Best Bets: Cocoa in Long Grove, wine in Wheaton and orchids at Chicago Botanic Garden
Wine, cheese and cocoa
• The Village of Long Grove transforms itself into a cocoa town for its eighth annual Cocoa Crawl. Participants can sip complimentary hot cocoa samples under outdoor tents and enjoy cocoa-inspired creations and merchandise courtesy of local vendors. A map of participating stores and restaurants is available at the Long Grove Visitor’s Center, 145 Old McHenry Road, Long Grove. Free. longgrove.org/festivals/cocoa-crawl. Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8
• The Downtown Wheaton Association hosts its Winter Wine & Cheese Walk this weekend in downtown Wheaton. Participating businesses, including restaurants and retailers, will offer 1-ounce tastings along with a selection of curated artisan cheeses. Some of the participating businesses include: Altiro Latin Fusion, DoodleBug Workshop, Hale Street Cantina, Ivy Restaurant, Miroballi Shoes, Tasting deVine and Vintage Charm, among others. Participants must be 21. $40. wheaton.il.us. 2-5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8; check-in from 1-4:30 p.m. at 124 N. Main St., Wheaton
Movie night and more at the Lyric
• The Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, hosts “Symphonic Night at the Movies: Singin’ in the Rain” during which Nicholas Buc conducts the orchestra in a performance of the score during a screening of the 1952 film. Tickets start at $29. (312) 827-5600 or lyricopera.org/singinintherain. 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7
• Also at the Lyric, “Sondra Radvanovsky in Concert: The Puccini Heroines” features the acclaimed soprano and Evanston resident performing some of Giacomo Puccini’s famous arias, including “Vissi d’arte” from “Tosca,” “Un bel di vedremo” from “Madama Butterfly,” and selections from “La Boheme,” “Turandot” and others. Tickets start at $59. lyricopera.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8; 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16
Driehaus exhibition opens
The Driehaus Museum, 50 E. Erie St., Chicago, mounts what is reportedly its largest contemporary exhibition to date. “A Tale of Today: Materialities” showcases more than a dozen Midwest artists who, in 2023, were asked to identify a material from the museum, research its history and produce a site-specific work that connects the “fabric of the building to distant shores, traditions and ideologies.” The commissioned works link different cultures to specific materials in the mansion, allowing visitors to see it in a new way. $20 adults, $15 seniors, $10 kids. (312) 482-8933 or driehausmuseum.org. Friday, Feb. 7, through April 27
India blooms
More than 10,000 colorful blooms reflecting the horticultural beauty and tradition of India will be on display during the annual Chicago Botanic Garden orchid show. “Orchid Show: India Blooms” will be displayed in the garden’s indoor galleries at 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe. In addition to the garden’s regular hours, orchid enthusiasts can enjoy the display on select evenings from 5-8 p.m. Photographers can access the orchids from 8:15-9:45 a.m. and 4:15-5:45 p.m. Tuesday. Adults: $12 member/$22 nonmember; kids 3-12: $8 member/$15 nonmember. (847) 835-6801 or chicagobotanic.org/orchid. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, through March 23
Dance, dance, dance
• New York’s Complexions: Contemporary Ballet returns to The Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago, with a program that features the local premiere of “For Crying Out Loud,” a work in which the company dances to such U2 hits as “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “Every Breaking Wave,” “With or Without You,” “I Will Follow” and “Pride (In the Name of Love).” The program also includes selections from the company’s 30-year history, such as 1995’s “Ave Maria” and 2024’s “This Time, With Feeling.” Tickets start at $39. (312) 342-2300 or auditoriumtheatre.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7
∙ Giordano Dance Chicago, Comedy Dance Chicago, Footprints Tap Ensemble, Hip Hop ConnXion and the Trinity Irish Dancers are among the ensembles performing as part of Dance Chicago’s “Dances From the Heart” celebration, which is celebrating 30 years. Emergence Dance Theatre hosts the event at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. $19-$49. (312) 820-6250 or athenaeumcenter.org. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8
• Hubbard Street Dance’s winter series takes place at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St., Chicago. The program includes a world premiere by choreographer James Gregg; Johan Inger’s “Impasse”; “Into Being,” a work by frequent collaborators Alice Klock and Florian Lochner (known as Flock); and “Black Milk” by Ohad Naharin. $20-$110. (312) 850-9744, ext. 5, or hubbardstreetdance.com. 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 13-15, and 3 p.m. Feb. 16
Speaking of dance …
Award-winning choreographer Anne Collod examines the foundation of modern dance in the United States through gender roles and colonialist perspective as part of her show “Moving alter-natives,” part of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s On Stage performance series at 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. Adults: $19 Chicago residents/$22 nonresidents; students: $10 Chicago residents/$14 nonresidents. (312) 280-2660 or mcachicago.org. 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 13-15