I had the pleasure of hanging out with my family at the Oaktoberfest. We walked around and enjoyed…read morebeautiful weather, food and live music. Located in the downtown of Oak Park on Marion Street. There were activities for the kids and giveaways. There was a live music lineup where different bands came out and performed. Lots of people dancing and enjoying the music. A seating area with tables and chairs. Local restaurants and liquor stores to purchase beer and wine. A nice end of the summer festival to enjoy with your family and friends. Or just come out to mingle and have a good time.

Good food, good people, good times…read more This event was HUGE. Literally 100 times more lively than I would have expected, which is great for the township of Oak Park. Lots of neighborhood businesses selling their wares, several beer vendors, and a massive crowd of people enjoying a beautiful weekend in late September. $20 got you three booze tickets and a 22oz refillable Oaktoberfest mug, which came out to about $7 / beer. Not bad, especially considering that a few choices were IPAs and darker, hoppier lagers that could fudge up your vision in a hurry. Hundreds of tables and chairs were set out for fest-goers, most of which were facing the stage just east of Marion Street. The two bands that played during the time we were there had decent sounding stuff. The first one had more of a rock/alternative edge to them which I loved to hear, but the following act was more folksy rock and did absolutely nothing for me. It would've been nice to have heard some more recognizable tunes (covers of Bon Jovi, Mumford & Sons, anything really) instead of the indie nonsense that was played. After a few high ABV% beers, I decided that eating something sustainable would be a good idea. I got a rice and beef shish kabob plate from Jerusalem Cafe for something like $6.50, which absolutely hit the spot. Tasty and a great portion size for the money. Other places sold pizza, bratwurst, meatball subs, pad thai and popcorn, a reasonably good selection overall. Bread = 4.5 Circuses = 4 I didn't check-in or even take photos, as I didn't think this event page even existed on Yelp, but I guarantee next time around I definitely will. However I did leave the festival with my commemorative beer cup and.....well, something else. Can't say what exactly, but it's roughly 10' x 2' and hanging in my apartment. #stickyfingers #kleptomania A fun town event that attracted a giant crowd of locals. Would highly recommend and will return in 2017!

I was lucky enough to attend the Harvest Dinner which was put on by the Logan Square Camber of…read moreCommerce. The dinner brought together the neighborhoods best restaurants including Fonda del Mar, Urban Belly, Vella Cafe, Treat, Tiny Cakes, Rustic, Provenance, Orbit Room, and a few other area locals. The dinner was buffet style and each establishment did a dish. A few of the standouts where Vella's butternut squash au gratin, Treat's curry gnocci, and Urban belly had an outstanding eggplant dish. I eat very few sweets but Tiny Cakes did an soft and moist carrot cake muffin with some tasty cream cheese frosting. The event held about 100 locals at the Stan Mansion, there was a silent auction and proceeds went to the Logan Square Farmers Market. It was a relaxing casual event and I will look forward to attending again.

Barrington's yearly 4th of July celebration includes 5 days of "Beer and Brats" in the tent they…read moreset up downtown. Its a great "small town 4th of July feel". Its also a great time to go drink some beer and eat some brats with friends! Can't wait until next year!

I attended the Chicago Green Festival Kickoff Gala on May 21, 2001 at the Marom Grand. This event…read morewas excellent. I enjoyed dressing up for the gala and tasting the delicious food from many local green restaurants. These included City Provisions, Dawali, Fig, Lula cafe and sweets from XoXo. I also liked meeting the ladies from Allyu spa. Including the Palo Santo aromatic incense with their card was a nice touch. The gala was nicely organized starting from the blow up screen projector to the group of young men that came by and picked up our plates, cups and forks for recycling. I enjoyed the talk given by Dr. Kevin Danaher on global and local sustainability and appreciate his zeal to bring little bit of San Francisco to Chicago. I also enjoyed Blanca's Alexander candid talk about what inspired her in her life to become an advocate for conscious living. Nonetheless I did see the bar pass some plastic water bottles

For some reason I was under the illusion that I had written a review for this festival, at least in…read more2008. I remember attending that one and liking it. I would have rated it 5 stars. Lots of good green content to fill your mind and soul with. I learned much about new vendors offering innovative technologies to assist in daily household living from a green standpoint as well as advances in alternate sources of power. Information wise and through photos and other marketing, there was much to see. Now in 2012, there wasn't much. Maybe my expectations for it were set too high. I recently returned from living on the West coast. For those that don't know, in many areas of California people are trying their best to be green. Whether they want to do it for the good of the earth, to feel better about doing or get some kudos from all the green loving people, businesses and consumers alike are trying. Upon return back to Chicagoland, I had hoped for more out of Green fest. Instead, there was a ton of marketing for the Ford motor company. As well as these random people that wouldn't divulge who they were with but asking if you would participate in surveys. Jaik S. mentioned if you see anyone's foot touch the carpet where Ford was displayed, someone would eventually ask you to take a survey. Green shit in the sense of the word green. Like vegan food, green vegetable smoothies and living with more greens in your diet. Really? That's all. A few foo foo stores which offer organic products. I didn't connect with any of the content and couldn't find anything that grabbed my attention. Maybe a few vendors. There was one vendor I found pretty funny. It was something like "Green singles dot com". We aren't talking about clean dollar bills, folks. One vendor sold recycled glass for use in homes. When asked what was the difference between their product and Home Depot the guy responded.."Do you want crap or high quality?". What a silly salesperson. Please don't come out to a festival if you can't explain to me benefits of your product and how and why your company claims to be green. I researched the company and later discovered they import granite from Italy and in manufacturing plants here in the U.S. use glass from recycled beer bottles, glass containers, etc to give their granite countertops a more interesting look. In 2008 I spent the whole day at the festival. In 2012, I walked the entire festival in an hour or less. I think we spent the most time in the beer & mead garden. Which by the way, happened to be the most popular area. The largest number of people stood in a tiny 20' x 20' space. Ideas for future Green Fests from Jacob - If Ford or any other car maker decides to be a big contributor to this again, have them show data on fuel efficiency for their new line of alternative energy running automobiles. What to expect for the future of the brand. What new innovative technology they are working towards. Plans for moving towards creating more efficient types of transportation. The savings a person can expect from going to a green vehicle, etc. Passing out free samples of gluten free nachos with salsa or packs of organic popcorn is fine for the average festival attendee, but not everyone. I desire information. Or what is Ford doing for the environment beyond offering green vehicles ? - Alike this, there are companies around the Midwest which currently offer biofuels. How about someone talking about alternative fuels for different kinds of vehicles. I.e. diesel, electric, NGV (natural gas vehicle), bio-diesel. Where can a person find fueling stations, or get reps here from those stations. Map fliers which indicate where in Chicagoland these resources can be found. - Chicago has green roofs, what are people planting up there and where can we find more information about doing it. Are there Chicagoland companies which offer service to get you started, etc? What are current issues concerned folks are working on for the advancement of a Greener Chicago ? At one point a year or more ago I heard something about the possibility of petroleum based plastic bags not being used any longer in Chicago supermarkets, is that real or fake? I realize for some this might have been an eye opener. Every year more people are waking up and realizing how to recycle or searching for greener ways of operating their everyday life. For those this festival is probably a source of information but for someone already doing their part but wanting a bit more, well I hope next years festival is better.

Fashion Focus 2008 is Chicago's own fashion week. This week is chalk-full of runway shows, shopping…read moreevents, neighborhood shopping, and educational seminars. It really is one of the very few opportunities Chicago has for the creative minds of fashion to unite, network, socialize, and flaunt their products! Many different organizations & institutions come together to put on the week, such as GenArt, Mayor's Fashion Council, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago fashion schools, local designers & boutiques, etc. It really does involve so many people from around the city & that's why it's such a special & unique week. Everything the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs puts on is free-ranging from runway shows to educational seminars. There is one downfall, but it will be fixed next year-the amount of people attending vs. the amount of seats/open spots in the runway tent. Since the event is free (a rarity in the fashion world) many people attend, so it gets a little chaotic. We're hoping to fix it by next year to ensure seating for those who RSVP. Fashion Focus 2008 ends tomorrow, but check out our website for other fashion-related events, internships, resume postings, and up-and-coming designers. Keep your eye out for next years Fashion Week Chicago & all the fun you can take part in!!

I love this mural in Bucktown. Just half a block west of Ashland, you'll find Vivian Maier involved…read morein the pastime that brought her such great posthumous fame and acclaim. Maier took over 100,000 photos in her lifetime. Most of these were in Chicago, though she did take some in other cities. She was a mystery in life; most of her life she spent as a nanny in Chicago, though at one time she was a house cleaner for Phil Donahue. It may have been serendipity that her failure to pay rent on a storage unit led to its being auctioned off. A few folks in Chicago purchased her thousands of negatives, and they went viral after on of the new owners posted them online. Maier is one of the most important amateur photographers in American history--probably the most important, history. I like this little mural, depicting Maier engaging in her life's work. We're lucky she quietly documented Chicago's history from the 50's through 80's. There are documentaries to learn more about her, and your can find her work exhibited on occasion in various places.

Not to be confused with Boozetown, which is really every town these days if we're being honest…read more There are lots of cool neighborhoods in Chicago - and this is one of the very coolest. I love Boystown, and I love how I get molested by guys (not joking) almost every time I'm here in one of the clubs (looking at you Sidetrack). Yes, it probably has one of the best 3 gay clubs I've ever been to in Sidetrack. You don't expect anything to be free in Chicago and if this was New York or LA I really don't think it would be - but here, the best gay club is free and you can go in covered in oil with your body on display like I did and get molested by a lot of ugly people (sorry, cute people don't randomly touch me, just being honest), or dance to some great pop music. It's a tolerant area and it's a loving area and it's a fun area and I can't imagine a much better neighbourhood.

My husband and son were like two kids in a candy store! 2025 Opening Ceremony was energetic! So…read morehappy to see starter players and Hall of Famers. Lines were very long but if you were willing to wait then you could get autographs that you wanted. Cub Bingo was a blast and prizes were good. Will be going back 2026!

I have to start this review off that the majority of the info in regards to the Cub convention is…read moreon www.cubs.com. If you choose to make a hotel reservation for the convention itself, call the Hilton and Towers, specify that you want a room for the CC, and you will get 10 dollar passes with your room for the whole weekend. I think the reason why I'm giving this review 5 stars is for the pure fact that I've had so many great memories with my family here. The majority of the days are spent waiting in line for autographs, and fighting the crowds, but I always manage to have a great time. I've met Cub greats such as Dawson, Sandberg, Williams, Banks, Sutcliff, and so on. I've also gotten their autographs as well. This is the biggest thrill for me...actually meeting them! On the Friday night of the convention, they have Cub "bingo." While the room is overcrowded, and the chances of you are winning are slim to none, it's still fun. Saturday night they have a "dance" that features all the golden oldies that your parents grew up with. It's a lot of fun, because sometimes the retired players come to this party and dance it up with ya! I had a fun time dancing with Jodi Davis one time. It was so much fun! It's worth it to check out at least once if you're a die hard Cub fan!