Neighborhood News – Summer Daze in the Chicago Loop, Chicago’s Community Parks, Grant Park, Northalsted, Museum Campus, Irving Park

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Celebrations are a part of Chicago, and this week is no exception! Chicago’s diverse communities and cultures go all out to make our longer summer days seem like a celebration…every day! Especially on weeks like this, when Pride Month, Father’s Day and Juneteenth (celebrating the official end of slavery in 1865) intersect, celebrating the freedoms we enjoy and the people and city we love!

Movies Under the Stars Chicago Park District opens its free, family-friendly summer movie series Movies in the Parksthis week at 8:30 pm. Bring a blanket and enjoy family favorites like the March of the Penguins on Thursday, June 16 at Lincoln Park, 2045 N. Lincoln Park West. Or Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! at Wicker Park, 1425 N. Damen Avenue, and the Oscar and Golden Globe-winning Encanto, on Friday, June 17 at Jonquil Park, 1001 W. Wrightwood Avenue. All movi Too many movies and parks to name here, but for a complete list, click here.

Concerts at Grant Park… Is there anything better than concerts by the lakefront? Maybe with a picnic dinner? Jay Pritzker Pavilion, home of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, offers timeless music with a mix of contemporary compositions and classical favorites. On Friday, June 17, at 6:30pm and Saturday, June Saturday, June 18, at 7:30pm, the Orchestra and Chorus perform Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5, Reformation Judith Weir’s We Are Shadows, and the world premiere of Mischa Zupko’s Blue Matter. All seats are $26. For tickets and information,click here.

Sing Along with ‘Black Panther’ in Concert In honor of Juneteenth, on Saturday, June 18 at The Chicago Theatre, 175 N State Street, at 7:30pm, relive the excitement of T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) becoming king and battling Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) while the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra performs Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar® and Grammy®-winning score live to picture. Joining the orchestra for the concert is Massamba Diop, the revered Senegalese tama drummer who recorded co-created many parts of the movie score with composer Göransson. 

Prior to the movie, guests can walk the red carpet from 6:30pm-7:15pm, have a photo taken in front of the official Chicago Philharmonic step and participate in their Costume Contest and Best Dressed Contest! For tickets, click here.

Wear with Pride! Chicago Pride Fest returns Saturday June 18, to Sunday, June 19 on Halsted Street from Addison to Grace Street. The festival features live music by headline artists and local favorites on three stages, food and drink, 150+ arts/crafts vendors, DJ’s and dancing, drag shows, pet parade, games, giveaways and more. $15 suggested donation. For more information, click here.

Welcome to ‘Jurassic World’…At the Field Museum, 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep, lets you meet the underwater giants that lived 200 million years ago. As the website says, dinosaurs reached new heights, sea creatures became larger, faster, and fiercer. Experience what it’s like to stand (or swim) next to top predators like a plesiosaur—a reptile with flippers, a very long neck, and super sharp teeth! Jurassic Oceans runs now through September 5, and required a special ticket and admission to the Field Museum. For tickets, click here. 

Eat the Parks?… A special Father’s Day Weekend edition! Join Chicago’s only full-time professional forager Dave Odd for a walk around the Horner Park, 2741 W. Montrose Avenue on Saturday, June 18, from 10am–noon to see all the wild and wonderful edible plants (and possibly mushrooms too!) that grow in the city. The website guarantees that you will learn at least 50 edible plants! Meet in front of the Governor Horner Memorial at Montrose & California. Tickets are $40 per person, or $70 a pair. But this weekend, Dads get FREE admission! For tickets and information, go to eattheneighborhood.com, or contact Dave for questions or comments via text or phone 847-409-8623. Tickets are also available on Eventbrite.

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago