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Weekend picks: Ben Vereen dances into Raue Center

Ben Vereen in concert

See legendary singer and dancer Ben Vereen grace the stage at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. Tickets start at $53. rauecenter.org. 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21

Friday

Art on show

EXPO Chicago/2013 features more than 120 international galleries gathered together under one roof for a show of contemporary art and design for sale this week at the Navy Pier Festival Hall, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. $20 one-day pass; $30 three-day pass; $100 Vernissage opening-night benefit. (312) 867-9220 or expochicago.com. Noon to 6 p.m. preview and 6 to 9 p.m. opening-night gala Thursday, Sept. 19; regular hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20-21, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22

Country Folk Art Fest

View folk art and reproductions of antiques and traditional American art at the Country Folk Art Fest at the Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles. (815) 772-3279 or visit artoftheheartlandinc.com. Preview night runs 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 ($8). Show runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 ($6), and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday Sept. 22 ($4)

A night of music

Coinciding with the Chicago Music Summit, a new music industry conference, the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., puts the spotlight on Chicago's thriving music scene with an evening featuring more than 20 local acts. The program will feature free live music with a Rock Room, Contemporary Classical Room, Hip-Hop or Jazz Room, the Blues Room and an Electronic Music Room. (312) 744-6630 or www.cityofchicago.org. 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20

'Rite' centennial

The Joffrey Ballet's re-creation of Vaslav Nijinsky's groundbreaking Stravinsky ballet “The Rite of Spring” receives a centennial staging as the main centerpiece of the program “Russian Masters,” which also features work by choreographers Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine this week at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago. $31-$152. (800) 982-2787 or joffrey.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20-21, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22

Arena rock

The Eagles, the phenomenally successful rock band from the 1970s, is touring again with a Friday stop at the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., Chicago. $49-$189. (800) 745-3000 or unitedcenter.com. 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20

Cirrus Falcon

Cirrus Falcon plays classic and acoustic rock, Irish tunes, country songs and more at Peggy Kinnane's Irish Restaurant and Pub, 8 N. Vail Ave., Arlington Heights. $3. (847) 577-7733 or peggykinnanes.com. 9:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20

Saturday

Focus on farm life

The two-day Farm Heritage Festival, at the Lakewood Forest Preserve, on Route 176, west of Fairfield Road, Wauconda, celebrates farm life from the turn of the century to the present. Highlights include a petting zoo, a daily tractor parade, sheepherding demonstrations, exhibits at the on-site Lake County Discovery Museum, wagon and barrel train rides, food and more. Admission is $10 for adults; $5 for seniors and kids ages 4-17; kids 3 and younger admitted free. (847) 968-3400 or lcfpd.org. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21-22

Outdoor art

Stroll the riverwalk on Houston Street in downtown Batavia and view a variety of artwork at the Art In Your Eye fine arts show. The show features works from more than 70 artists from around the country. Other highlights include demonstrations, children's activities and musical entertainment. Free. Visit artinyoureye.com. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22

Native American Pow Wow

Celebrate Native American culture with dancing, demonstrations, storytelling, music, children's games, crafts and presentations at the Midwest SOARRING Foundation's Native American Pow Wow at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville. Award-winning Native American flute player Robert Mirabal will perform. $7-$10; kids 2 and younger admitted free. (773) 585-1744 or midwestsoarring.org. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22. Grand entry of dances at 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday

Hot potato!

See the newest cast members of the Australian kids band The Wiggles in the show “Taking Off! Live in Concert” Saturday at the Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont. $15.50-$80. (800) 745-3000 or rosemonttheatre.com. 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21

Bavarian Lodge's Oktoberfest

It's time for The Bavarian Lodge's 27th annual Oktoberfest kickoff party and pig roast Saturday at 1800 Ogden Ave., Lisle. Cask-conditioned firkins to be tapped are: Goose Island Oktoberfest, Revolution Oktoberfest, Metropolitian Diablo Dynamo, Solemn Oath Oktoberface and Lakefront Oktoberfest. Other seasonal specialties include the Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Marzen, Ayinger Oktoberfest-Marzen, Metropolitan Afterburner Oktoberfest, Metropolitan Zwickel Flywheel and Southern Tier Pumking. Beer prices range from $5 to $7. (630) 241-4701 or bavarian-lodge.com. Noon Saturday, Sept. 21

Scarecrows galore!

Get ready for autumn at the Scarecrow Festival at Vogelei Park, 650 W. Higgins Road, Hoffman Estates. Along with the scarecrow displays, the event features crafts, music, a climbing wall, and food and activities for all ages. Free admission. Visit heparks.org. Noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21

Speaking dead

The Oakwood Cemetery Walk living history event returns Saturday with the theme “Going West” at the Lilac Cottage in Bowen Park, 1911 N. Sheridan Road, Waukegan. $3-$5. (847) 360-4740 or waukeganparks.org. Noon to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21

Made in the Windy City

The first Andersonville City Made Fest features an array of Chicago-based musicians, brewers and artisans on Clark Street between Argyle and Carmen. Festgoers can enjoy folk, blues, indie rock, hip-hop, world and Latin music. There also will be a full menu of local beer. Admission is $5. (773) 728-7552 or www.andersonville.org. Noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21-22

Harvest Fest

The Lombard Historical Society and the Prairie Food Co-Op host Harvest Fest at the Victorian Cottage, 23 W. Maple, Lombard. Highlights include square dancing, face painting, butter churning and cider-pressing demonstrations, beer and wine tastings, food and more. Free general admission; fees for food and beverages. (630) 629-1885 or lombardhistory.org. 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21

American band

Relive the big hit songs from the late 1960s and 1970s of the rock band Grand Funk Railroad (“We're an American Band,” “The Loco-Motion”) Saturday at Festival Park, adjacent to Grand Victoria Casino, 250 S. Grove Ave., Elgin. $15-$49. (888) 508-1900 or grandvictoriacasino.com. 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21

Musical martyr

Chicago Opera Theater celebrates the bicentennial of Giuseppi Verdi's birth by staging his rarely performed opera “Joan of Arc” (“Giovanna d'Arco”) for four performances starting Saturday at Millennium Park's Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St., Chicago. Sung in Italian with projected English translations. $35-$125. (312) 334-7777 or chicagooperatheater.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21

Finding 'Home'

Grammy Award-winner and former Broadway star Stephanie Mills (“The Wiz”) sings in concert Saturday at North Central College's Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave., Naperville. $45-$60. (630) 637-7469 or northcentralcollege.edu/showtix. 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21

Sunday

Plein air autos

Feast your eyes on classic cars in the Motoring at the Museum car show, while painters take part in the Plein Air Art gathering on Sunday at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum, 110 W. Freemont St., Arlington Heights. $10 vehicle registration. Free admission for spectators. (847) 255-1225 or ahmuseum.org. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22

'Ghosts of Chicago' author

Adam Selzer discusses and signs copies of his book “Ghosts of Chicago” at Centuries and Sleuths Bookstore, 7419 W. Madison St., Forest Park. (708) 771-7243 or centuriesandsleuths.com. 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22

Circus stays

The Kelly Miller Circus brings its international troupe of acrobats, exotic animals and more to the Westfield Hawthorn Shopping Town, 122 Hawthorn Center, Vernon Hills. $15; $7 kids. (847) 367-3700. e-clubhouse.org/sites/vernonh. 2 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22

Local author chat

Meet local author Libby Hellmann as she discusses and signs copies of her book “Havana Lost” at The Book Stall at Chestnut Court, 811 Elm St., Winnetka. (847) 446-8880 or thebookstall.com. 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22

Grand Funk Railroad play Festival Park adjacent to Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21.
The Joffrey Ballet performs a centennial staging of the landmark ballet "The Rite of Spring" as the centerpiece of its "Russian Masters" concert at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago.
See a wide variety of artwork at the Art in Your Eye festival along the Batavia Riverwalk this weekend. Daily Herald file photo by Laura Stoecker/lstoecke
Emma Watkins is the first woman to join The Wiggles. The newly reconfigured children’s rock band plays the Rosemont Theatre in the show “The Wiggles Taking Off! Live in Concert” on Saturday, Sept. 21. Associated Press File Photo
Grammy Award-winning R&B and former Broadway star Stephanie Mills is set to perform at North Central College’s Pfeiffer Hall in Naperville on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Motoring at the Museum car show and Plein Air Art gathering takes place Sunday at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum.
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