Art Institute exhibit focuses on ancient ballgames
Explore "Ballplayers, Gods, and Rainmaker Kings: Masterpieces from Ancient Mexico" at the Art Institute of Chicago and you'll see how ancient ballgames were played not only for sport, but also for mediation and divination. In those days, cosmic events were thought to influence the outcome of the games. The museum joins dozens of other cultural organizations around Chicago participating in the citywide celebration of Mexico 2010 with this exhibit of sculptural masterpieces from the country's ancient civilizations, many of which have never before been seen in the U.S.
10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, from Thursday, Sept. 16 to Jan. 2, at 111 S. Michigan Ave. Admission is $18 for adults; $12 for kids 14 and older, students and seniors; free for children younger than 14. For details, visit artinstituteofchicago.org.
That's amore
Celebrate all things Italian at the Italian Expo at Navy Pier. Sample culinary specialties from Chicago restaurants such as Ristorante Al Teatro, 312 Chicago, Club Lago, Quartino and Coco Pazzo, among many others. It will be like shopping in Milan when more than 100 companies and vendors display and sell Italian-made products. Experience apparel and fine jewelry runway shows and watch cooking competitions among Chicago's top chefs of Italian cuisine. There will be information on visiting and touring Italy, too.
2:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19, at Navy Pier, Festival Hall A, 600 E. Grand Ave. Buy tickets online for $10 or at the door for $15; free for kids 12 and younger. Visit italianexpo.us.
Hips don't lie
Millennium Park will soon be heating up for the annual Viva! Chicago Latin Music Festival. Considered one of the most spirited festivals of the summer, the 2010 fest celebrates 22 years and features Grammy Award-nominated Mexican pop singer Cristian Castro, Julio Cortez y la Explosion de la Cumbia, Colombian salsa and tropical music singer Carolina Ovalle Arango, Chicago Sones Collective and many others. Musical styles include ranchera, banda, cumbia, salsa, fandango, merengue tipico, folkloric rumba, Columbian music of the valley, Spanish and Cuban. In addition to music stages, expect a separate area for dancing and a kids' zone for arts and crafts, and storytelling.
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday to Saturday, Sept. 17-18. Call (312) 744-3370 or visit vivachicago.us in Millennium Park, North Michigan Avenue and East Randolph Street.
Midwest
Start spreading the moos
The oldest and largest food fest in the Midwest (dating back to 1914) will take place in Green County, Wis., home to the largest concentration of cheese makers in the country and the most certified Wisconsin master cheese makers in the state. At Monroe's Cheese Days, you'll enjoy cheese tasting and cooking demonstrations, live music, dairy farm tours, Swiss cuisine, children's parade, an arts and crafts show, antique tractor and car show and the Swiss Colony Cheese Days Parade. Don't miss the Cheese Days Cow Milking Contest and, of course, there will be plenty of food and refreshments.
9 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 17-18, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19, at Historic Courthouse Square in Monroe, Wis. Call (800) 307-7208 or visit cheesedays.com.
Get your flicks on Route 66
See 62 films in three days at the Route 66 International Film Festival. Films include documentaries, experimental pieces, dramas, animation, thrillers, foreign films, comedy and horror movies from around the world. Get in on filmmakers meet and greets, as well as contests in which the audience votes on favorite films in various genres.
6 p.m. to midnight Friday, Sept. 17; 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday, Sept. 18; and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, 420 S. 6th St., Springfield, Ill. Festival pass is $60 and includes a party with the filmmakers; a two-day pass is $50; a one-day pass is $30; three sessions any day is $25; and a single session is $10. Call (217) 523-2787 or route66filmfestival.net.
Roll out the barrel
Frankenmuth, aka "Michigan's Little Bavaria," is the first Oktoberfest outside of Munich to be sanctioned by the parliament and the city of Munich. The festival offers oodles of German culture and heritage with food, from colossal pretzels to authentic sauerbraten, barrels of beer, "wiener" dog races, oompah bands and entertainers flown in from the Motherland.
3 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16; noon to midnight Friday and Saturday, Sept Sept. 17-18; and Sunday, Sept. 19, at Heritage Park, 601 Weiss St., Frankenmuth, Mich. Admission is $8 for adults, free for ages 12 and younger; Sunday admission is free for all ages. Visit frankenmuthfestivals.com or call 800) 386-3378.
Worth the trip
It's all finger-licking good at the 21st annual World Chicken Festival in London, Ky. Delicious fried chicken dinners are served from the World's Largest Stainless Steel Skillet, which requires 300 gallons of cooking oil. A parade, carnival rides, games and entertainment that includes regional bands, a stage devoted to bluegrass music and the Kiddie World Stage with a Kid's Day Circus, music and magicians. Get in on a clucking contest, hot wing eating competition or the chick-o-lympics.
5 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23; 10 a.m. to midnight, Friday to Saturday, Sept. 24-25; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, in Laurel County, Ky., located in the heart of the Daniel Boone National Forest. Visit chickenfestival.com or call (800) 348-0095.