On the cheap: Events to catch in the suburbs
Free
The Billys
Peggy Kinnane's Irish Restaurant & Pub says farewell to 2010 as it welcomes The Billys for a New Year's Eve program of dance rock music.
9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, at Peggy Kinnane's Irish Restaurant & Pub, 8 N. Vail Ave., Arlington Heights. Free admission. (847) 577-7733 or peggykinnanes.com.
See “Shrek” for free
See the adventures of the world's best known green ogre, Shrek, his pal Donkey and his true love Princess Fiona in a free screening of the 2001 blockbuster family film “Shrek.” The film is rated PG and runs 90 minutes. Popcorn and other favorite movie snacks will be available for guests to purchase at the theater's cafe.
1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2, at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. Free admission. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.
Help for aspiring authors
Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, authors of “The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published,” will speak to the public and advise aspiring authors on the best methods of getting published at the Pitchapalooza event at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville. Eckstut and Sterry will be accompanied by a panel of publishing experts who will discuss the world of publishing and hear new book ideas from guests.
7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, at Anderson's Bookshop at 123 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville. Event is free and open to the public for those who simply want to listen to the panel of experts. For aspiring authors wanting to pitch their book ideas, a purchase of Eckstut and Sterry's book from Anderson's is required to get a priority number in the book-pitching line. Twenty guests will be randomly chosen to pitch their stories. (630) 355-2665 or andersonsbookshop.com.
Singing' the blues
Guests can hear a wide variety of blues performers step up to the microphone during Harlem Avenue Lounge's Open Mic Blues Jam. There is no cover charge.
8:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, at Harlem Avenue Lounge, 3701 S. Harlem Ave., Berwyn. (708) 484-3610 or HarlemAvenueLounge.com.
$10 and under
Rico! rocks in the new year
Rico! helps usher in 2011 at the Blues Bar in Mount Prospect with an evening of rock music and a champagne toast. Rico! presents a wide variety of selections, including music from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Santana, Kanye West and James Brown. Instruments include bass, congas, drums, timbales, guitars and keyboard.
9:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, at Blues Bar, 2 W. Busse Ave., Mount Prospect. $10 cover per person includes music, a champagne toast and party favors. (847) 788-9977 or visit blues-bar.com.
Thunderbird Singles
The Thunderbird Singles group hosts its weekly Retro Sunday evening for singles featuring socializing, music, dancing, a giant buffet and a raffle.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, at Club 94, 1070 S. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling. Music starts at 7 p.m. $8. (847) 604-3446.
Sunday with John and Yoko
Sunday, Jan. 2, is the final day for visitors to see the “Give Peace A Chance: John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Bed-In For Peace” exhibit at the Lake County Discovery Museum. The exhibit features more than 40 large-format photographs taken during the bed-in for peace event staged by legendary musician John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono from May 26 to June 2, 1969, in Montreal.
10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2, at the Lake County Discovery Museum, on Route 176, just west of Fairfield Road in the Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda. $2.50-$6. (Note: Museum is closed on Saturday, Jan. 1). (847) 968-3400 or lakecountydiscoverymuseum.org.