Neighborhood News – Oompahpah: September starts the Autumn of Content in the West Loop, Lincoln Square, Lincoln Park, Printers Row, Lakeview East, Museum Campus
We love our Fall Fests in Chicago! And with official fall coming on September 21, it’s time for Oktoberfests, football, a jacket at night, and more outdoor activities with our friends and families! Along with our Chicago sports teams, it’s always fun in the city of Chicago!
Do or Die, Chicago Sky… The 2021 WNBA Champions will be fighting for a return trip to the WNBA Finals at Wintrust Arena, 200 E. Cermak Road, on Thursday, September 8 at 7pm for a win-or-go-home Game 5 against the feisty, resilient Connecticut Sun. For tickets, click here.
Wilkommen!… The first of many Oktoberfests to come begins, appropriately enough, in the formerly German community of Lincoln Square. German-American Fest begins at thecorner of Lincoln and Western on Friday, September 9, from 5pm-11pm, with Opening Ceremonies at 8pm. Try authentic German food (bratwurst, Bavarian pretzels, wiener schnitzel and apfel strudel, of course!) Und… Bier! The annual German-American Parade steps off at 2pm Saturday on Lincoln Avenue, traveling from Irving Park Road, north to Eastwood, west to Western, and north to Lawrence. The fest continues on Saturday from noon to 11pm with carnival rides, musical stages, and Bier flowing freely (21+ only, please). On Sunday, September 11, the fest continues with an 11am German Mass service, followed by more merriment and music fromnoon to 10pm. Free admission. For more information, click here.
Food, Fun and Opa!!… The Lincoln Park Gyro Fest at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 2701 N. Sheffield Avenue, brings all the aromas, sounds, tastes and traditions of Greece to your doorstep, starting Friday, September 9, from 5pm-10pm, and Saturday and Sunday from noon-10pm. For a $10 suggested donation, you and your family can grab a sampler flight with gyros from around the world, vote for your favorite gyro all weekend long, and participate in a Gyro eating contest Saturday at 4pm. Lots of kids activities, games, arts and crafts, and live music at this 99-year-old historic church. For more information, click here.
Flutterfest! … The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Drive, invites children and families on Saturday, September 10, to Flutter into Fall, a day-long celebration of monarch butterflies as they begin their annual migration from Chicago to Mexico! Kids and parents can enjoy monarch butterfly tagging demos, guided walks, two First Flight Butterfly Releases, and more! For information and tickets, click here.
Reading is Fun(damental)! … Meet and greet five stages of authors at the 37th Annual Printers Row Lit Fest on Saturday, September 10, and Sunday, September 11, from 10am-6pm, on South Dearborn Street. Lit Fest kicks off with Pulitzer Prize winner, two-term United States Poet Laureate, and recipient of the 2022 Harold Washington Literary Award Natasha Trethewey. Browse through new, old, rare, and hard-to-find literary treasures in tents stretching out over five blocks of Dearborn Street from Polk Street north to Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago’s historic Printers Row neighborhood. Free admission! For more information, click here.
Art is Life… Meet morethan 125-juried artists at the 17th Annual Lakeview East Festival of the Arts, Saturday, September 10-Sunday, September 11, 11am-7pm, on Broadway, from Belmont to Hawthorne. Join your neighbors for art, music, food, and family activities, and see world-class original paintings, sculpture, photography, furniture, jewelry and more! In addition to the diverse artists’ booths, the Festival also includes live music on multiple stages, a children’s play area, wine, beer and food booths, and an interactive garden oasis. A $5 suggested donation assists with programming for the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce. For more information, click here.
Finally, the Chicago Bears kick off the 2022 NFL season by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on September 11 at noon at Soldier Field, 1410 S. Museum Campus Drive, featuring quarterback Justin Fields, a new coach, and a new front office. For tickets, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
