Top-notch night out may be as close as your community college
Just because you're watching your budget doesn't mean you have to cut back on taking your kids out for some family time. Local colleges provide much more than services to their students, hosting programs for the whole community at a low cost.
Windy City Challenge Cheer and Dance Competition, Harper College, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine, (866) 397-3034; harpercollege.edu
Date: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 15
Admission: Free
Cheerleading and dance teams from clubs and schools across Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan come to compete and perform at the Windy City Challenge. Besides traditional cheerleading, you'll see pom and hip-hop dancing with music for each performance. Community members are welcome to come and go throughout the day, with brackets from 4-year-old to high school and college groups each performing for about two minutes as part of a session of 15 to 20 teams.
About 40 to 60 groups are expected to show their skills throughout the day. There's plenty of seating available but the most popular acts are the advanced students who will take the stage in the afternoon. Snacks are available to purchase along with cheer and dance merchandise.
"Aladdin," James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts at the College of Lake County, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake, (847) 543-2300; jlcenter.clcillinois.edu
Date: 2 p.m. March 15
Admission: $5
While it's not the Disney version or a musical, the plot of this play will still be recognizable to anyone who's seen the movie. Following a poor boy tricked by an evil sorcerer into retrieving a magic lamp with a genie inside, the performance involves plenty of audience interaction. Kids will make sound effects and give advice to the actors throughout the show. The play is performed by The Neighborhood Players from Round Lake Area Park District, who have been putting on shows at the college for years.
Native American Pow Wow, Joliet Junior College, 1215 Houbolt Road, Joliet, (815) 280-2566; jcc.edu
Date: Noon to 9 p.m. March 14
Admission: $5, $3 for seniors and kids 12 and under
Joliet's 13th annual Pow Wow offers a day packed with activities to teach your family about Native American culture as part of a coordinated effort with The American Indian Center of Chicago. Dancers and drummers perform throughout the day wearing regalia from several area tribes. The event also includes a corridor filled with 35 to 45 vendors selling native arts and crafts and traditional Native America food is available to purchase in the cafeteria from noon to 6 p.m. From 2 to 4 p.m. a flute player will perform Native American songs accompanied by a band playing contemporary music with Native American themes.
Freedom Sings, Elgin Community College Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, (847) 622-0300; elginchildrenschorus.org
Date: 3 p.m. March 8
Admission: $12, $10 for seniors, $8 for students
A tribute to Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, the concert includes songs of freedom from around the world. Selections range from African-American spirituals to bluegrass to a Kenyan folk song. There's also more familiar tunes like "Route 66," celebrating the freedom of the road, and the American abolitionist song "Battle Hymn of the Republic."