Weekend picks: Seth MacFarlane shares his smoother side at Ravinia

'Family Guy' guy

Seth MacFarlane may be known for his crude humor on TV (“Family Guy”) and in films (“Ted”), but he's also, surprisingly, a smooth singer of standards from the great American songbook. See this side of MacFarlane on Friday at Ravinia Festival, 418 Sheridan Road, Highland Park. $45-$55 pavilion seating; $33-$38 lawn seating. (847) 266-5100 or ravinia.org. 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21

Italian heritage

The Little Italy Fest West promises lots of Italian food, Italian-American music acts and more starting Thursday at Centennial Park, 1776 W. Centennial Place near Lake Street, Addison. $8 donation; kids admitted free. (630) 962-7000 or oshows.com. 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21; noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22; and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23

Preserving memories

Learn about the latest techniques to embellish and preserve photographic memories at the Scrapbook Expo this weekend at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center and Hotel, 1551 N. Thoreau Drive, Schaumburg. $10-$15 per day. (847) 303-4100 or scrapbookexpo.com. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22

Fan-tastic

Die-hard fans of sci-fi, fantasy and comic book genres can see celebrities and dress up like their favorite characters at the Wizard World Comic Con Chicago this weekend at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont. $40-$60 per day, or $94.95 for a multiday pass (autograph and special events are extra). (847) 692-2220 or wizardworld.com. Noon to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23

'60s sounds

The Happy Together 2015 Tour features famed 1960s groups like The Grassroots, Flo & Eddie of The Turtles, The Cowsills, Mark Lindsay from Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Buckinghams and more following a season kickoff party on Friday at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. $15 party only; $59.50 concert. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com. 5 p.m. season kick off party; 8 p.m. concert Friday, Aug. 21

Naper Nights

Two nights of music are showcased at the Naper Nights Community Concert Series at the Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville. Aug. 21 features Heartless (Heart tribute) and Mike & Joe ('90s music to today); Aug. 22 features Deacon Blues (a Steely Dan tribute) and Simply Elton (Elton John tribute). Guests are invited to bring blankets or lawn chairs for seating. No outside food or beverages allowed. Admission is $15 adults and seniors; $10 youth (4-12). Free admission for members and children under 4. napersettlement.org. 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug 21, and Saturday, Aug. 22

Little Bear Ribfest

Vendors will offer a variety of barbecued ribs at the annual Little Bear Ribfest in Century Park, 1001 Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs and listen to blues music while they dine by the lake. $5; kids 5 and under are free. littlebearribfest.com. 6 p.m. to midnight, Friday, Aug. 21, and 3 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Aug. 22

Chicago imagist

Get all geometric at the exhibit “De vuelta: Works by Chicago Imagist Errol Ortiz,” which officially opens on Friday at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St., Chicago. No admission charge, but donations appreciated. (312) 738-1503 or nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org. 6 p.m. opening reception Friday, Aug. 21; regular hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 20 (but closed Mondays)

Laughs aplenty

Pick a team and root for the reds or blues when Comedy Sportz comes to the suburbs this weekend to help open up the revitalized Leela Arts Center, 620 Lee St., Des Plaines. $25; $20 seniors; $15. (800) 838-3006 or leelaartscenter.com. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday from Aug. 21 to Sept. 12

Standup Steve

If you loved the cable sitcom “Sullivan and Son,” then don't miss comedian Steve Byrne performing live this weekend at the Improv Comedy Showcase at Woodfield Mall, 5 Woodfield Road, Schaumburg. $22 plus a two menu-item purchase. (847) 240-2001 or improv.com. 8 and 10:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21; 7 and 9:15 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22

Fletcher Rockwell at the Base

Down-home stories about life in the Midwest lie just beneath the foot-stomping fun of Fletcher Rockwell's alt.country exterior. Taking the current indie-folksy musical landscape and painting it with a hard-rock palette and a smattering of grit is the band's specialty. With its rock rhythms and hearty harmonies, the band's latest album, “Urban Heartland,” has played a big part in the soundtrack of my summer, but the live shows are where the magic really happens. Catch them at BaseCamp Pub & Eatery, 5750 Lakeside Drive, Lisle. $5. (331) 777-4712 or basecamppub.com. 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21

Vintage baseball

Spend an afternoon watching baseball as it was played in 1858 at the Vintage Baseball Festival at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. Clubs scheduled to appear are Cantigny Red Oaks, DuPage Plowboys, Milwaukee Juneaus, Munster Centennials, Belleville Stags, Aurora Town Club, Rockford Forest Citys, Creston Regulators and Somonauk Blue Stockings. The teams take part in a round-robin tournament. cantigny.org. Free with $5 parking. 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22

Strolling through the garden

Garden enthusiasts can tour heirloom gardens and interact with Midwestern growers of flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables at the Heirloom Garden Show at Garfield Farm Museum, on Garfield Road, off Route 38, Campton Hills. $6 for adults; $3 for kids ages 12 and younger. (630) 584-8485 or garfieldfarm.org. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23

Hey Man, Nice Set

Chances are if you listened to mid- and late-'90s radio, you've stumbled across Candlebox and Filter once or twice. While they're a lot less ubiquitous than they were back in their “Far Behind” and “Take A Picture” days, the bands are still rocking hard. Sideouts Bar & Eatery is bringing them to Island Lake for the seventh edition of Bands in the Sand, a day of rock, dancing, beer, sand volleyball and a whole lot of tunes. Chicago rock band Jimi Falls kicks off the afternoon with a 3:30 p.m. set, followed by Modern Day Romeos, fun local favorites who mix originals with a wide range of covers. Industrial rock group Filter leads into alternative grunge rockers Candlebox, both of whom are available for a meet-and-greet before the show for a little extra. Sideouts Bar & Eatery, 4018 Roberts Road, Island Lake. General admission tickets start at $20; VIP packages are available. (847) 526-7174, sideouts.com or ticketweb.com. 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22

'Bittersweet' rock

The rock bands Big Head Todd and The Monsters (“Bittersweet,” “Broken Hearted Savior”) shares the bill with JJ Grey and Mofro and G. Love and Special Sauce on Saturday at Festival Park near the Grand Victoria Casino, 132 S. Grove Ave., Elgin. $45-$49.50; $25 lawn seating. (847) 468-7000 or grandvictoriacasino.com. 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22

You're the inspiration

Hear the Windy City's namesake rock band Chicago perform its many hits this weekend at the Ravinia Festival, 418 Sheridan Road, Highland Park. $100-$115 pavilion seating; $43-$48 lawn seating. (847) 266-5100 or ravinia.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 22 and 23

Soon to 'September'

Start celebrating “September” early by hearing the funk band Earth, Wind and Fire play hits such as “Boogie Wonderland,” “Let's Groove” and more in concert on Saturday at the RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway, Aurora. $45. (630) 896-6666 or riveredgeaurora.com. 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22

Cook House reopens

The Wauconda Township Historical Society invites the community to celebrate the reopening of the Andrew C. Cook House in Wauconda at the Old Fashioned Ice Cream and Pie Social at the Andrew C. Cook House, 711 N. Main St., Wauconda. Festival includes ice cream, pie, old-time children's games, a vintage high-wheeler bicycle, house tours and more. Guests are invited to dress in turn-of-the-century clothing. Free. (847) 526-9303 or wauconda-history.org. 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23

Take wing

Swoop on over to Main Beach, 300 Lake Shore Drive, Crystal Lake, for the Monarch Mania Fun Fair. The event features information on butterflies, science activities, face painting, art projects, a big migration route map and more. Free. mccdistrict.org. 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23

Only One Direction to Soldier Field

Unlike the presidential summer playlist, we can't leave out the upbeat summer tunes of Brit-Irish popsters One Direction. A month-and-a-half into the North American leg of the “On the Road Again” tour, the now-foursome (Why, Zayn? Why?) will be packing the fans into Soldier Field, 1410 Museum Campus Drive, Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 23, with their boy band blend of teen pop dance love songs. Swedish electropop duo Icona Pop (“I Love It”) open. Tickets start at $26.50 ($44.26 with fees and taxes). (866) 448-7849 or ticketmaster.com. 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23

Puerto Rican pop

Celebrated Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Chayanne performs in concert tonight at the Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont. $59-$135. $13-$20 parking. (800) 745-3000 or allstatearena.com. 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23