On the road: Electronic duo plays cultural center
Chicago
Cutting edge soundscapes
Take advantage of a special "Loops and Variations" evening concert with the electronic duo R WE WHO R WE at the Chicago Cultural Center. Composer-performers Ted Hearne (voice, vocal processing) and Philip White (mixer feedback, electronics) offer a tribute to both classic and fleeting artists of the pop landscape using samples of pop music, like graffiti uses public walls and space.
6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24. Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Free admission; cityofchicago.org.
Virtue and vice
Do you pine for the good old days? In Chicago, count prostitution, political corruption, racial and ethnic discrimination, drunkenness, poverty, rioting in the streets, and vice districts as part of the city's past. Hear about the social ills that plagued the developing city in the mid-19th century at the 4th Annual Clarke House Museum History Symposium, "Virtue & Vice." Four noted historians will talk about reformers' cleanup efforts and exhibits of related artifacts from the Clarke House Museum and LaBarre Family Collections will be on display throughout the day.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 26. Coach House of the Glesner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $30 per person and $25 for students (includes parking, breakfast, lunch and refreshments). Seating is limited, so prepaid reservations are requested. (312) 326-1480
Hunting for Hollywood
Visit Loop locations where Ferris Bueller took a day off and Spider-Man hopped an el train. Watson Adventures' The Loop Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt is an adult outing in The Loop, one of Hollywood's favorite back lots, with stops such as Daley Plaza ("The Fugitive"), Chicago City Hall and Cook County Building ("Blues Brothers"), Marshall Field's, the Chicago Cultural Center and other memorable places from film.
2 p.m. Saturday, April 19. Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St., Chicago. Tickets are $19.50; (877) 946-4868 or watsonadventures.com.
Midwest
Serious as an art attack
Michigan's nearby Harbor Country is a sanctuary for artists and galleries that add to the area's one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants and accommodations. Harbor Country businesses turn into art spaces for the weekend of the 21st annual Art Attack. Expect gallery receptions, artist's demonstrations, exhibitions, entertainment, theater, music, wine tasting and open houses. Events will be held in the eight towns of Harbor Country, located off the first four exits of I-94 from the Michigan-Indiana border. All Art Attack events are open to the public. Most are free.
Friday to Sunday, April 25-27. Various venues throughout Harbor Country; (269) 469-5409 or harborcountry.org/artattack.
Come over easy
Head over to Egg Day at the Milwaukee County Zoo and whisk up some fun for the kids. Crafts, face painting, treats at the Hop-to-it Bunny Hunt, and a parade are part of the fun. A"Bubblologist" creates caterpillars, volcanoes and dancing bubbles; hop on the Safari Train to test your skills counting Easter eggs hidden on the wooded route; get your face painted with a bunny nose and whiskers or designed your own bunny ears; take in a theater performances with professional actors; and be on the lookout for animals as they receive special Easter-related enrichment items in their habitats.
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 19. Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 West Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee, Wis. Zoo admission is $14.25 for adults, $11.25 for kids ages 3 to 12, and free for children 2 and under; $13.25 for age 60 and older. Parking is $12. (414) 256-5466 or milwaukeezoo.org.
Beer, wine, cheese & trees
Combine a visit to the Great Mississippi River Region with delicious samplings of Wisconsin's finest cheese and beer at the 12th annual Between the Bluffs Beer, Wine & Cheese Festival in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Enjoy an afternoon of sampling from more than 40 beer, wine and cheese vendors including brewers like Lake Louie, Horny Goat Brewing Company, New Glarus, Sprecher Brewing and Grumpy Troll Brewing Company. There will be home brew and home winemaking contests and Wisconsin gourmet, artisan cheese will be served including some from local organic farms and family-operated dairy goat farms. Oenophiles can sip the wares of Vernon Vineyards, Red Diamond and Fisher King, among others. Enjoy live entertainment by the Fabulous Baloney Skins and The New Black 7.
2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 26. Oktoberfest Grounds, on 2nd Street in downtown La Crosse, Wis. General admission is $35 in advance or $40 the day of the festival; betweenthebluffsbeerfest.com or (800) 658-9424. For information on lodging and other area attractions, see explorelacrosse.com.