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Weekend picks: Embrace the winter chill

Scuba duba: Anyone interested in scuba diving shouldn't miss the Our World Underwater show, which features displays, seminars, travel information and more this weekend at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont: (847) 692-2222 or ourworldunderwater.com. 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17

2013 Chicago Auto Show: See 1,000 vehicles on display, along with auto-related exhibits, special celebrity appearances and more at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. Admission is $12 adults; $6 for seniors ages 62 and older and kids ages 7-12; free for kids ages 6 and younger when accompanied by a paying adult. Visit chicagoautoshow.com. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 16 and 17

Loads of Legos: Watch as Lego trains race through Lego towns, and see scenes from popular movies in Lego form at the Lego Train Show at the DuPage County Historical Museum, 102 E. Wesley St., Wheaton. The exhibit features works by the Northern Illinois Lego Train Club. Free. (630) 510-4941 or dupagemuseum.org. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, and Sunday, Feb. 17

Here, kitty! The Lincoln State Cat Club hosts its All Breed-Cat Show in the Wellness and Sports Venter (Building M) at Harper College, 1200 W, Algonquin Road, Palatine. Guests can meet various cat breeds, watch competitions and purchase food, collectibles and other cat-related supplies from vendors. Admission is $8; free for kids under age 6. Visit harpercollege.edu or lscats.org. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, and Sunday, Feb. 17

Winter Wood Wonders: Wood artists showcase and sell a wide variety of wooden artwork at the Winter Wood Wonders art festival at the Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles. Wood carvers, wood burners, scroll sawers and other artists will be on hand to give demonstrations. Vendors will sell supplies. Food is available for purchase. Suggested donation is $3 for adults. Free for kids under age 12 and active military personnel. Visit winterwoodwonders.com. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, and Sunday, Feb. 17

Family Fun Fest: Head to Lombard's Yorktown Center at 203 Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard, for the Family Fun Fest. Forty exhibitors will be on hand, showcasing unique gifts, handmade items and more. Other highlights include music from Randy Erwin, face painting, food, dance performances and family activities. Free. Visit yorktowncenter.com. 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, and 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 17

President's Day at Susanna Farms: Head to Susanna Farms in Lake Villa to meet the new Scottish Highland bull calves during the farm's President's Day weekend event. The two bulls were born in early January and are now able to meet the public. A naming contest is under way, and visitors can vote for their favorite names. Other weekend highlights include a straw maze and hayride through the (possibly) snow-covered fields. Susanna Farms is at 24153 Townline Road, Lake Villa. Admission is $2 per person; $5 per person for hayrides. (847) 838-0798 or susannafarms.com. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, and Sunday, Feb. 17

Winter fun: Embrace the winter weather by attending the Chicago Park District's 8th Annual Polar Adventure Days this Saturday. On tap are dog sled demonstrations, hot cocoa and more activities at Northerly Island, 1400 S. Lynn White Drive, Chicago. Free admission. (312) 742-4907 or chicagoparkdistrict.com. Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16

Heather, ha ha ha! Comedian Heather McDonald has made a name for herself as a writer and performer on “Chelsea Lately,” but her roots are in improv and sketch comedy. Catch McDonald this weekend at Zanies, 5437 Park Place, Rosemont. $25 plus a two menu-item purchase. (847) 813-0484 or zanies.com. 8 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, in Rosemont

Heartland rockers: The BoDeans exploded out of Wisconsin in the mid-1980s with a classic debut record, “Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams,” which featured literate and rootsy rock songs. Singer-songwriter Kurt Neumann is the only original member remaining, but the band continues to make compelling rock 'n' roll. Tickets for the Prairie Center for the Arts show, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg, start at $34. Go to ci.schaumburg.il.us/PCA. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16

Kinetic Keller: The true-life tale of Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan is retold through movement by co-choreographers Melissa Thodos and Ann Reinking when Thodos Dance Chicago presents the premiere of “A Light in the Dark,” this Saturday, Feb. 16, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. $36-$46. (847) 673-6300; then at Millennium Park's Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Drive, Chicago. $30-$60. (312) 334-7777 or thodosdancechicago.org. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16 in Skokie; 8 p.m. Saturday, March 2, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 3, in Chicago

Canvas attack: See how abstract painters in the mid-20th century assaulted their canvasses in the new exhibit Destroy the Picture: Painting the Void, 1949-1962, starting Saturday at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. $12; $7 students/seniors; Free for Illinois residents Tuesdays. (312) 280-2660 or mcachicago.org. From Saturday, Feb. 16, through Sunday, June 2: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday

Sister act: Sisters and Broadway veterans Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway return to town to perform their acclaimed show “Sibling Revelry” Saturday at Viper Alley, 275 Parkway Drive, Lincolnshire. $20-$50. (847) 499-5000 or viper-alley.com. 6:30 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16

African harmony: Though most people were first exposed to Ladysmith Black Mambazo on Paul Simon's “Graceland” album, the South African a cappella group has been around since the 1960s. Hear this acclaimed ensemble this Saturday at the Elgin Community College Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. $35. (847) 622-0300 or elgin.edu/arts. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16

Hit the road: The Chicago Jazz Orchestra plays “A Tribute to Ray Charles” with soloists like singer/songwriter/composer Allan Harris and Chicago favorites, Dee Alexander, Joan Collaso and Yvonne Gage as the fierce “Raelettes” this Saturday at North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. $30-$35 (630) 637-7469 or finearts.northcentralcollege.edu. 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16

'Alice in Wonderland': Emerald City theater group adapts Lewis Carroll's classic tale “Alice in Wonderland” and brings it to the stage at the Des Plaines Public Library, 1501 Ellinwood St., Des Plaines. Guests of all ages can watch Alice's adventures after she falls down a rabbit hole and enters a magical world. Free. (847) 376-2804 or dppl.org. 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17

Lee Bontecou’s 1962 Untitled work is on loan as part of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s exhibit “Destroy the Picture: Painting the Void, 1949-1962.” Photo by Brian Forrest
Singer Dee Alexander is one of the featured soloists with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra and its concert A Tribute to Ray Charles at North Central College’s Wentz Concert Hall.
Comedian Heather McDonald performs at Zanies in St. Charles and Rosemont.
Guests can meet two new Scottish Highland bulls at the President’s Day weekend event at Susanna Farms in Lake Villa. Courtesy of Susanna Farms
See a wide variety of cats on parade at the Lincoln State Cat Club's All-Breed Cat Show at Harper College in Palatine.
Jessica Miller Tomlinson (in white) and Alissa Tollefson star in Thodos Dance Chicago’s premiere of “A Light in the Dark,” based upon the story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, co-choreographed by Melissa Thodos and Ann Reinking. Courtesy of Cheryl Mann
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