Pink ladies swarm the Magnificent Mile for cancer awareness
Chicago
Pink ladies swarm the Mag Mile
If you haven't gone on a shopping spree lately, here's your chance. Bright Pink and The 900 Shops team up to provide one-day discounts at Michael Kors, Banana Republic, J. Crew, Jake and more while supporting breast and ovarian cancer awareness. With the purchase of a $20 ticket, you can enter to win raffle prizes and gain exclusive access to remarkable discounts, complimentary treats and fun activities with all proceeds benefiting Bright Pink. In conjunction with the sales, daylong complimentary activities include an education seminar on breast and ovarian health; mini-manicures by Mario Tricoci; chocolate tasting by Teuscher; Laura Mercier mini-facials and makeup applications by Bobbi Brown at Bloomingdale's; free hourlong yoga classes; cooking demonstrations by Williams-Sonoma; frozen yogurt and iced coffee treats and more. Bright Pink shoppers are also offered a $10 all-day special parking rate.
Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 19, at 900 North Michigan Avenue. Advance tickets are $20, day-of tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the registration desk on level two beginning at 10 a.m. Purchase tickets at shop900.com/brightpink.
Cubs/Sox/Sax
The Hotel Sax Chicago is offering a North Side/South Side package for Cubs and Sox fans throughout the baseball season that includes complimentary overnight valet parking for the duration of your stay; a minimum one-night stay in a king or double bed in a deluxe guest room; a complimentary drink in the Hotel Sax Technology lounge or Crimson Lounge; a sports backpack; Garrett's popcorn; two water bottles for the game; travel-size sunscreen; disposable camera; Cubs or Sox peanuts and pennant; either Harry Caray's world famous Holy Cow Chips or Jay's Potato Chips for South Side fans; a custom-made walking/public transportation map to either US Cellular Park or Wrigley Field; and a round-trip CTA card for each guest. Rates for the North Side/South Side package start at $159 (regular rates at the hotel without the package start at $145, so it's a nice deal). After your stay, write your North Side or South Side story on the Hotel Sax Web site and you may win an autographed baseball from a player on your favorite team. Allow a 14-day lead time for booking all packages.
North Side/South Side package will be available until Monday, Sept. 7, at Hotel Sax Chicago, 333 N. Dearborn St. (877) 569-3742 or hotelsaxchicago.com.
Home theaters are great in the winter, but how often do you get to see a classic film on a gigantic screen and enjoy a state-of-the-art sound system outdoors - for free? How about Tuesday nights this summer courtesy of the 10th Chicago Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park? Recall the fun of the drive-in movie with the city skyline as your setting. Spread out on a blanket, bring your own snacks or picnic dinner and some popcorn and take in classic American films like "Sunset Boulevard," "Duck Soup," "Tootsie," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Psycho." Show up on opening night of the festival and you could win a basket of goodies from Turner Classic Movies or a "Room With a View" package that includes a Tuesday night stay at the Essex Inn, a picnic dinner to the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival and two VIP tickets to the John Hancock Observatory.
Dusk Tuesdays, July 14 to Aug. 25, at Butler Field, Grant Park, 100 S. Lake Shore Drive. (312) 744-3315 or explorechicago.org.
Midwest
It's all about family
When in Milwaukee, do as the Italians do and celebrate La Famiglia at the 32nd annual Festa Italiana, the largest Italian event of its kind in the nation. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the publication of the original "Pinocchio" book in Italy, so expect the impish character to make appearances on Pinocchio Plaza where a team of world champion sand sculptors will create 20-foot sculptures of the story's characters out of 150 tons of sand. Adults and children enjoy free amusement rides as well as a daily Pinocchio Parade, grand parade, Italian music, folk dancers, flag throwers from Italy, bocce ball, clowns, jugglers, baton twirlers, acrobats, Italian fireworks and more. Foodies should find their fix at cooking demos at the Cucina. Expect heavenly scents wafting through the air along the lines of sausage, pizza, arancini, eggplant, Sicilian steak, Italian beef, pasta, calamari, fresh clams and meatball sandwiches. Music from Al Martino to the Vogues will bring back memories.
2 p.m. to midnight, Thursday, July 16; 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday through Sunday, July 17-19, at Henry W. Maier Festival Park (Summerfest grounds) in Milwaukee. Advance tickets are available for $10 or a family pack in advance costs $30 for five tickets. Check the Web site for admission discounts. (414) 223-2808 or FestaItaliana.com.
Baby love
Perhaps you developed a sophisticated palate from your first taste of strained beets? Revisit your baby food days in the hometown of Gerber Products in Fremont, Mich., during the 19th annual National Baby Food Festival. Watch the baby food cook-off, baby food eating contests and a real baby crawl, visit the Kid Zone with games and arts and crafts and enjoy a midway full of rides and Saturday's grand parade. Join in some good wholesome fun like contests in frog jumping, hula hoops, bubble gum blowing, pie eating, turtle races and dunk tanks.
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 22; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, July 23-24; and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 25. Main Street, Fremont, Mich. Call (800) 592-2229 or nbff.org.
Crime relic
Capitalizing on the film "Public Enemies," the John Dillinger Museum's most valuable relic will be on display for one day only. The wooden gun that Dillinger used to break out of the Crown Point, Ind., jail has never been on public display, but you can see it as well as the two Thompson submachine guns the criminal swiped during the same escape. Wednesday, July 22, marks the 75th anniversary of Dillinger's death when he was shot down by federal agents in front of the Biograph Theater in Chicago in 1934. The interactive museum illustrates the life and times of Dillinger and other gangsters during the Depression and shows advancements made in crime fighting technology during the first 30 years of the 20th century.
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, at the John Dillinger Museum, 7770 Corinne Drive (inside the Indiana Welcome Center), Hammond, Ind. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for children ages 6-12, and free for children 5 and younger. (219) 989-7979 or visit dillingermuseum.com.
Worth the trip
A journey to Antarctica is like no other experience in the world. It's a land teeming with vast icebergs, penguins, whales and elephant seals. One of the most remote places on earth, Antarctica is an extraordinary destination that most of us won't ever see, which makes Quark Expeditions' contest even more attractive. One blogger and a friend will snag a free $20,000 Antarctic Cruise. Post your entry at blogyourwaytoantarctica.com by telling the world why you should be the Quark Expeditions blogger. On Sept. 30, the entrant with the most number of votes will be crowned winner of the trip that includes airfare for two from the closest international gateway, one night of hotel accommodation in Ushuaia, Argentina, and a main deck twin cabin aboard Lyubov Orlova for 11 nights, including all shipboard meals and all excursions in the Antarctic Peninsula. Visit quarkexpeditions.com.