This place was so cool. I want to take a class. They offer a class to learn to blow glass. They…read morehad drinks and we sat and hung out and watched the guy make stuff. All the drinks you have are out of homemade glass. They do have a nice outdoor area also. Worth the trip

great night at the glass blowing class! Brian is an excellent teacher and assures you are safe as…read morewell as totally involved in making your own creation! Everyone was super friendly and we sat and chatted while having our drink that comes with the class. It's a bar as well as a glass blowing establishment. Unique and fun!!! Check it out - it really is fun!!

Since 2015 I've attended yearly. With family living close-by and whom share a love of BBQ too, it's…read morea no brainer. If you have lived in or visited the city during festival season, you know that summers go hand-in-hand with visiting festivals. With that said, most ask for some sort of donation. The donation helps them with festival arranging and the casting of musical talent. Bands aren't free. Knowing a little bit about hiring bands for shows, $5 isn't a bank breaker. I like all kinds of live music and LBR doesn't disappoint with arranging decent Blues bands. The festival will typically offer a handful of local BBQ operators. What is unique is that there is a good mix of different purveyors. (Unlike many in Chicago that tend to hire some of the same old tired BBQ vendors.) Those with restaurants that are open to the public and others that are caterers or BBQ festival operators. This last option means they travel the country for BBQ fests hoping to drum support for their brand. Uncle Bub's is a good example. The last couple years there was a caterer I loved, called The Full Slab. At one time they had a counterspace but ended up closing. Maybe due to a bad location choice. After having their tips, I and family were SOLD. I tried my model best trying to convince family to hire them for a catering party.. Those tips were glorious.. So this year.. The mosquitoes were biting! What is the deal with this park.. They need to do a mosquito treatment in the future. The park is next to a small lake / pond. There is lots of water and after rains the grass can be muddy and wet. As was the case last night. I bathed in repellent and still have got a connect-the-dots of bites from ankles to knees. Food. A handful of vendors this year. I did not see Full slab or Bub's even though they were mentioned on the marketing. That isn't to say they won't be there this evening. Smokin T's. RUB - Real Urban Barbecue, Big Ed's BBQ, BBQ'd productions bar and grill and BoBo's which is a local fast food type joint. There was also a grilled corn and funnel cake vendors on hand as well. The setup was as previous years. Even when lines got long it didn't inundate the rest of the scene. Sometimes at suburban fests, the layout is all wrong. Not the case at all. There were lines but still ample space to maneuver. And with the lighting, passers-by could see which vendors had what available. But, some vendors could have done a better job with menu marketing. Having a whiteboard with markers positioned at ground level is newbie stuff. Gotta bring your A-game for a festival and market clearly for those waiting in long lines. Best values: Rub's BBQ nachos & Lienenkugel fried cheese curds. $9 or $6 dollars for ample quantity. Nachos were covered in cheese, jalapenos, your choice of burnt ends or pulled pork and BBQ sauce. A notable second for nachos, was from BBQ'ed productions, offering a varying kind of cheese, diced veggies and tasty sauces. With your choice of brisket. Of similar cost but smaller portion. A smaller BBQ company operating right of Smokin' T's was the only provider of rib tips. Talk about a BUMMER. I get that businesses want to make money off selling ribs. But as the other reviewer stated, $25 for a full slab without any free sides is too costly. This is a festival, a marketing ploy, there should be better sampler platters or pricing that is key to meat only. Most restaurants offer full slabs with sides and salad for around $25 dollars. Beer representation was better this year. Lienenkugels Summer shandy, Miller Lite, Fat tire and Revolutions Anti-hero. $5 a beer in 16 or 12 oz cans. Otherwise, they also have wine. I don't recall seeing boozy cocktails unfortunately. Did I mention to bathe in mosquito repellent before heading out? You'll thank me. #Trust. Moving on. Music was solid though I left early due to the biting pests! Opt to grab a seat nearer the stage. We often choose to eat near the rear of the fest where family seating is found. WE always get eaten alive by mosquitoes there. You'll often see people swatting and scratching over here. But, the most comfortable benches that aid large groups are there. Bring cash or card, it doesn't matter much. Feel free to bring lawn chairs to soak in the weather or pick your own lawn space for the Blues. For the most part, dogs are not allowed unless they are service animals. Bring fam or friends, you're bound to have a good time. If you're single.. no better place to find someone. There are lots of ages and most folks are pretty friendly. So, go early. (Single folks in a 30 - 50s range can be found.) Many of the parking lots in the area become free parking lots for festival goers. If unsure, ask a crossing guard or law enforcement working with the fest. Gripes: The fest marketing and communications department could have done a better PR job. I had found postings with incorrect vendor info and dates, times for the event.

Good selection of ribs, beer and bourbon. A strong focus on excellent blues bands each night…read more Well worth the money, especially if you like live blues.

Went to see a band playing oldies and they were great. A little crowded but that's a good thing…read more Very entertaining and reasonably priced. Beverages and snacks available. Wine, beer, water etc., general seating.

Off square music is a wonderful musical community of live shows and open mics and all forms of art…read more There is a solid core of performers here and a welcoming spirit amongst the performers which many are regulars. They take this venue seriously and honor those that choose to share by having the best experience possible..sound is fantastic if you are performing.. Wonderful music venue

It's really a primo spot on the water, and ultimately it's a dive bar. Nice folks there in general,…read morewhen there is anyone in there. It's got about as much to do with athletics as a chain smoking mid-40s alcoholic bowler, but I'm guessing the irony is not lost on whoever named it. The low key nature is nice. Hell, it could be an absolutely rocking spot with live music and a kitchen and such, but I suspect they want to keep it just as it is God bless 'em.

I guess this is a bar or social club or whatever. I'm mor sure. The place ha great view of Fox…read morelakechidden and far off probably more for locals andvresidebt Lakers. I however went there and it was ok not sure if you have to be a member looks like a athletic club or something. There was a wide variety of space in place and you could walk outside and drink look at the lake. A overall cool but aging structure community maybe VFW . It appears open gor everyone. Someone brought in their beast dog

We visited the Improv Playhouse as a part of Mom's Night Out. Most of us had no clue what to expect…read moreand were surprised to arrive for our showtime and realize we were the only 5 people who would be in the audience. We all had a good laugh about this (both the performers and our group) and our group quietly hoped that the performance would actually be funny as there wasn't a huge crowd to buffer with. All of that to say, we were absolutely delighted by the show. The group of performers that evening were wonderful and truly funny. You could see their connection, adaptability and ability to think on their feet. It truly was an enjoyable experience at the Improv and we were happy to have gone. They have snacks and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) available for purchase (cash only) which was a nice offering as well.

Total scam! Not as advertised! Not worth the money! Child was very disappointed! It is NOT about…read morekids, education, or theater! ALL IT IS ABOUT PROFIT. They put 50 kids in a gym with counselors that are not of legal age themselves (14 year old children). No structure! Chaos! Selling junk food to kids. My daughter was there the first day and it will be her last time at Improv Playhouse. Our 12 year old daughter wanted to take an acting summer camp. We called Improv Playhouse, a lady explained that our daughter should register for a version of the camp called showstopper, which is intended for 4th-9th grade instead of broadway bound which is intended for 1st-3rd grade. The lady suggested that we read more about their programs. We went on the website and found the Improve Playhouse channel on YouTube. We watched the video Improv Moana Camp (Link provided), which featured a group of about fifteen 4th-9th grade children taking acting classes and putting on a Moana Production. We read the mission statement. My daughter liked it, and said that is what she wanted. The camp was $755 for 10 days (two weeks), ran at the middle school. We thought we did our homework. We were expecting 4th-9th graders, groups of about 15-20 children, and acting activities. On the first day of camp, as we are walking in, all kids walking in are kindergarten through third grade. My daughter got nervous and said all kids are little. I told her that they probably have multiple camps running. Greeting the children were very young counselors. Most counselors were 14 year olds from the same middle school. They brought all the kids into a gym where they remained the entire day (9:00 am - 3:00 pm). There were about 50 children. They did not separate the children by age, there were no acting classes/activities, kids were not even taken to the cafeteria to eat lunch, but had to eat lunch on a dusty gym floor. There were no chairs, kids had to sit on the floor the entire day. They were selling junk food and candy to children at lunch. When my wife picked up my daughter, she was very disappointed and said It was very chaotic, unstructured, and a waste of time. She said it felt like the park district camp and is not what she was expecting and what we saw on the improv playhouse channel. Right away my wife asked if we can cancel the rest of the camp and asked to talk to someone in charge. Counselors went to get someone. When my wife explained that the camp was not what my daughter expected and we would like to cancel it, Mr. James said we can but we need to email the office. My wife emailed the office right away (administrative manager, Rachel Kwiecinski), but Mrs. Kwiecinski replied that there will not be refunds given. My wife called her and explained what was going on and asked her to refund the money, but to be prorated. Mrs. Kwiecinski said she will have to talk to the bookkeeping and will try to get a prorated refund. A couple of minutes later, the Creative Director of Youth Programming, Miss O'Leary called and said that there are no refunds. My wife asked her again very nicely to double check, and that it was not what was advertised and it was not for the age group that I paid for. Later that evening, the owner David Stewar emailed my wife saying they are an accredited organization and refunds will not be given, he also accused my wife of being disrespectful. My wife was very respectful to everyone she talked to, did not raise her voice or said anything disrespectful. My wife did not even ask for the full refund, which we should totally get because it was not what was advertised. In addition, he said that the video was from a local community house even though it was on their channel and suggested by their staff. According to his email "That video was from a small Highland Park workshop held years ago at a local community house, an entirely different format, group size, and production model. Our current camp format is a full-scale 10-day performance experience." Honestly, I am not totally sure what the difference is.

Magic Moon in Spring Grove is a fun place to go to for a relaxing night out. Staff is great, the…read morehome made flat bread pizza is delicious along with a great selection of wine. Drink a little win a lot is one of the motto's.

It's nice to have a fun place to go to again on weekends, they have good wines at fair prices…read moregaming and karaoke on Fridays all the fun you can ask for in a small town like Spring Grove and the bartender Dan is one of the nicest people there, Very hospitable. The most fun we had with karaoke

Home this is a rural broken-down biker bar on scale with what you would see in the beginning of the…read moreTerminator with Arnold Schwarzenegger. This bar is rough the people that attend here are rough in the beer is rough. There's about nothing else one can see that is positive about this bar

This bar is amazing. The live music is on point and the atmosphere is very comfortable and fun. The…read morebartender Ashley is attentive, friendly and quick at getting drinks (Go in on Sunday night if you want the best experience). It is totally worth a try and their food tastes great! Fun people, great entertainment and a really nice interior. Don't be scared, the bikers are nice ;)

Friendly and attentive staff and delicious food! Will definitely be back. The market is also a…read moremust see!

Beautiful building, many rooms to explore, even the patio is spacious and inviting. Would recommend…read moregoing here for any occasion!