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38th Annual Outdoor Arts Festival of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wis., July 19 and 20. Free festival attracts more than 20,000 visitors and features more than 130 artist exhibitors. Live music, hands-on workshops for families, barbecue and gourmet food and silent auction. (131 miles from O'Hare, (920) 458-6144, www.jmkac.org/artsfest)

Bagelfest, Mattoon, Ill., July 17-19. Food, entertainment, carnival, live music, crafts and the World's Biggest Bagel Breakfast on Saturday morning. (199 miles from O'Hare, (217) 258-6286, www.mattoonillinois.org)

College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival, South Bend, Ind., July 18 and 19. Celebrity golf scramble, autographs, outdoor concert, FanFest, youth clinic, parade and induction show. (111 miles from O'Hare, (800) 440-3263, www.collegefootball.org)

Belvidere Mopar Happening, Belvidere, Ill., July 19 and 20. Car display and swap meet takes place Saturday and the car show and swap takes place Sunday. (55 miles from O'Hare, (815) 637-1601, www.chicagolandmopar.com)

Gary's South Shore Air Show, Gary, Ind., July 12 and 13. Set on the beaches of Lake Michigan with the Chicago skyline as a backdrop, includes U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team, F-15, F-18, B-2 Spirit Bomber and several aerobatics and formation flight teams. (48 miles from O'Hare, (800) 255-5253, www.garyairshow.com)

German Valley Days, German Valley, Ill., July 18-20. Community festival with a pancake breakfast, pork chop barbecue, entertainment, pig scramble, car show, horse-drawn festival parade, street dance, amusements, kiddie tractor pull, contests, concessions and fireworks. (95 miles from O'Hare, (815) 362-3671, www.stephenson-county-il.org)

Evinrude E-Tec, Big Fish Bash, Racine, Wis., July 12-20. Formerly known as the Salmon-A-Rama, the Big Fish Bash attracts thousands of anglers from 25 states to the world's largest and longest freshwater fishing event with nearly $100,000 in prizes. More than 40,000 festival-goers enjoy live music, children's entertainment, comedy performances, classic car shows, and live and silent auctions. (60 miles from O'Hare, (262) 634-1931, www.bigfishbash.com)

Festa Italiana, Milwaukee, Wis., July 17-20. A combination of romantic music, authentic food and street festival spirit along the shores of Lake Michigan. Music by Sicilian brass bands and folk entertainment. A Sunday Mass features a religious procession reminiscent of Sicily's past. Displays of sacred church art, vintage photos of Italian neighborhoods and the musical scores and song sheets from the Golden Age of Opera. (80 miles from O'Hare, (414) 223-2808, www.festaitaliana.com)

Beloit Riverfest, Beloit, Wis., July 17-20. More than 65,000 people are expected for this music festival featuring three stages and a wide variety of bands and performers. A classic rock fest, featuring more contemporary rock groups, takes place Saturday night. National acts perform each evening. (81 miles from O'Hare, (608) 313-1200, www.beloitriverfest.com)

Port Washington Fish Day, Port Washington, Wis., July 19. Family-oriented event billed as "The World's Largest One-Day Outdoor Fish Fry" includes live entertainment on five stages, a carnival, arts and crafts, a classic car show and fireworks. In place of a parade this year, there will be a Marching Unit Extravaganza and a performance of "Disney's High School Musical" by Central Wisconsin Children's Theater. (104 miles from O'Hare, (800) 719-4881, www.portfishday.com)

National Baby Food Festival, Fremont, Mich., July 15-19. World Famous Baby Crawl, baby food cook-off and eating contests for adults and kids, plus performance by Lonestar, games, arts and crafts, parade and midway. (226 miles from O'Hare, (231) 924-2270, www.babyfoodfest.com)

Country Jam USA Festival, Eau Claire, Wis., July 17-19. Located on the banks of the Chippewa River, music festival attracts more than 120,000 and features more than 15 of Nashville's hottest stars. This year's lineup includes Carrie Underwood, Big & Rich and Rascal Flatts. (302 miles from O'Hare, (800) 780-0526, www.countryjam.com)

Ann Arbor Art Fairs, Ann Arbor, Mich., July 16-19. Named by AmericanStyle magazine as one of the top 10 art fairs in the U.S. Four separate fairs meld into one massive display of fine arts and crafts with entertainment and food booths sprinkled throughout. (250 miles from O'Hare, (734) 994-5260, www.artfair.org)

Honor the Earth Pow-wow, Hayward, Wis., July 18-20. The 35th annual Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe celebration provides an opportunity for the entire family to gain a greater appreciation of this Chippewa tribe's culture. Indian children, dressed in traditional costumes, dance alongside their elders. This celebration also welcomes many other tribes and nations, speakers, sports, games, drumming, arts and crafts displays and traditional American Indian foods. (404 miles from O'Hare, (715) 634-8662, www.haywardareachamber.com/events.html)

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Hall of Fame Weekend, Cooperstown, N.Y., July 25-28. Annual event at the National Baseball Hall of Fame brings baseball fans, past baseball heroes and future hall-of-famers together in a multigenerational celebration of America's favorite pastime. Activities include trivia contests, musical entertainment and a youth baseball clinic on Doubleday Field. Rich "Goose" Gossage, Dick Williams, Barney Dreyfuss, Bowie Kuhn, Walter O'Malley and Billy Southworth will be honored on July 27. ((888) 875-2969, www.cooperstowngetaway.org)

Event details are subject to change; contact organizers for updated information.