Lifestyle

Best bets: Monster Jam at the Allstate, Elmhurst Craft Beer Festival

Posted September 13, 2023 6:00 am

Barbara Vitello

Brian Shamie

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Grave Digger, driven by Krysten Anderson, roars into Rosemont's Allstate Arena Friday through Sunday, Sept. 15-17. Courtesy of Feld Entertainment

Monster Jam

The biggest, beastliest trucks around show off during head-to-head competitions as Monster Jam rolls into the Allstate Arena, 6920 Mannheim Road, Rosemont. Fans attending the afternoon shows Saturday and Sunday can purchase entry to the Monster Jam Pit Party fan experience, featuring a remote-control truck course, family activities, photo ops, and the chance to meet drivers and crews. Tickets start at $20; parking is $25. ticketmaster.com. 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15; 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16; and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

Teachers take the stage

Educators turned stand-up comedians dish about rowdy students and obsessive parents as part of Teachers Comedy Lounge at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. $21-$31.50 for RaueNOW members; $30-$45 for nonmembers. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org. 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

Elmhurst Craft Beer Festival

More than 50 brewers serve up beer, mead and cider as part of the Elmhurst Craft Beer Fest at the Elmhurst History Museum, 120 E. Park Ave. The event also includes music and food courtesy of Rigo's Tacos. Early entry tickets are $70 and include a tasting glass and 18 samples; general admission is $55 and includes a tasting glass and 18 drink tickets; designated driver tickets are $20 and include a nonalcoholic beer option. (630) 833-1457 or elmhursthistory.org. 1-6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

Celebrating Hispanic culture

• To commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, hosts the Celebración de los Árboles (Celebration of Trees) festival showcasing Hispanic and Latino music, dance, storytelling and cultural performances and bilingual tours of the grounds. $12-$17. (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16-17

• The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, 3015 W. Division St., Chicago, in collaboration with the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (Institute of Puerto Rican Culture) and the estate of Puerto Rican artist Rafael Tufiño presents "Celebrating 100 Years of Rafael Tufiño," a new exhibit showcasing 39 rare paintings, drawings and prints only five of which have been exhibited in the continental U.S. Free. nmprac.org. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, from Tuesday, Sept. 19, through August 2024

Family fun

Rosemont's Family Fall Fest returns to Parkway Bank Park, 5501 Park Place, Rosemont, with music, a bounce house, face painting, a petting zoo and balloon sculptors. Free. parkwaybankpark.com. 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

LGBTQIA+ film fest

Reeling, the Chicago LGBTQIA+ International Film Festival, kicks off at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The largest festival of its kind, Reeling showcases narrative and documentary films examining the LGBTQIA+ experience. Screenings continue at the Landmark Century Centre Cinemas, 2828 N. Clark St., Chicago. $10-$12. reelingfilmfest.org. Thursday, Sept. 21, through Oct. 8

Mart art

Art on The Mart, the digital exhibition that transforms Chicago's Merchandise Mart into a larger-than-life artist's canvas, kicks off its fall season with a new commission by Dr. Yiyun Kang and the return of a popular projection by Charles Atlas. The works are visible on The Mart's Riverwalk side. artonthemart.com. 7:30 p.m. nightly through Nov. 15

To commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, The Morton Arboretum hosts Celebración de los Árboles (Celebration of Trees). Courtesy of the Morton Arboretum

Puerto Rican artist Rafael Tufiño's "Ballets de San Juan: Trasbastidores" (San Juan Ballet Backstage) is among 39 works included in The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture's new exhibition, "Celebrating 100 Years of Rafael Tufiño." Courtesy of El Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña

Puerto Rican artist Rafael Tufiño's 1957 painting "Ramón Emeterio Betances" is among the works included in The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture's new exhibition, "Celebrating 100 Years of Rafael Tufiño." Courtesy of El Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña

Site-specific commissions by Yiyun Kang are among the digital works projected onto Chicago's Merchandise Mart this fall as part of Art on The Mart. Courtesy of Art on The Mart

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