Play Locally: Dome of Doom Dance Off

We're so jazzed to see this!   Collaboraction is one of our all time favs for high quality, edgy shows.   We also try to hit up The Bucktown Arts Fest every year.    This should be an interesting collaboration.    I don't know why they don't mention it in their PR, but the original concept for the Dome of Doom came from another favorite of ours, Chi-Town author James Kennedy who wrote The Order of Odd Fish--highly recommended.  Check out his website here for some unbridled creativity!!

 

We've featured James Kennedy before in conjunction with the 90 second Newbery Film Festivals that he invented.    Our school has done a 90 second Newbery fest the past two years and hope to continue the tradition.   The kids all make 90 second films based on Newbery winning books.   This year we even dressed up in our Hollywood best and walked the paper roll "red carpet" to the film festival.   It was a hoot.   The kids had such a blast making the movies, they hardly realized how much they were learning.

The Bucktown Arts Fest & Collaboraction present  The DOME OF DOOM  Sun., Aug. 26, 4 pm  The Bucktown Arts Fest 2 dance battlers enter, 1 remains.....  an open dance battle tournament for all ages inside a geodesic dome  On Sun., August 26th at 4 pm, an epic collection of battle dancers of ALL AGES,  shapes, color and sizes will commence until a champion in crowned. individual dancer warriors who compete in 60- 90 second head-to-head bouts. Judges will select a winner of each round based on:  1. overall groove   2. degree of difficulty of specialty moves   3. charisma.   Costumes, make-up and stretching before battling are highly encouraged!!!!  There is only one rule....NO TOUCHING THE OTHER COMPETITOR.  Check out these videos from the first ever Dome of Doom -   The battles will be accompanied by live rocking percussion and music from Flux Bikes!  WHAT YOU CAN WIN  The winner crowned Fest Champion of the Dome of Doom will receive $100 Visa Card for new dancing shoes (or whatever you choose), a Dance Spa gift certificate for 1 private dance lesson, plus 10 classes of Zumba ($165 value) to hone your skills for your next battle. To sign up in advance email your   Battler Name  Signature Dance Style or Move  photo or video link to info@collaboraction.org   Collaboraction's Experience Design department crafts unique event theatre, design and experiences for private and civic events. Email info@collaboraction.org to book the Dome of Doom, hire us to custom event design or have John Wilson create a themed party for you!

Play Locally-Chicago Weekend Fun: The Boulevard, Farmageddon, Bucktown Arts Fest, Windy City Rollers, Laura Doherty and More...

All Weekend:

According to Star Events, The Boulevard is an incredible 3-day festival in the heart of Logan Square that features incredible live music, artisans, and great food and over a half dozen delicious craft beers to choose from…

The community area and neighborhood are named for General John A. Logan who served in the Civil War, and later in Congress. One of the most striking intersections in the city, the square itself is a circular green space located at the center of a traffic circle formed by the junction of Kedzie and Logan Boulevards and Milwaukee Avenue.

Click Here For More Info

We're particularly stoked to see Smoking Popes Friday at 8pm

and Liquid Soul Sunday at 7pm.   Check out our photo filled Soul Sonic Sirkus coverage with members of Liquid Soul HERE.

Farmageddon--the Unseen War Against American Family Farms.

Farmageddon premieres starting this Friday, August 26 in Chicago. Here is an opportunity to show your heart for organic food! Nana, a fine dining restaurant in Chicago is teaming up with the film producer to raise awareness of the Show Your Hearts campaign for the Joshua and Robin Berry Children's Trust. Two brave little boys are in rehab at Chicago Shriners Hospital, after losing both their parents in a horrific car accident. Come join Executive Chef Guy Meikle and filmmaker Kristin Canty for Bone Broth and a Movie on Monday, August 29 at the Gene Siskel Center.

See details and buy tickets by clicking on this link:

Show Your Hearts Chicago! Bone Broth and a Movie Night, Farmageddon

http://farmageddon-chicago-showyourhearts.eventbrite.com/

Click this link for other special Meet the Filmmaker events that local activists have planned: http://farmageddonmovie.com/events/

Friday:
Little Beans Cafe

KIDS CONCERT SERIES: LAURA DOHERTY

ALL AGES

Friday, 8/26 | 5:00pm–7:00pm

Join us at Little Beans for our new KIDS CONCERT SERIES! Concert ticket includes 30-45 minute concert, playtime, BBQ dinner and ice cream!

PRICE: $40/Family of 2, $60/Family of 3, $75/Family of 4, $90/Family of 5

Check out ChiIL Mama's original video of Laura Doherty playing live at Schubas.   We also interviewed Laura and have a lot more concert footage coming soon.

Saturday: 

Bucktown Arts Fest 11am-7pm Saturday and Sunday
This is an art, music and fun filled annual favorite of ours.   And it's completely free.   There's even a gorgeous pool right next door at Holstein Park, if you want to throw in some suits and take a dip.   It's great to cool off before or after gettin' you art on, and the last remaining open days for the free city pools are dwindling fast!

TRAVEL SEASON ROLLS ON

The Windy City Rollers host their second bout of the travel season on Saturday, August 27, 2011, at UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine Ave. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the first bout starts at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $22 at the door.

Roller Derby is kid friendly, family fun.    Check out some of ChiIL Mama's photo filled past recaps HERE.   Want more?    Type Roller Derby into ChiIL Mama's search bar and find 8 pages of Windy City Rollers posts going back to 2009.

Back from The Golden Bowl tournament in California, the All-Stars are glowing from two victorious match-ups. Windy City knocked down the Detroit Derby Girls Allstars (128 - 74) and the Texas Rollergirls Texecutioners (132 - 121), firmly maintaining their #1 rank in the North Central Region, but suffered a loss to the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls Golden Girls (49 - 116).

Here at home, the All-Stars will welcome the San Diego Derby Dolls Wildfires, a flat and banked track hybrid team sporting an "any time, any surface" attitude. Hot to burn up the Windy City, these all-stars are not to be underestimated in the least.

The Second Wind, Windy City’s up-and-coming powerhouse skaters, will start the night's action against the Ohio Rollergirls, in what is sure to be a fierce battle on the track.

Entertainment: BOOM CRACK!, a professional hip hop dance company hailing from the Hubbard Street Dance Center.

August 27 is Back to School Night. Get your fellow classmates or alumni together for a too cool for school night on the town!

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster, the UIC box office, or from any WCR skater or official. Contact groups@windycityrollers.com to receive 25% off of groups of 15 or more. Deadline to order is Wednesday, August 24.

We want to talk derby to YOU! Will this be your first time at a roller derby bout? You might have questions about the rules and we'll be there to help! Our Haymarket Rioters and volunteers will be on hand to answer all your derby questions.

Party with us at the Bottom Lounge after the bout! We’ve made it easy for you to do with a *FREE* party bus that departs from the Bottom Lounge at 5 p.m. to the UIC Pavilion. After the final bout, you get a ride back to the bar.

Look for ChiIL Mama this weekend: At The Bucktown Arts Fest, Lill Street Open House, Tall Ships

We've been regulars at The Bucktown Arts Fest for years.   Bring along a swimsuit if it's hot.   The cool, Holstein pool (and all the outdoor city swim spots) closes after Labor Day, so dunk while you can.


Fest admission is free and there's plenty of art, theatre, music and creative kids' fun.


Lill Street  is also running a Saturday full of creative, free events in the arts.   Come on in and get artsy.

SUMMER OPEN HOUSE

 Saturday, August 28, 12pm-5pm

SCHEDULE OF FREE EVENTS

 Kids Activities 12-5pm (summer garden scenes and free drawing)

Open Studios 12-5pm

Hands-on Workshop/ Demos for Adults:12-1pm Screenprinting on Fabric
12-1pm How to Draw
12:30-2:30pm Glass Beadmaking/ Fusing
1-2pm Embroidery
1-2pm Etching Demonstration with Printmaking Artist in Residence Ian Weaver
1:30-2:30pm Screenprinting on Paper
2-3pm Band Rings
2-4pm Wheelthrowing Workshop (2 sessions)
2-4pm Throwing Big Demonstration
2-4pm Handbuilding (3D Tiles & Shot Glasses--work WILL be fired and available for pick-up in 2 weeks)
2:45-4:45pm Glass Beadmaking/ Fusing
3-4pm Wire Bracelets
4-5pm How to Use Your Digital Camera 

Tall Ships are here but they'll be setting sail after the 29th.   So put on your best pirate aaaarrrrgggg and check out over 20 ships from Europe, Canada and the US.   


While you're down at Navy Pier gawking at the armada of immense sail boats, ChiIL Mama highly recommends checking out Cloud 9--Cirque Shanghai's excellent acrobatic extravaganza.   They have to close September 6th, so catch 'em while you can.

Girls Rock The Hideout and Bucktown Arts Fest

Sagezilla, future rock star and lead singer/guitar player for punk phenomenon, Sagie Contagious and Alien Blood, models her hot pink button sporting the words "The Girls' Guide To Rocking"

 

Last Saturday, we enjoyed The All Girl Band event at Hideout, co-sponsored by Girls Rock Chicago


















and the book,Girls' Guide To Rocking.

Many bars are great about hosting all ages and kids shows in the afternoon, and on the 28th, The Hideout stepped up with a fun show that drew in toddlers to teens.

 

  

Boys and girls both rocked out to an eclectic line up.

Sunday, we made our annual trek to The Bucktown Arts Fest.  The free kids crafts area is always impressive, and every year the kids make ceramic tiles, to be placed around the playground.

 

This year, they also enjoyed making dreamcatchers 

We saw a couple of our favorite non profits there, and got fans from Sit...Stay...Read, a worthy literacy organization that encourages kids to read to dogs.    We were also excited to get hats and sunglasses from The Chicago Public Library, an institution we love to frequent and don't mind advertising in the least.   We love our public libraries!

The past two years, the fest has become uncomfortably crowded and most of the high end craft booths are filled with expensive jewelry and works of art unaffordable for all, but the wealthy.   Even funnel cakes were exorbitant.   Also, the free, plentiful music was missing.   Maybe we just hit a lull, but there was silence from the band stage for the several hours we spent there.

It's still a vibrant and creative community of vendors, and we like to browse and see what others are making.   And my little business card collectors made out, with some excellent and colorful cards.   

If you have some extra disposable income, please support your local arts and artists.   They make our culture so much richer, and are rarely monetarily rewarded for their efforts.   Society's artistic and cultural advances are what make a country unique and distinctive, and in America our artists are sorely undervalued.

Make the Best of the Last Weekend of August

There's so much going on this weekend in Chicago, that again, we can only hit the best of the last.   Look for ChiIL Mama at Bucktown Arts Festival which runs 11-7 daily. 

  

Saturday, we'll also be at Hideout from 1-4pm for the Girls Guide to Rocking-All Girl Band Party.

All ages are welcome, under 8 is free.   Above 8 is $4 and adults are $7.  The show is in conjunction with Girls Rock Chicago.   Here are the details.

Girls Guide to Rocking show at the hideout--teen girl bands Fatal Attraction and Circular Convention from 1:15-1:30, then Jessica Hopper reads from the Girls Guide to Rocking, then Glass Bricks, spooky sister duo Ghost Bees (Nova Scotia) and Katie Stelmanis &band (from Toronto).

 If the kids aren't ODed on music after 4pm, we hope to duck down to the heart of Logan Square to see our favorite punk marching band, Mucca Pazza at 5:30.   We haven't made it there yet, but I've heard great things about Logan Square's new outdoor performance series, Summer Sessions on the Square.

Sunday at noon, Chicago Children's Theatre mounts a free performance of The Selfish Giant in Millennium  Park.   We've already seen it--Check out past ChiIL Mama post The Selfish Giant , but it's well worth checking out.
 

We're aiming to be in Millennium for performances on Monday, Aug 31st-Robbert Bobbert and Bunny Clogs, Thursday, Sept. 3rd-Jazz-Benny Goodman Centennial, Friday, Sept. 11th-Stars of Lyric Opera, and Thursday, Sept 17th-The Joffrey Ballet.   Check out the Millennium Park web site for details.

And we're off.............

More Fair Weather Fun

Sunday, August 24th we went to two fairs that offered more healthy fare. First, we stocked up on goodies from Whole Foods vendors at the annual Flavor Fest in Trebes Park. We came home with bags full of free, healthy snacks and sampled many more at the fest.

This year, Flavor Fest joined the booking big league with national acts headlining each night. We missed The Smithereens, who played Saturday night, but were thrilled to catch an excellent show by The English Beat.

We also made it to The Bucktown Arts Festival. It was a hot day, and more crowded than ever, so we only stayed an hour or so. We packed a lot into a short time, though. First, we made a donation to the greyhound rescue in exchange for body painting, where Du-Jay asked for a creature made from parts of several animals mixed together. Thankfully, the artist liked creative kids and rose to the challenge instead of freaking out at the unusual request.

Then we caught some Indonesian dancing where Sagezilla was picked as a volunteer dancer. We rounded out the afternoon with a swim at adjoining Holstein Park.

The kids made it through their first 5 and 7 years, respectively, without discovering the joys of funnel cakes. However, an adult friend of a friend broke off a piece for each of them at West Fest and that's all it took.

I forgot all about it, but one look at the funnel cakes sign and one whiff of the deep fried, powdered sugar treat and they were salivating like Pavlov's dogs.

After a great swim, we ended the arts fest with a not so healthy, but super tasty treat. Mmmmmm--what says fest food like funnel cakes. Ah, well. Every once in a while........................