THIS WEEKEND IN CHICAGO – Summer Continues to be Summer!

As summer continues to be summer, here are a few events to help you pass the time and still enjoy the weekend!

The Animal Care League’s favorite annual celebration goes virtual this weekend with its 5th annual fundraiser, the Mutt Strut Virtual 5K Run/Walk. Registration is $20 and includes access to the virtual race platform to record your official time, an event t-shirt to show off on social media and a virtual goody bag with amazing offers from the event’s sponsors. All you need to do is register online, set up your personal fundraising page, collect donations from family and friends, and then run or walk 3.1 miles in your own neighborhood on July 17 to July 19. Tune in for the ACL’s post-race virtual party as they go live on Facebook with a surprise performance! They’ll also be announcing their social media contest winners and top 3 fundraisers. Even though we can’t gather physically yet, ALC is excited to find new ways to keep their friends close and continue to raise life-saving funds for homeless animals! Let’s get strutting Chicago!!

The Chicago Architecture Center will be hosting two virtual events this weekend. Saturday’s event, CAC Live: Buildings and Beer, will run from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Jeff Marcella, an expert in both buildings and beer, leads this online version of one of the CAC’s popular Pub Tours in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. A longtime hub for entertainment, this neighborhood not only houses some of the city’s greatest and oldest existing structures from warehouses to pubs to Gilded Age mansions but also has stories to tell about the history of brewing in Chicago. In fact, Jeff will share his advice and recommendations on sampling local brews!

Sunday’s event, CAC Live: Wrigleyville Tour, will run from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Wrigleyville neighborhood, which has undergone significant change in the past few years. Kent Foutty will take you on a virtual walk around Wrigley Field, beginning in front of the home of the Chicago Cubs under their famous marquee. He’ll also highlight new developments across the street, to both the south and west, and share stories of some older neighborhood buildings, including a firehouse beyond the left field wall. You’ll learn fascinating facts about the architecture surrounding Chicago’s beloved “friendly confines!”

West Fest Chicago is an annual street festival held in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood since 2004 on Chicago Avenue between Damen Avenue and Wood Street. However, this year be sure to tune in to the Virtual West Fest Chicago being held on Friday and Saturday. In 2020, each West Fest Chicago stage will have a #WestFestChicagoAtHome live music stream as well as offer virtual vendor promotions from local businesses and host a Virtual Pet Fest featuring pet adoption opportunities from Alive Rescue and One Tail At A Time! Who says you can’t enjoy a street festival this year?

Lastly, this weekend’s Chi-Together: Drive-in Movies & Music will feature Mission Impossible (Saturday) and Beverly Hills Cop (Sunday) at Soldier Field (1410 S. Museum Campus Dr.) in the South Loop with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the movie beginning at 8:30 p.m. Enjoy drive-in movies plus live music in a socially distant event that also gives back to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Each ticket includes a 90-minute music showcase by a locally featured musician or DJ, followed by the movie on 3 jumbo screens for up to 6 people and includes a bucket of popcorn for the group!!

Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago