Midwest travel: Expect unusual performance art at Chicago Fringe Fest
Chicago
On the fringe
You never know what you're going to come across at the 2016 Chicago Fringe Festival, which features 50 groups in about 200 uncommon performances by local, regional and national performers. Choose among comedies, dramas, dance pieces, musicals, performance art and the unclassifiable. All shows are uncensored. 7 to 11 p.m. weekdays, 1 to 11 p.m. weekends and on Labor Day, from Wednesday, Aug. 31, through Sunday, Sept. 11, in various venues in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood. Tickets cost $10 for each performance, with some package rates available. For a complete schedule, call (872) 210-2315 or see chicagofringe.org.
Killer kielbasa and kapusta
Your belly will thank you after an hour or two at the Taste of Polonia, the largest Polish festival in the United States. Enjoy nonstop live entertainment, rock, blues and polka music courtesy of Polish and American stars, dance, folk art, films and games galore round out the eating portion of the event. Sample bigos (hunter's stew), golabki (stuffed cabbage), grilled pork butt, potato pancakes, kishka and other sausages and more pierogi than you've ever witnessed stuffed with everything from spuds to strawberries. 5 to 10:30 p.m. Friday Sept. 2; noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 3-4; and noon to 10 p.m. Monday, Sept. 5, at the Copernicus Foundation Center, 5216 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago. Entry is $5 before 5 p.m. ; $10 after 5 p.m.; free for kids 12 and younger. (773) 777-8898 or topchicago.org/.
Winey, happy people
Vinophiles and neophytes alike will come together to enjoy the Windy City Wine Festival at Buckingham Fountain. There will be more than 300 wines from around the world to sample; experts spouting information about new varieties; live music on the festival stage; and plenty of bites from grilled cheese to tacos created by some of Chicago's popular restaurants and caterers like Robinson's #1 Ribs, Seasons 52 and Weber Grill Restaurant. 4:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, and 2:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at Buckingham Fountain in Chicago's Grant Park. Tickets cost $35 in advance or $45 at the door; tickets and the lineup are available at windycitywinefestival.com/.
Midwest
Hot air in Harvard
Harvard presents its first Hot Air Balloon Festival featuring 10 to 15 hot air balloons rising in the sky morning and evening. Count on live music, food vendors, a beer tent, zip line and tethered balloon ride opportunities, rides, nighttime balloon glows, and fun for kids with inflatables, a rock climbing wall, a bungee jump and more. Admission is free to watch the balloons take off, land, inflate, deflate and "glow" after dark. Plus, there's a free shuttle running from the Harvard Metra train station to the festival grounds. 4 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, and 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 3-4, at Milky Way Park, Harvard. Parking is $5 per car. Tethered balloon rides cost $20 per person. harvardballoonfest.com/.
Hitting the fan
It's time to let the chips fly. The Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, features chip-chucking contests for adults and kids, live bands, kids' games, food vendors, an arts and crafts fair and a Tournament of Chips parade. 5 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, and 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, at Marion Park, 145 1st St., Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. Free. wiscowchip.com/.
Summertime blues
Take the opportunity to visit the breathtaking Upper Peninsula during the Marquette Area Blues Fest in Marquette, Michigan. Revel in blues artists like Flat Broke Blues Band, The Kinsey Report, Samantha Fish and Victor Wainwright & the Wildroots as well as enjoy beautiful Lake Superior in late summer. Look into special package deals that include weekend festival tickets and overnight stays or treat yourself to a night at The Landmark Inn, a Historic Hotel of America that offers individually designed and decorated guest rooms and suites. 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2; and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 3-4, in Mattson Lower Harbor Park on Lake Superior, Marquette, Michigan. Free on Friday; Saturday and Sunday: $50 weekend tickets, $30 daily tickets available at the gate, $10 daily tickets for ages 15 to 23 with valid I.D.; free for kids 14 and younger with paid adult. (906)-227-1032 or marquetteareabluessociety.org/festival-information.