The fourth annual Great Performers of Illinois celebration

Chicago

Local guys and gals done good

The fourth annual Great Performers of Illinois celebration will include more than 50 diverse musical performances as well as interactive events, hands-on activities for kids, regional foods and wines, an Illinois destinations showcase and an 8,000-square-foot corn maze. Among the performers is Dennis DeYoung presenting the music of his former band, Styx, the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus with selections from Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" and "The Mikado," DHF Express, Alice Peacock, Matt Rhodes Band, The Lincoln Trio, The Chicago Youth Circus with Rock For Kids' All Star Choir, Fiery Furnaces and a dozen Charlie Chaplin actors from the Silent Theatre Company. Visitors can also do-si-do on the promenade with Tangleweed providing square dancing accompaniment. All performances are free! Don't miss the market showcase of Illinois artisans and locally produced food products available for purchase.

6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, July 10; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, July 11; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday; July 12; and noon to 8 p.m. Monday, July 13, at Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Monroe streets. (312) 742-1168 or greatperformersofillinois.com

St. Patrick's Day (part two)

There's no need to wait until next March to dazzle friends with your Bono imitation when the 24th annual Irish American Heritage Festival celebrates the best in Irish music, dancing, food and culture. Kids stuff includes a moonwalk, face painters, picnic games and Sham-ROCK Stars! - a singing contest for kids under 18. Dad might want to belly up to the mashed potato bar for an eating contest and for singles there will be music, dancing and traditional Irish matchmakers. The Heritage Center's library, art gallery and museum will be open so you can get out of the sun for a wee bit.

There will be wall-to-wall musical performances from Gaelic Storm, Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul, The Tossers and more. Come hungry for fish and chips, sausages, shepherd's pie, corned beef sandwiches, pizza, ice cream and even some Greek food. Entrance fee is $14 or $8 if you buy before Friday, July 10; $7 seniors; free for kids under 12.

6 p.m. to midnight, Friday, July 10; noon to midnight Saturday, July 11; and noon to 11 p.m. Sunday, July 12, at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox Ave. (773) 282-7035 or irishfestchicago.com.

Welles Park turns into Woodstock

Wondering "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" or what "John Henry" or "Tom Dooley" have been up to lately? While it's not exactly "On Top of Old Smokey," the Lincoln Square neighborhood makes a fine home for the 12th annual Chicago Folk and Roots Festival. Hear live music from a mix of international artists, national and local talent (a Woody Guthrie Folk Jam, Grateful Dead Ensemble and Bluegrass jam are just a few), sample the wares of Chicago food and beer vendors, and browse arts and crafts. The family-friendly fest offers dance lessons from polka and waltz to hip-hop and jazz, and entertainment for kids and teens, too. A suggested donation is $8 for adults and $4 for kids and seniors.

Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, at Welles Park, 2333 W. Sunnyside Ave. Chicago. (773) 728-6000 or oldtownschool.org.

Midwest

Thy ale and turkey legs await

If the 16th century games, rides, arts, crafts, food, music and eclectic entertainment don't dazzle you, perhaps the fact that many re-creators are wearing 40 pounds of costume in 90-degree heat will. The 22nd annual Bristol Renaissance Faire is a rollicking trip back to Elizabethan England by way of Kenosha, Wis., as more than 1,200 period performers, artisans and merchants inhabit the wooded village weekends for nine weeks. The popular jousting knights, mud beggars and Robin Hood and his Merry Men return. Special guest artists include a master juggler and a nimble-tongued Shakespearean troupe that performs "Twelfth Night" in less than an hour using lots of physical comedy. Older kids and teens can create characters online on the "Bristol RenQuest" Facebook Fan Page before arriving and get in on Bristol's live action fantasy-play "RenQuest" on the faire grounds. The Faire's Kids Kingdom, an enclosed play area with a climb-aboard pirate ship, is a favorite of young lords and ladies. Tickets purchased at the gate are $18.95/adults and $9.50/children 5 to 12. Opening weekend tickets are $15, with children age 12 and under admitted free.

10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine, July 11 to Sept. 7. Located just west of I-94's Russell Road exit, near Kenosha. Advance ticket discounts available online at renfair.com or by calling (847) 395-7773.

Wilderness rocks on with new attractions

Water park overachiever, The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort, unveils a few more reasons kids clamor to visit the Dells every summer. Wisconsin's first treetop zip lining adventure, spanning nearly 2,500 feet, opens with visitors stepping off from the Wilderness's five 65-foot tall towers soaring above the Dells' famous Lost Canyon. The five zip lines are of various lengths with the longest at 907 feet or more than three football fields. Wilderness Resort has also added an 18-hole Jurassic-themed outdoor mini golf course, new Lost World Go-Karts and a bumper boat harbor. Guests are already enjoying the two indoor, black light mini golf courses, The Wild Abyss (featuring real sharks) and The Wild Buccaneer, a pirate-themed course.

The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort, Wisconsin Dells, Wis. (800) 867-WILD (9453) or wildernessterritory.com

Lions, tigers and clowns

The Great Circus Parade, a street pageant unlike any other, returns for the first time since 2003. More than 100 units, including 52 historic circus wagons from Circus World in Baraboo, Wis., are pulled by 350 horses. Ten marching bands add tempo to the entire exhibition. More than a dozen top bandwagon bands and some specialty musical units, exotic animals, 150 clowns, antique firefighting equipment, mounted police and 450 riding and walking performers dressed in extravagant circus wardrobe take visitors back to the old-fashioned circus parades of more than a century ago. Free, but reserved general admission bleacher seating is also available.

1:30 p.m., Sunday, July 12, along the Milwaukee lakefront, 1300 North Lincoln Memorial Drive. See the parade route or get details at circusworld.wisconsinhistory.org or call (866) 693-1500.

Worth the trip

You'll be bellowing "to infinity and beyond" during the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, the launching point of all Apollo missions. An elite assembly of astronauts, including Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, join in the public ceremony at the Apollo/Saturn V Center and share personal stories of space exploration followed by the unveiling of the Apollo Treasures Gallery.

The gallery will showcase artifacts from Apollo moon missions. a rare collection of space suits and gear used to explore the lunar surface, shoes, helmets and gloves plus tools used to excavate the lunar surface, Apollo 16 astronaut John Young's cuff checklist with instructions on how to deploy the American flag on the moon and Apollo 13's space suit repair kit and service module rescue book. Aldrin will sign copies of his new book, "Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home From the Moon," too. On Monday, July 20, the visitor complex will have one of the world's largest MoonPies in the Rocket Garden. At 8 p.m., the Camp Kennedy Space Center will host a special Overnight Adventure for campers participating the week of July 20-24.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, Fla. (321) 449-4400 or KennedySpaceCenter.com.