’s hot, steamy, and it may or may not be sunny tomorrow, Sunday, August 9th. Never mind the weather, we’re off to Oak St. Beach, and we’re going early. Some friends have mentioned that you’ve never watched the sun rise out of the Lake. Now is your chance! We’ll be waking you up at the (ungodly) hour of 4:45am, so be ready. Bring your sunglasses, blanket, towels, swimsuits, perhaps some food, your best camera, and do not forget the sunscreen. Sunrise is at 5:53am, so we want to be there, settled and ready before 5:40am. The beach is at 1000 N. Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Dr., www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/oak-street-beach.
Lake Michigan, if you’ve forgotten, is huge, blue, and wonderfully inviting. Keep those cameras ready! Before dawn the sky gets brighter and we can pick out were, on the wide horizon, the sun will rise. Lighter, brighter, then suddenly, shockingly, the top edge peeks above the water, throwing blinding, golden flames of light across the water. Watch it move up slowly, grandly, until the whole ball of the sun is above the waterline and the new day has begun.
Time for breakfast; open up those baskets of yours, share from ours, while we watch the beach fill up. We can see the many boats with their sails in various brilliant hues, watch some fine beach volleyball, and get a different perspective of Chicago’s glorious skyline. Now that it’s 11:00am the lifeguards are on duty, and I’ll race you into the water. Feel free to swim all the way to Division St. and back!
Let’s leave early this morning, Saturday, August 15th, and take a three hour drive up to the Wisconsin Dells. The Dells of the Wisconsin River is a gorge, five miles long, that was carved about 15,000 years ago, by catastrophic flooding when the last ice dam of the continental glacier burst. The torrent cut narrow gorges and unusual rock formations in the sandstone of the area. The gorge is split into Upper Dells and Lower Dells by the Kilbourn Dam. The carved cliffs, about 10 stories high, are closed to hikers to protect natural features, so we’ll start our adventure in an Original Wisconsin Duck. Our Duck will take us through narrow canyons, some are filled with ferns, while others are carved sandstone with walls only a foot or two away. There’s lots more, including a “lost city”, Grotto Island, Twin Ink Stands, Sugar Bowl, and Lone Rock. This land-and-water tour highlights the Lower Dells, after lunch in town we’ll head to the Upper Dells.
We’ll embark on an Upper Dells Boat Tour, https://www.dellsboats.com/, to cruise a channel cut by that ancient flood, on the river that’s over 100ft. below the cliffs, through the Narrows and past photographically famous sandstone formations. The highlights of this trip are two shore landings: first to see Stand Rock, a towering, multi-colored, mushroom shaped pillar of sandstone, home to the famous dog leap photo, and then to walk through Witches Gulch, a slot canyon carved and sculpted by wind and water over thousands of years. It’s a narrow, intricate, almost spooky trail, a true natural wonder.
After all this, please find a place for us to gather and eat, share photos that we’ve taken, and just talk about the phenomenal things that we’ve seen and learned today, before the drive home.
Today, Sunday, August 16th, it’s once again time to celebrate The Ukrainian Village Fest at Saints Volodymyr and Olha Parish, 739 N. Oakley Blvd. As we know from years past, the food is excellent, both tasty and satisfying, and no one cares if you speak not a single word of Ukrainian. The music is varied, and much of it involves young Ukrainian-Americans dancing in wild fashion. The tables and booths are filled with products, especially clothes, that show intricate attention to detail. You’ll be amazed at the fine bead work, for example, and Ukrainian fashion designers are gaining renowned for their quality, flair and approachability. Unlike much of what Paris shows, most Ukrainian clothing is made to be worn regularly and remain well tailored. The fest lasts from 1:00pm through 10:pm, and we’ll be there almost the entire time. Find us and say “pryvit”.
Everyone is a fan of magic, correct? Please meet us this afternoon, Friday, August 21st, at Chicago’s opulent new magic lounge, The Hand & The Eye, https://www.handandeye.com/, McCormick Mansion, 100 E. Ontario St. The doors open at 4:00pm and the show, “Summer Friday Magic”, starts at 4:30pm. We just love to see magicians perform their magic, and this promises to be intricate, dazzling and captivating. There are multiple theatres here, we’ll be seated in the Vault Theatre, for a too-brief 45-minute show. Special Alert readers, the Mansion has a dress code, so be sure to check the website for details and come looking your best.
We haven’t been roller-skating in years, so today, Sunday, August 23rd, please meet us at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Avenue, www.navypier.org/ for lunch at Billy Goat Tavern, before we continue down the pier to Summer Skate, “the ultimate indoor roller-skating experience.” Bring everybody, this is a wonderful full-family adventure. The old ballroom is, for the summer, a retro roller rink, and skates are included with our tickets. When we’re not skating, we can act silly in the photo booth, sip some drinks, and groove to disco tunes playing over the speakers. Don’t tell the gamers but there is also an old-school arcade, so perhaps I’ll get in a round of Pong or Space Invaders.
This evening Friday, August 28th, we’ll be visiting The Edgewater Music Fest, www.edgewater.org, on Broadway between Thorndale and Ardmore Avenues. This is a true street festival; the two stages are never empty, the music is diverse and eclectic and the streets are overflowing with local artists, craftspeople, makers, and businesses. There’s no doubt we’ll find a few must-have pieces, sample delicious food, and stop to learn about the many local organizations working to uplift people and make life better for us all.We might hear punk rock from Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, indie rock from Maps & Atlases, the energetic LowDown Brass Band, rising indie group Neptune’s Core, or garage rock duo North By North. If you decide to visit again let us know so we can perhaps meet up.
Tonight, Saturday, August 29th, please join us as we “surrender to the night” when internationally acclaimed AirOtic Soirée, https://airoticcirquesoiree.com, leads us through a celebration of bold athleticism, erotic elegance, and provocative sensuality. It’s a “blend of erotic cabaret and contemporary circus blending high-level acrobatics, seductive choreography and visual artistry”. The doors open 7:30 for the 8:30 show at Experience 868, https://experience868events.com/, 868 North Franklin St., and we are truly excited to catch this show; we hope that you will join us for this unique, adults-only experience.
It’s Labor Day weekend, do you believe it? It’s time for the last big festival of the year, The Chicago Jazz Festival. We will be spending a lot of time down here in Millennium Park, so let us know which shows you want to see and we will join you.
All evening headline performances are on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage, beginning Thursday, September 3rd, when Grammy-winning vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater is joining acclaimed pianist Bill Charlap for a program blending classic jazz standards with elegant swing and expressive ballads. Friday, September 4th, features Robert Glasper, whose innovative sound seamlessly fuses jazz improvisation with hip-hop, R&B, soul, and contemporary grooves. On Saturday, September 5th, the spotlight turns to M.E.B. (Miles Electric Band), celebrating the Miles Davis Centennial with a high-energy tribute to Davis’s groundbreaking electric jazz fusion. Sunday’s closing concert, September 6th, showcases Grammy-winning clarinetist and saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera, whose virtuosic performances combine Afro-Cuban, Latin, bebop, and classical influences. Earlier each afternoon, the Pavilion also hosts acclaimed artists including vibraphonist Patricia Brennan, vocalist Paul Marinaro‘s Duke Ellington tribute, saxophonist Isaiah Collier‘s COLLIER plays COLTRANE, and pianist Bethany Pickens’ Soulful Coalition, offering audiences a rich cross-section of contemporary and traditional jazz. Together, the four-day Pavilion schedule highlights both internationally celebrated performers and Chicago’s vibrant jazz community in one of the city’s signature free music festivals.
WOW! We’re suddenly deep into September and haven’t had time to catch our breath. So, relax, breathe deeply, and we’ll be together soon.
