CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- It's officially fall, Chicago! And early fall weather has arrived! This weekend's forecast has highs in the low 70s, with lows in the low 50s. So it's definitely that time of year where you may need to change your outfit come sundown.
With September coming to a close, there are a ton of different Oktoberfests happening this weekend in Chicago and the suburbs - so grab your Lederhosen and get your Polka on! Additionally for music lovers, Hyde Park Jazz Festival is this weekend at various outdoor locations throughout the South Side neighborhood. Plus, the Chicago In Tune Festival continues with events throughout the month, so be sure to check out that calendar!
For sports fans, the Chicago Cubs are at home and the Chicago White Sox are away. The Cubs take on the St. Louis Cardinals all weekend at Wrigley Field, and the White Sox travel Cleveland to take on the Indians. And football season is in full gear. The Chicago Bears also travel to Cleveland on Sunday to take on the Browns - so maybe a good weekend to take a road trip to Ohio!
Additionally, Chicago Gourmet kicked off this month with a variety of events throughout the city! Plus, theater performances have returned and the Broadway in Chicago box office is open, so be sure to grab some tickets for the upcoming performances this fall and winter. And don't forget, it's apple picking season! So be sure to check out some of the best orchards in the area.
Here's a look at things to do this weekend in Chicago and the suburbs:
Oktoberfest ChicagoSpecial Events Management
St. Alphonsus Oktoberfest
Pull on your Lederhosen and polka on down to Oktoberfest Chicago this weekend at St. Alphonsus church in West Lakeview. One of Chicago's most popular celebrations of fall and all things Bavarian, Oktoberfest Chicago returns for its 19th year of seasonal revelry. Due to the ongoing pandemic, all festival events will be held outdoors both on church grounds and on Southport between Wellington and Oakdale.
The star of the fest is Bavarian cuisine. Enjoy homemade bratwurst and pretzels made by the members of St. Alphonsus church, then wash it down with a stein-full of Sam Adams beer. A variety of Sam Adams beers will be on tap including fall favorites like Oktoberfest.
Entertainment includes two stages of live music, featuring some of Chicago's best headliner bands including The Breakfast Club, Trippin Billies, Hello Weekend, Sushi Roll, The Hat Guys, Run Forrest Run, Sixteen Candles, and Rosie & the Rivets. What would Oktoberfest be without Polka? Sgt. Saukraut's Polka Band and the Polkaholics close out Friday and Saturday night with the "oom-pah" of traditional German bands. MORE INFO.
Where: St. Alphonsus Church, 1429 W. Wellington Ave.
When: Friday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m.
Cost: Friday & Saturday, $10; Sunday, $5
On September 25, the Die Musikmeisters will entertain guests during Brookfield Zoo's Oktoberfest celebration.CZS-Brookfield Zoo
Oktoberfest at Brookfield Zoo
Show off your best lederhosen and enjoy live Polka music at Brookfield Zoo during this year's Oktoberfest, presented by Leinenkugel's. "Prost!" (Cheers!) to the season with authentic food, beer, and music on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 25 and 26.
Zoogoers can visit the Beer Garden on Brookfield Zoo's East Mall from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to find Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest beer. Guests can also purchase fall favorite fare from a selection of seasonal menu items such as bratwurst, sausages, pretzels with beer cheese, and more. Guests over 21 years old who spot the Leinie's PolkaPedi may be treated to some complimentary memorabilia.
What's Oktoberfest without Polka music? On Sept. 25, get up and dance to live music from the Die Musikmeisters from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Alpine Thunder from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. And, celebrate on Sept. 26 with The Happy Wanderers, who will entertain guests 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Or, catch the tunes throughout the park both days between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. while the mobile PolkaPedi spreads seasonal cheer. MORE INFO.
Where: Brookfield Zoo, 8400 31st Street, Brookfield, IL
When: Saturday and Sunday
Cost: Admission to Brookfield Zoo is $24.95 for adults, $17.95 for children ages 3 to 11, and $19.95 for seniors 65 and over. Parking is $15.
Hyde Park Jazz Festival
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival once again this September, mostly outdoors due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Local drummer and bandleader Makaya McCraven will debut a new piece commissioned by the festival on Saturday. Other highlights of this year's programming includes sets from saxophonist Isaiah Collier, violinist Tomeka Reid, the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, and vocalist Dee Alexander accompanied by the Metropolitan Jazz Octet. MORE INFO.
Where: Various locations throughout Hyde Park
When: Saturday, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m.
Cost: Free
Chicago Gourmet
Chicago Gourmet, the annual food festival hosted by the Illinois Restaurant Association, returns this year with a month-long lineup of smaller events and dinners celebrating the city's dining scene. Normally a three-day event, the lengthened version includes a Tacos & Tequila event hosted by Chef Rick Bayless; The Hamburger Hop is back and bigger than ever; an expanded version of our fabulous Grand Cru, presented by UnitedHealthcare, that will feature the world's finest wines, craft spirits, and unforgettable cuisine from Chicago's award winning chefs, all in-person at the beautiful Harris Theater Rooftop; and back by popular demand, "Go Gourmet" returns in 2021, featuring a lineup of in-person dining events throughout the entire month of September at leading restaurants and venues citywide. MORE INFO.
Where: Various locations throughout Chicago
When: Throughout September
Cost: Varies
Dale Messick Brenda Starr 2-21-1954Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
CHICAGO: Where Comics Came to Life (1880–1960)
A significant, but often overlooked contribution to American art and culture is Chicago's role in the development of the early comic strip. Through its countless newspapers and its publishing industry, Chicago led the transformation of comics from daily fantasy and joke features into ongoing stories grounded in the textures and details of real life, its first real step towards legitimacy as an expressive language and semi-literary art form.
The exhibition focuses on the origins of the comics in popular publishing, the immeasurable importance of African-American cartoonists and publishing, the first woman cartoonists and editors, the first daily comic strip, and finally the art and comics of undeservedly forgotten Frank King, who with "Gasoline Alley" captured not only the rhythms and tone of everyday existence in his characters that aged not only at the same daily rate as its newspaper readers, but were also fictionalized versions of real people.
The exhibition is designed and planned as an intentional historical companion to the concurrently appearing survey of contemporary Chicago comics at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in which Ware's work also appears. MORE INFO.
Where: Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St., Sidney R. Yates Gallery, 4th Floor North
When: Now through Oct. 3, open daily 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Lynda Barry, 100 Demons: Dancing, 2000-02. Watercolor on board; 8 × 10Adam Baumgold Fine Art
Chicago Comics: 1960s to Now
Chicago has been a center for comics for decades—a haven not only for making and publishing cartoons, but also for innovating on the medium. Chicago Comics: 1960s to Now tells the story of the art form in the influential city through the work of Chicago's many cartoonists: known, under-recognized, and up-and-coming.
The exhibition traces the evolution of comics in Chicago, as cartoonists ventured beyond the pages of newspapers and into experimental territory including long-form storytelling, countercultural critique, and political activism. Chicago Comics examines styles, schools of thought, and modes of publication across six decades of cartooning, including works from artists who are changing the medium today. The exhibition seeks to bring to the fore artists of color who were previously under-recognized throughout their careers. In this pursuit, the exhibition features archival material previously not seen in museums and offers a revised history of the art form. Represented throughout this timeline are special sections that highlight key artists including Kerry James Marshall, Lynda Barry, and Chris Ware. MORE INFO.
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave.
When: Now through Oct. 3
Cost: Included in museum admission
Marvel: Universe of Super HeroesMuseum of Science and Industry
Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes
Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes celebrates Marvel history with more than 300 artifacts including original comic book pages, sculptures, interactive displays, and costumes and props from Marvel's blockbuster films. Guests can examine the origins of iconic characters such as Spider-Man, Black Panther, Hulk, and Captain Marvel and see how they have evolved alongside society over the past 80 years, making these characters a pop culture mainstay. MORE INFO.
Where: Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.
When: Now through Oct. 24
Cost: Requires an additional, timed-entry ticket in addition to museum admission: Adults $18, Children (3-11) $14, Members $9
Neon and Light MuseumWBBM Newsradio/Shannon Blum
Neon and Light Museum
The new Neon and Light Museum pop-up invites guests to stand in, under and around some 70 professional neon and light-based sculptures in a dazzling and dramatic immersive exhibition.
Among the highlights are certain to be: Breathe, a 14-foot-tall perspective-based neon sculpture created by artist John Bannon; Circle's Edge, Monika Wulfer's dynamic installation inviting participation with activated gas trapped in glass tubes; and an iconic neon self-portrait by legendary Beatle John Lennon. Other remarkable talent represented in neon and light includes internationally renowned British artist Sarah Blood, feminist neon artist Zoelle Nagib, pop sign artist Jason Pickleman, neon master bender Jacob Fishman, the digital imagery of Detroit's Annica Cuppetelli and Cristobal Mendoza, the projected light of Gary Justis, the language play of San Francisco's Helen Lee, and abstract sculptor Michael Young, and more.
The Neon and Light Museum is an expansion of the successful On Neon show presented here in 2020 by the Ken Saunders Gallery, which, since 1995, has exhibited the most important and innovative artists working with glass in the world. MORE INFO.
Where: 325 West Huron, River North, Chicago
When: Now through Oct. 31
Cost: $25
A decorative wall panel at the Chicago Architecture Center's new exhibit on Helmut Jahn.WBBM Newsradio/Lisa Fielding
Helmut Jahn: Life + Architecture
"HELMUT JAHN: LIFE + ARCHITECTURE," running through October, is a retrospective organized in the wake of Jahn's death in a bicycle accident in May.
According to the Chicago Architecture Center, the exhibit presents important designs by the powerhouse architect, ranging from signature early projects like the crystalline Michigan City Public Library (1977) and Chicago's dazzlingly provocative James R. Thompson Center (1985) to the transformational urban marketplace Sony Center in Berlin (2000) and the forward-looking Pritzker Military Archives Center, currently under construction in Somers, Wisconsin.
"HELMUT JAHN: LIFE + ARCHITECTURE" showcases 17 scale models of some of Jahn's most recognizable works in Chicago and around the world, said the CAC's content manager, Ian Speela. It also will include photography and sketches illuminating each project and exploring the collaborative design and engineering process, while personal imagery, video, and recollections by those who knew and worked with Jahn underscore his flair for the dramatic and zest for life. Jahn's career spanned more than 50 years. MORE INFO.
Where: Chicago Architecture Center, 111 E. Wacker Dr.
When: Now through Oct. 31
Cost: Free with general admission
Immersive Van GoghWBBM Newsradio/Lisa Fielding
Immersive Van Gogh
Step inside of Starry Night and The Bedroom in Arles with the help of more than 75 digital projectors in this high-tech exhibition that explores the work of Vincent Van Gogh. Designed by the Italian creative team that worked on the "Atelier des Lumières" exhibitions in Paris, "Immersive Van Gogh" covers 35-foot walls with animated versions of the Dutch painters work, accompanied by a score that blends electronic and classical compositions. MORE INFO.
Where: Lighthouse ArtSpace, 108 W. Germania Pl.
When: Now through Nov. 28
Cost: $40-50
Let's Survive Forever by Yayoi Kusama at WNDR MuseumWNDR Museum
WNDR museum
The home of Chicago's only Infinity Mirror Room (created by Japanese Yayoi Kusama) is open to the public once again, presenting a new collection of one-of-a-kind art installations alongside some old favorites. New additions to WNDR Museum include a multi-sensory experience from S̶A̶N̶T̶IA̶G̶O̶X that uses artificial intelligence, sounds, visuals and scents, as well as an installation called I Heard There Was a Secret Chord that allows guests to become part of an evolving virtual choir. MORE INFO.
Where: 1130 W. Monroe St.
When: Tickets available now through Dec. 31
Cost: $30
Human+NatureMorton Arboretum
Human+Nature
The Morton Arboretum's next outdoor art exhibition, Human+Nature, will inspire awe and wonder as it connects people and trees. Internationally renowned artist Daniel Popper created five 15- to 26-foot-tall sculptures exclusively for the Arboretum that will be featured in various locations across its 1,700 acres, leading guests to areas they may not have explored before. It will be his largest exhibition to date anywhere in the world.
On the East Side, a short walk from the Visitor Center, guests will be able to step within a huge female figure, as if into the heart of nature. Continuing along a less than mile-long walk, they will encounter a majestic maternal figure as tall as a tree, and a sculpture of diverse human facial traits interwoven with root structures. On the West Side, two hands joined by intertwining roots will extend near a grove of old oaks, and a towering face will evoke the interconnectedness of humans and trees. Made of concrete, fiberglass, and steel, each sculpture will weigh several metric tons. The largest ground footprint will be 28 feet wide and 37 feet long.
Human+Nature will be included with timed-entry admission to the Arboretum. The exhibition is planned to run for at least one year. MORE INFO.
Where: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Rte 53, Lisle
When: Now through next year
Cost: Included with timed-entry Arboretum admission
