Seventh annual Chicago Turkish Festival set for Daley Plaza
Chicago
Turkish delight
It's not exactly the courtyard of Topkapi Palace, but Daley Plaza makes a fine open-air setting for the seventh annual Chicago Turkish Festival offering free admission. Get ready for demonstrations of Turkish art, film, dance, music and food and learn a bit about the amazing history, culture, heritage and cuisine of the Asian-European country. Enter the plaza through the doors of a traditional Safranbolu House and you can watch a fashion show of traditional and modern Turkish couture, performances of Turkish folk dances, fascinating Whirling Dervishes, demonstrations of silk carpet weaving, paper marbling, calligraphy, illuminations, ceramic art and more while listening to authentic Turkish music. Shop for handmade Pasabahce glassware, Iznik ceramics and pottery, Turkish rugs, bags and jewelry and refuel on kebabs, doner sandwiches, vegetable and meat dishes, apricots, hazelnuts, figs and orchid ice cream (the fest serves over 1,000 gallons). When you need a lift, sip a cup of sturdy Turkish coffee to accompany your Turkish delight.
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, May 27-30, at Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St.; chicagoturkishfestival.com.
Steins and sausage for summer
You thought you had to wait until autumn for a colossal stein of bier, a string of brats and a dose of oompah music? Not if you take a whirl around the maypole and welcome the arrival of summer at the annual Lincoln Square Mayfest in its 10th year of German gemutlichkeit and glück. Have a strudel and some nudels and take in performances by the staff of the Old Town School of Folk Music, The Captain Blood Orchestra ('60s rock 'n' roll); German bands like Phenix and Austrian Express, and German dance groups. The crowning of the May queen and traditional keg tapping are always a cause for raising another glass to the end of another long Midwestern winter. Admission is free.
5 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, May 28; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, May 29; noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 30; and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, May 31 at Lincoln and Leland avenues (right off the Brown line); www.mayfestchicago.com.
Back to the 'hood
Lucky us - we have a world-class city as our backyard and the Chicago Office of Tourism is making it easy to sightsee with Explore Chicago: Take a Neighborhood Vacation. Experience the spirit and culture of Chicago neighborhoods for free (or for just a few dollars) with programs available through any of the Visitor Information Centers or online at explorechicago.org. Sure to be a popular one this summer - a free one-hour walking tour of Hyde Park, President Barack Obama's old stomping grounds and home to the prestigious University of Chicago and one of Frank Lloyd Wright's most popular prairie-style designs, Robie House. Drop by the Hyde Park Arts Center and you'll soon be strolling with a friendly, neighborhood-wise volunteer to glean the history and culture of the area.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, June 6 to Sept. 26 at the Hyde Park Arts Center, 5020 S. Cornell Avenue. Call (877) 244-2246 for this and other free and low-cost neighborhood tours.
Midwest
Summer camp for big boys and girls
Imagine summer camp with Willie Nelson and Gomez as the evening entertainment instead of your camp counselor warbling "To Dream the Impossible Dream." You don't even have to make lanyards at the Summer Camp Music Festival held at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Ill. In addition to great music by the Willie and Gomez, take in concerts by Umphrey's McGee, The Wood Brothers, Les Claypool, Keller Williams and over 60 bands on five stages. Interactive elements include the 2009 MLB Road Show of live broadcasts of Major League Baseball games and batting cages; a gaming lounge featuring Xbox 360 and Playstation3 games on plasma screen TVs; hot air balloon rides afternoons and evenings for a bird's-eye view of the Illinois River Valley; musician workshops and a kid's camp each day of the festival. A three-day pass, that includes camping, is $140.
Friday to Sunday, May 22-24, at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, about 150 miles southwest of Chicago. Buy tickets, get directions and details at summercampfestival.com/2009.
You must remember this
If Memorial Day means burgers on the grill and the sight of your neighbor's pale, hairy legs emerging for the summer, why not consider really celebrating at the annual Mackinaw Memorial Weekend Celebration. It begins with the Mackinaw Memorial Bridge Race with runners sprinting over the spectacular Mackinac Bridge and goes on with bands, floats, sightings of the queen, clowns and the pageant cast in costume during the weekend's Grand Parade. Don't miss the dramatic re-enactment of the Native American siege of Fort Michilimackinac that happened on June 2, 1793. The historically rich event takes place for the 47th consecutive year and is the longest running, free historical Memorial Day performance in the nation. Grab a good spot for the grand fireworks display Saturday, May 23, at dusk sponsored by the Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau.
Saturday to Monday, May 23-25, at Mackinaw City, Mich. Shoot your questions to the Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau at (800) 666-0160 or visit mackinawcity.com.
76 trombones lead the big parade
It's a weekend of wholesome family entertainment at low-cost, but high on the glee scale when the North Iowa Band Festival steps off in Mason City, Iowa, the original "River City," U.S.A. Watch the 1962 film, "The Music Man," to get a bead on the town that inspired Meredith Willson to write and compose his first musical and then get ready for the carnival, craft show, concessions, open car cruise, a River City Superstar competition and more marching bands than you can shake a baton at. While you're in Mason City, be sure to see the Meredith Wilson boyhood home as well as Music Man Square.
Thursday to Monday, May 21-25, in Mason City, Iowa. For lodging and camping ideas, call (800) 423-5724 or march yourself right over to VisitMasonCityIowa.com.
Worth the trip
New York City is not exactly a budget-friendly destination, but the Big Apple's River To River Festival makes a vacation back east possible. The stellar buffet of completely free music, dance and cultural events includes Arlo Guthrie, Conor Oberst, Brian Stokes Mitchell (called "Broadway's last leading man), the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, New York City Opera, Jenny Lewis and cutting-edge shows like the Bang on a Can Marathon, a 12-hour marathon of astounding music. The festival takes place at venues along the downtown waterfront including the World Financial Center, the Seaport, Rockefeller Park, Battery Park and others. New York Magazine calls the annual arts festival "impressing hip and satisfyingly free."
May 31 to Aug. 31 (days, locations and times vary); get a complete schedule of River To River Festival programming at RiverToRiverNYC.com.