The newly renamed former Bloomingdale Trail is set to reopen as The 606 in the fall of 2014. Groundbreaking for the soon-to-be reconstructed space will commence this summer.
The trail, which currently consists of abandoned railway lines, will be reborn as a public park with 2.6 miles of elevated "recreational space" running along Bloomingdale Ave. (1800 N), from Ridgeway Ave. (3750 W) on the west to Ashland Ave (1600 W) on the east, through the Bucktown, Wicker Park, Humboldt Park, and Logan Square neighborhoods. The new park will also be linked to 5 ground level parks as well.
Expected to be a haven for bicyclists and pedestrians alike, The 606 will feature gardens, an observatory, a skate park, art installations, bench seating, and overlook sites. Planners estimate that more than 80,000 families, including
almost 25,000 children, live within a ten minute walk of The 606.
Learnapalooza 2013, an all-day free skillsharing event, will kick off for the year Saturday June 15 in Wicker Park. The event, which consists of free classes for adults, teens, and families, will take place this summer across three Chicago neighborhoods: Wicker Park on June 15, Lakeview on July 20 and Logan Square on September 22.
The mission of the event, organizers say, is to foster "free, creative exploration by providing Chicago neighbors the opportunity to exchange skills."
Classes are lead by volunteers and hosted by local businesses. Previous Learnapalooza offerings have included: bee-keeping, dancing, culinary arts, jewelry-making, Hebrew, backgammon, web design, yoga, wine-making, and guitar.
While classes are geared toward adults, many families do attend with their children. Classes with age restrictions or those geared specifically toward children are noted in the event schedule.
Learnapalooza began in 2009, when co-founders Maggie Schutz and Sarah Press discovered similar projects in other cities and decided to bring the same type of event to Chicago.
Planning commitee member Katie Leiblein says some of the most popular offerings at Learnapalooza have been dance and movement classes.
"Every year we have different classes, so we see different (and sometimes surprising) favorites," Leiblein explains. "Our most suprising sell-out class was Excel Basics... Everyone loves to try their hand at a new dance or yoga class! My personal favorites (and often well attended), have been bee keeping, worm composting and urban chicken keeping."
For more information, or to register for the line-up of free classes:
If it's May in Chicago, then you know it's time for the mama and the papa of eco living events: Green Festival Chicago.
For one weekend only at Navy Pier, this Saturday and Sunday, the Green Festival will host DIY workshops, discussions and speakers, a Green Marketplace with the latest sustainable businesses and vendors, an Organic Beer and Wine pavillion, test drives of electric and hybrid vehicles, vegetarian and vegan food, and a Green Kids Zone with free activities for all ages of kids.
Definitely bring the kids and teens to Green Festival because 18 and under are free.
I'm very excited to check out the Green Festival this year, as I learn something new each year as I get discover all the great new local eco offerings around the Midwest and the country.
I'm also thrilled to tell you that Green Parent Chicago readers can get a special FREE weekend pass to the Green Festival. Just visit the festival website here and enter GREENPARENTCHICAGO for a free weekend pass good for both days. (A $20 value!) But, don't wait, it's a limited offer.
Organizers for the new Bellwether cultural fest just announced the performer line-up and schedule for the June date of the 2-weekend fest, and dropped a few hints about which vendors, workshops, and demos to expect.
Workshops and demos will include terrarium-making classes from Logan Square's Fleur, a make-your-own sculpture table workshop by Rebuilding Exchange, and
yarn-spinning classes hosted by Michigan based Videnovich Farms.
On Saturday,
in The Hideout’s back room, film footage from the
Chicago Film Archives will be screened, as well as "rarely-seen amateur sound shorts" from the
vault. Saturday night's after-hours programming from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. includes
sketch comedy show "NED Talks" and a special unannounced film screening. Sunday features the kid-friendly "Adventure Sandwich" and the adult-friendly
"Drunken Spelling Bee."
Sunday morning, Bellwether will host an additional beer
and brunch feast at Ada St. Restaurant with Revolution Brewery
pairings. A limited number of feast tickets will go on sale May 21.
ADMISSION: For day
hours June 8 and 9: suggested is donation $10, kids under 12 are free. For June
8 after-hours: $10 suggested donation.
Sunday feast: limited number of
$50 tickets for sale online on May 21.
LOCATION: Outside The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, along Wabansia (Elston to Throop) and N. Ada St.
WHEN: June 8 from noon to dark with after hours 8 to 10 p.m., and June 9 noon to dark.
Combine food, farm, vintage, collectors, crafters, and artists and what do you get: Bellwether, a new cultural fest and the brainchild of the folks behind local indie favorites The Vintage Bazaar and The Renegade Craft Fair.
Organizers of the fest, to be held on 2 separate weekends at 2 locations describe Bellwether as "a roving Market + Happening + Feast all in one that brings together the finest purveyors, pickers, makers, and doers, as well as curated films, live performances, killer DJs, and food gatherings."
Date, locations and hours for the all-day event are:
The Hideout June 8 and 9 noon to dark after hours: 8-10 p.m.
Garfield Park Conservatory September 21 and 22 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. after hours: Saturday 6 to 9 p.m.
WHAT: Chicago River Environmental Awareness Paddle
WHEN: Saturday, September 15th
1:30 pm to 5 pm
Registration and safety talk at 1:30 pm
Paddle starts at 2 pm
HOW: BY BOAT
WHERE: Launch from behind Lawrence Fisheries
Cermak and Canal
Pull out at Richard J. Daley Park @ Western Ave. under I-55
(north of 35th & Western Ave)
WHO: YOU and the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization and PERRO (Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization )along with Chicago River Canoe and Kayak
· What do you know about the environmental impact of dirty industry on the South Branch of the Chicago River?
· Ever canoed or kayaked on the Chicago River? Want to do it (again)?
· Want to learn about community victories and future plans from the folks that shut down the Fisk and Crawford Coal Plants?
Boats: $25 PER BOAT
Types of boats:
· Single kayaks (1 person) - $25
· Tandem kayaks (2 people) - $25
· Canoes (2-3 people) - $25
Payment: Cash, Check, Credit
Age Restrictions:
· No youth under 14
· Youth 14-17 must be accompanied by parent or other adult in a boat.
Ever wanted to take a nap in the middle of State Street? Me, neither. But, this weekend you'll get the chance to do this and much more at Open Streets Chicago. From chillin' on a "pop-up lawn" to testing your skills on a climbing wall or a mobile skate park, making chalk drawings, playing human tic-tac-toe or taking a two wheel spin with a free hour-long bike rental, there will be plenty of activities for all ages at Open Streets Chicago.
The first of two separate events will take place in the Loop on State Street and Monroe Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The second will take place on Sept. 16 in Wicker Park/Bucktown on Milwaukee Avenue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sponsored by the Active Transportation Alliance, the Chicago Loop Alliance and the Wicker Park & Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, as well as local and regional businesses, the event aims to promote community culture, safe, car-free public space, and provide a chance for families to experience the city in a new way.
Never a fan of huge, crowded events or places, I knew that going to Lollapalooza in a Chicago August would be feat of patience, tolerance...a good sense of humor, and lots of hydration.
So this year, now that my kids are 12 and 7, they're way more adaptable. My youngest is less apt to take to "r-u-n-n-o-f-t", and my eldest is, like most 12-year-olds, really getting into popular music. He requested we check out French boy wonder of EDM, Madeon, on Friday night and Avicii Saturday.
My husband and I had a few requests too, that didn't pan out, but next year, we decided we'll probably reserve one day for adults only.
Illness struck and we never did make it to see Avicii Saturday night. We also didn't get stuck in the big storm evacuation either. Which friends of ours smartly waited out at the nearby movie theatre, watching "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" until the show was back on. What a great idea!
Sunday we stopped by to check out Kidzapalooza, the fest within a fest, which was perfect for my youngest and really the 8 and under crowd in general. All kids 10 and under are free at Lolla with a ticketed adult. Set amidst cool shady trees, it was the perfect spot on a beautiful Sunday after the humidity broke. There were plenty of tots and kids and picnic blankets bathed in rock music. Little tents offered free tattoos, rock star hairdos, instrument petting zoos, and more.
So relaxed was the vibe, we spotted plenty of child-free couples there too.
My oldest suggested we check out the Playstation tent. We followed that with a short walk through Green Street: a nice gesture toward sustainability, but somewhat less effective than the hordes of volunteers picking up recyclables and junk continuously throughout the park.
For an introvert like me, Lolla is a well organized and reasonable event, seriously. If you can get past being surrounded by packs of scantily clad young folks smoking, cigarettes et cetera and acting goofy (Kidzapalooza is smoke-free), there's always some spot on the periphery to chill out and no shortage of good music, both well known and newer artists.
Remember it's Grant Park, so it's enormous. Bring water (you can refill at several stations throughout the fest with free, filtered water), sunblock, something to sit on for the kids, and your most comfortable sandals for plenty of walking.
Hands on family-friendly activities: farm animals, Johnny Appleseed performance, gardening activities
Over 100 local businesses and organizations
Retail market with sustainable business vendors
Food market with local restaurants and chefs
Presentations from local experts throughout the day on gardening and sustainability topics.
The 20th annual Green & Growing Fair is a free urban gardening festival organized by GreenNet: Chicago's Greening Network and takes place from from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 28 at Garfield Park Conservatory. The event will showcase a variety of vendors, workshops, demonstrations, and family activities to "get your rusty green thumb up and running." The fair will also host the unveiling of the winning seed in the One Seed Chicago contest, which hopes to link thousands of the same community gardens, yards and window sills across Chicago in a season long celebration. This year’s seed "candidates" are herbs: basil, cilantro, chamomile.
The mama of all Chicago green festivals, sponsored by Green America and Global Exchange, returns May 5 to 6 at Navy Pier. Hours for the event are noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Featuring multiple stages of demonstrations, speakers, film screenings, a kids zone with family friendly activities and fun, vendors galore and much, more. Tickets are available online in advance and at the door.
Who's free? • Youth 18 and under • Bicyclists using the festival's bike valet • Green Festival Volunteers • Green America and Global Exchange members • Union members with card
Social justice and environmental issues are expected to be the focus of this year's Green Festival with keynote speaker Rev. Jesse Jackson and other speakers to include: Laura Flanders, Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!; Jeffrey Smith; William Ayers; Bernadine Dohrn; Greg Palast and local leaders Naomi Davis of "Blacks in Green"; Bianca Alexander of "Conscious Living TV" and Karyn Calabrese.
Earth Hour is tonight at 8:30 p.m. Will you be taking part? My family and I usually take some time to participate and turn off and unplug all the electronics we can (except the fridge), light some candles and have a special treat, snack or dessert and tell stories or as my daughter likes to do: perform impromptu works of theatre or read out loud. How will you be spending the time?
