Cheap stuff: Dog Days, karaoke fest, Noble Fool's 'Picasso'
Free
Quality time with Spot and Fido
Dogs and their owners are invited to spend time together with various activities at the Dog Days event at Cantigny. Highlights include a dog play area, vendors, representatives from dog rescue groups, a demonstration of police K-9 training and a performance by the Windy City K-9 Disc Club.
Info: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at Cantigny Park and First Division Museum, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. Free admission. (630) 668-5161 or cantignypark.com.
"Okie Dokie, Let's Karaoke"
Don't be shy - grab the microphone to show off your singing talent at the "Okie Dokie, Let's Karaoke" event. Guests can also choose to just sit back and enjoy the tunes. Light refreshments are available for purchase.
Info: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at Friendship Park Conservatory, 395 Algonquin Road, Des Plaines. Admission is free. (847) 298-3500.
A chance meeting?
Noble Fool Theatricals Performing Arts Academy Studio Theater presents "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," Steve Martin's hit comedy guessing what might have happened if Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein walked into the same bar.
Info: 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8, at Noble Fool Theatricals at Pheasant Run Resort & Spa, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. Free, but donations appreciated. (630) 584-6342.
Gurnee Days
The annual Gurnee Days festival offers a carnival, the Gurnee Idol contest, a bike rodeo, a "Movie in the Park," a golf tournament, tasty rib festival and a parade.
Runs Thursday, Aug. 13, through Sunday, Aug. 16, at Viking Park and around O'Plaine Road and Old Grand Avenue, Gurnee. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14; 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15; and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15. The Gurnee Days parade kicks off on Old Grand Avenue at noon on Sunday, Aug. 16. Free admission. (847) 249-5596 or gurnee.il.us/gurnee_days.
$10 and under
Wedding Banned
The rock tribute band Wedding Banned presents a musical evening of hits from the 1980s and 1990s.
Info: 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10, at Durty Nellie's, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine. $7. (847) 358-9150 or durtynellies.com.
McHenry County Fair
The annual McHenry County Fair features carnival rides, concerts, livestock judging events, a horse show, 4-H events, a demolition derby, truck and tractor pulls, bull riding, food vendors and more.
Info: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 9, at the McHenry County Fairgrounds, Route 47 and Country Club Road, Woodstock. Admission is $7 per day. (815) 338-5315 or mchenrycountyfair.com.
When dinosaurs roamed Lake County
Travel through three geological time periods to see dinosaurs, ice age mammals and sea creatures that lived 400 million years ago in Lake County at the "Prehistoric Lake County" exhibit. See corals, trilobites, sea scorpions and crinoids. Learn how fossils are formed, and then dig for fossils in one of the exhibit's hands-on activities.
Info: Runs through Sunday, Aug. 30, at the Lake County Discovery Museum, 27277 N. Forest Preserve Drive, Wauconda. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $2.50-$6. Kids ages 3 and under are free. On Tuesdays admission is $3 for adults and free for ages 17 and under. (847) 968-3400 or lakecountydiscoverymuseum.org.