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Wish U.S. Grant a happy birthday

Not many people rate birthday celebrations long after their deaths, but in 1893 the citizens of Galena, Ill., decided their favorite son, Ulysses S. Grant, should be remembered annually with a birthday celebration.

The U.S. Grant Birthday Celebration April 18-20 will include a living-history encampment with military and civilian re-enactors. Visitors may stroll through the camp and witness life as it was during the Civil War, when Grant was commander in chief of the Union troops. No battles are scheduled, but military drills, demonstrations and skirmishes will be held.

Sutlers, sellers who provided merchandise to the soldiers, will vend their wares and a food tent will be available. The U.S. Grant Home State Historic Site will be open the evening of April 18 for a guided lamplight tour and at the log cabin on the site a period-dressed family will provide a glimpse of early frontier life.

Other events during the weekend include a pie auction, a period concert and theater performances, dining with historical personalities at the DeSoto House Hotel, the U.S. Grant Birthday Ball with dancing to a Civil War-era musical group and a church service hearkening back to the Bible-thumping days of 1860. (148 miles from O'Hare, (815) 777-9129, www.galenahistorymuseum.org; (877) 444-5850, www.galena.org)

Move your feet in Frankenmuth

Music from two very different eras marks the calendar in Frankenmuth, Mich., this month.

On April 18 and 19, Bringin' Back the '80s will dial back two decades and celebrate the styles and sounds of the 1980s. This fourth annual walk down memory lane will feature break dancing and costume contests, plus music by RockStar, "Detroit's Premier Hair Band Tribute Show."

From April 23-27 Zehnder's 14th Annual Ragtime Festival will allow visitors to step back in time to enjoy ragtime music, a vaudeville night and silent movies.

(316 miles from O'Hare, (800) 386-8696, www.frankenmuth.org)

View art and artists on courthouse lawn

The Third Annual Effingham Artisan Fair April 19 will recognize artistic talent for all ages. Held on the courthouse lawn in Effingham, Ill., fair visitors will be able to tour Sculpture on the Avenues, talk with the artists, observe the artists producing their work, purchase art work and enjoy various types of performing arts. (225 miles from O'Hare, (217) 342-1234, www.visiteffinghamil.com/calendar/calendardetailtest.cfm)

The morel of this story is downstate

Head to Southern Illinois this month to join mushroom hunters in their pursuit of the best and most fungi.

The Spores 'n' More Mushroom Festival will have fungi lovers prowling the woods around Shelbyville, Ill., April 18 and 19. A bus takes visitors to the mushroom hunting grounds where they will see who can find the most morels. Other festival activities include a rummage sale, mushroom soup dinner, plant sale and mushroom auction. (224 miles from O'Hare, (800) 874-3529, www.lakeshelbyville.com/Events/sporesnmore.htm)

The Mid-America Morel Mushroom Hunt Festival will be held April 19 and 20 at the Trail of Tears Lodge & Sports Resort in Jonesboro, Ill. Along with the hunt for the most and largest mushrooms, there will be a mushroom auction, mushroom crafters and vendors and the annual Morel Cookoff Contest. (363 miles from O'Hare, (618) 833-8697, www.trailoftears.com)

Chow down on jelly beans and pancakes

You'll have all the pancakes you can eat April 18 and 19 during the Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival in Wakarusa, Ind. Along with all the maple syrup, there will be tours, crafts, bed races, antiques, a parade, entertainment and jumbo jelly beans. (135 miles from O'Hare, (574) 862-4344, www.wakarusamaplesyrupfestival.com)

Aviation fans will head to Peoria

The Prairie Air Show in Peoria, Ill., will feature participants from all four armed services and several major civilian attractions on April 19 and 20. The U.S. Navy and Marines will be represented by the Blue Angels, the U.S. Army's Golden Knights Parachute Team will perform twice a day and the U.S. Air Force is represented by an F-15C Eagle Demonstration. Civilian performers will include John Klatt in his Staudacher S-300 sponsored by the Air National Guard; Andy Anderson with his BAC-167 Strikemaster Jet and Skip Stewart and the NeXplore Shockwave Triple Engine Jet Truck. (159 miles from O'Hare, (309) 397-6757, www.prairieair.org)

Convention will have its ups and downs

Walk the dog, rock the baby and even reach for the moon and split the atom -- these are just a few of the yo-yo tricks on display at the annual Yo-Yo Convention held at the Spinning Top Museum in Burlington, Wis. This year's event, April 18-20, should be yo-yo mania at its finest for enthusiasts and spectators of all ages. Watch talented yo-yoers compete in the Wisconsin State Yo-Yo Championship or get in on the fun with a beginner's yo-yo class. Juggling, hula hoops, diabolos and paddleballs round out the weekend of classic toy fun. (60 miles from O'Hare, (262) 763-3946, www.topmuseum.org)

Car show comes to Rockford area

Classics and Chrome, April 19 and 20 in Loves Park, Ill., is an indoor car show featuring 100 antique, classic and specialty autos and motorcycles from throughout the Midwest. Loads of activities are planned for the family to enjoy. (71 miles from O'Hare, (815) 399-8850, www.classicsandchrome.com)

Go to the movies in the Twin Cities

Get your fill of film in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., April 17 through May 3 during the Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Film Festival. About 100 films will be screened at theaters in the Twin Cities and will include features, documentaries, shorts and films made in Minnesota. The festival also includes talks by actors, directors and producers.(391 miles from O'Hare, (612) 331-3134, www.mnfilmarts.org)

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See the latest films in Manhattan

The Tribeca Film Festival presents its annual showing of new films April 23 through May 4 in New York, N.Y. About 125 films from big Hollywood releases to indies and documentaries are scheduled this year and there will be panel discussions and free public events, including the Tribeca Drive-In, the Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair and the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Marathon. ((212) 941-2400, www.tribecafilmfestival.org)

Spring is blooming in Missouri

Head south to Missouri to catch the wave of spring blooms heading our way.

During the 40th Annual Dogwood-Azalea Festival, you can tour the six-mile trail through Charleston, Mo., that glows with the beauty of dogwoods and azaleas at peak bloom. The festival from April 17-20 also includes historic home and candlelight tours, a plant sale, arts and craft show, parade, old-fashioned ice cream social, piano concerts, carriage rides and toy train exhibit. ((573) 683-6509, www.charlestonmo.org)

In Marshfield, Mo., the Cherry Blossom Festival will be held April 24-27 and features a Japanese Lantern Lighting ceremony, the Harry S. Truman Symposium honoring Pearl Harbor survivors, musical entertainment, a tea, pancake breakfast, horseshoe contest, pie-eating contest and memorial dedication for Missouri residents who were aboard the Titanic. ((417) 859-2460, www.cherryblossomfest.com)

• Event details are subject to change; contact organizers for updated information.