Weekend picks: Great Scots at the Highland Games
Scottish Festival and Highland Games
Go Scottish for a day or two at the 26th Annual Scottish Festival and Highland Games. Highlights include dancing, Celtic music, drumming and athletic competitions, carnival attractions, children's activities and more at Hamilton Lakes, Thorndale Avenue and Route 53, Itasca. Admission ranges from $5-$20. Children ages 12 and younger admitted free with a paying adult on Friday, June 15. chicagoscots.org. (708) 447-5092. 4 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 15, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 16
Blues in the 'burbs
Some top-shelf talent is on the schedule for the annual Blues on the Fox festival taking place this weekend at North River Street Park, New York and River streets, Aurora. The festival, the first of three scheduled as part of the Downtown Alive! live music series, will feature such luminaries as Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Shemekia Copeland, Billy Branch and the Nevilles. $5 per day. downtownaliveaurora.com. Friday and Saturday, June 15-16
Odes to Italy
Music acts like the Bronx Wanderers, singer John Michael Coppola and the Las Vegas act The Scintas are all featured at the 24th Annual Onesti Festa Pasta Vino Festival this weekend at Oakley Avenue and 24th St., St. Charles. $7 suggested donation. oshows.com. 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, June 15; noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 16; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, June 17
Crooner celebration
BrightSide Theatre celebrates one of the most beloved singers of the 20th century with the revue “My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra” at North Central College's Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth St., Naperville. (630) 637-7469 or brightsidetheatre.com. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 15-16; 3 p.m. Sunday, June 17
Record release
Blane Fonda, an infectious pop band with members from St. Charles, Naperville and Wheeling, will celebrate the release of its new record, “Foolish Croon,” with a show this weekend at Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave., Chicago. $10. subt.net. 9 p.m. Friday, June 15
Oh so artsy
More than 75 juried artists display and offer their works for sale, while others will provide live demonstrations like Chicago graffiti artist Won Kim at the Art in Bloom fine art festival this weekend at Cantigny Park and First Division Museum, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. Free admission, but parking is $5. (630) 668-5161 or cantigny.org. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 16, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 17
Custer's Last Stand
Nearly 400 artists display their creations at the annual Custer's Last Stand Festival of the Arts, at Chicago Avenue and Main Street, Evanston. Other fest highlights include music on two stages, a children's park with entertainment, theatrical performances, food booths and more. Suggested gate donation is $1. (847) 328-2204 or custerfair.com. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 16-17
Arts in Antioch
Browse through 150 booths of handcrafted wares at the Antioch Summer Bazaar Arts and Craft Faire, on Main Street in downtown Antioch. Free. (847) 395-2233 or antiochchamber.org. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 16, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 17
Sculpture celebrates freedom
The community is invited to the unveiling of a new Preston Jackson sculpture, in the lobby of the College of Lake County Lakeshore Campus, 33 N. Genesee, Waukegan. The sculpture, titled “Passages to Freedom,” was commissioned by the College of Lake County's Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, to commemorate Lake County's role in the Underground Railroad at the time of slavery. Admission is free. (847) 543-2191. 11 a.m. Saturday, June 16
Life in the 1840s
Step back in time during Garfield Farm Museum's 1840s Days. The event features guided tours and period demonstrations by costumed interpreters. Visitors can walk through the restored 1846 brick inn and the museum's historical barns. Garfield Farm Museum is on Garfield Road, off Route 38, Campton Hills. Admission $3-$6. (630) 584-8485 or garfieldfarm.org. Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 16-17
Walk this way
Taste your way through Barrington at a free wine walk in downtown Barrington at Cook and Station streets. Each stop on the walk offers complimentary seasonal wines and appetizers. Stops along the way include the Park Avenue Wine Bar, Mia Sorella, Urban Flair, Grassroots, The Blue House, Angelina's, Re De Find, Barrington Flower Shop, SweetPea Cakes, Acacia Organics and Notice. Call (847) 304-3400 or visit www.barrington-il.gov. 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 16
Fight! fight!
Fans of mixed martial arts and cage matches won't want to miss local amateur fighters compete in XFO 44 at the Sears Centre Arena, 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates. $35-$800. $10 parking. (888) 732-7784 or searscentre.com. 6 p.m. Saturday, June 16
'Heaven'
See “Heaven,” an original comedy by Russ Devereaux, about an ordinary guy who stumbles through the admission process to heaven. The production takes place at the Bartlett Nature Center Auditorium, in the James “Pate” Philip Visitor Center, 2054 W. Stearns Road, Bartlett. $10. (630) 540-4834 or artsinbartlett.org. 7 p.m. Saturday, June 16, and 3 p.m. Sunday, June 17
Orchestral passion
The Chicago Sinfonietta offers a new orchestral arrangement of Leonard Bernstein's “West Side Story” and performs selections from Mendelssohn's “A Midsummer Night's Dream” with snippets of Shakespeare's text read by Naperville Mayor George Pradel at North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville, $35-$45, (312) 236-3681 or chicagosinfonietta.org. 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16
Father's Day Classic Car Show
Take Dad out to see some vintage cars — classic models from the 1920s to the roadsters of the 1960s — at the Father's Day Classic Car Show at Oakbrook Center, Route 83 and 22nd Street, Oak Brook. Some of the vehicles being showcased include the 1915 Chevrolet Amesbury Special and the 1953 Corvette and Studebaker. Free admission. (630) 573-0700 or oakbrookcenter.com. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 17
Fathers ride for free
The Fox River Trolley Museum celebrates Father's Day with free trolley rides for fathers and grandfathers (with a paid child's fare). The Fox River Trolley Museum is at 361 S. LaFox St. (Route 31), South Elgin. Regular fares are $4 adults; $3 for seniors (65 and older), and $2 for children age 3-11. Kids under age 3 ride for free. All-day passes for $8 are available. (847) 697-4676 or foxtrolley.org. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 17
Tim Zimmerman and King's Brass
Tim Zimmerman and King's Brass present a concert of secular and sacred selections at Faith Lutheran Church, 431 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights. Musical instruments in the program include tuba, trumpets, keyboards and trombone. A free-will offering is welcome. (847) 253-4839. 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 17