Budget-friendly fun: Kick up your heels at Irish Fest, Extreme Block Party and more
Free
Irish Fest
Everyone is Irish for the day at Mount Prospect's annual Irish Fest, at Emerson Street and Busse Avenue in downtown Mount Prospect. Festival features Irish fare and beer, live Irish music, performances by the Tully Irish Dancers, the Sullivan Irish Dancers, the Trinity Irish Dancers, The Dooley Brothers and many others. Free. Event takes place rain or shine. mpirishfest.com. 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 25
'Dancing at Lughnasa'
See Aurora University's production of "Dancing at Lughnasa," which focuses on ambition, happiness and love in the summer of 1936 in County Donegal, Ireland, in the university's Perry Theatre, 349 S. Gladstone Ave., Aurora. Free. Registration is required at auartsandideas.com. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 24-25
Suzuki All-Strings Festival
The Community School of the Arts (CSA) of Wheaton College presents its Suzuki All-Strings Festival, which showcases students playing classical selections in their final Suzuki presentation of the year. It takes place in the college's Edman Memorial Chapel, at Washington and Franklin streets, Wheaton. Free. wheaton.edu. 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 25
Extreme Block Party
If you're fascinated by reptiles, check out Dave Dinaso's Traveling World of Reptiles show during the Multi-Chamber Fifth Annual Extreme Block Party in the field house at Vernon Hills High School, 145 Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills. The community event features more than 100 health and wellness screenings, local vendors, food and more. The event is hosted by the GLMV Chamber of Commerce, serving Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills. Free. (847) 680-0750 or glmvchamber.org. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 25
46 years and counting
See works by more than 60 juried artists and artisans from around the Midwest during the 46th Annual North Shore Unitarian Church Art Fair at 2100 Half Day Road, Deerfield. Enjoy live music and food, too. Free. (847) 234-2460 or nsuc.org. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 25, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 26
Astronomy Day - at night!
Learn about the sky above us at Astronomy Day in Building Z of Harper College, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine. Take part in indoor lectures, demonstrations, telescope exhibits and tours of the college observatory. If skies are clear, telescopes will be set up outdoors to view the moon, planets and stars. Scouts can receive an "Astronomy Day" patch. nsaclub.org. 5:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 25
$15 and under
Mallrats
Rock band Mallrats plays popular songs from the early 1990s at Durty Nellie's, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine. $7. For ages 21 and older. durtynellies.com. 10 p.m. Friday, April 24
Artistry in Wood
The North Suburban Carvers woodcarving group joins Cantigny Park to present the Artistry in Wood woodcarving and woodworking show at Cantigny, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. The show features carvings, turnings, wood-burning art and hand-carved ornaments from woodcarvers from across the Midwest. Free with paid $5 parking fee. (630) 668-5161 or cantigny.org. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 26
'Sense and Sensibility'
The Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents a special screening of Ang Lee's 1995 Academy Award-winning film "Sense and Sensibility" at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The film, based on Jane Austin's 1811 novel, features Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant. $10. (773) 871-6604 or musicboxtheatre.com. 7 p.m. Monday, April 27