Not only is Chicago presenting its largest free show of its kind in the U.S. this weekend, but it’s also presenting some of its most popular end of summer events as some kids head back to school next week!

The Chicago Air and Water Show takes center stage at North Avenue Beach this Saturday and Sunday (10:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.).  Viewing for both air and watercraft demonstrations is also available along the lakefront from Fullerton Avenue to Oak Street.  Headliners this year include the U.S Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights.  And, of course, Herb Hunter will once again be the voice of the show!

Alternate viewing for the Chicago Air and Water Show takes place from the best seats in the city on a Lake Michigan Cruise provided by City Cruises Chicago at Navy Pier this Saturday and Sunday (9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.).  Besides unobstructed, spectacular views, guests will be treated to a buffet, DJ entertainment, and rooftop games!

But wait!  Let’s not forget a Chicago tradition unlike any other that celebrates the Chicago Air and Water Show at Castaways Rooftop Air & Water Show Viewing Party this Saturday and Sunday (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) at Castaways Bar & Grill.  Not only does the rooftop offer the best views in the city but your ticket also includes a lunch buffet and a 5-hour open bar that also offers water and assorted soft drinks!

Come enjoy the sweet smells of BBQ at the 23^rd annual Ribfest Chicago this Saturday and Sunday (12 p.m.-10 p.m.) in the North Center neighborhood at 4200 N. Lincoln Avenue (Lincoln Avenue/Irving Park Road/Damen Avenue).  Once again, top BBQ vendors will offer racks of their signature ribs and sides as they compete for two Best of Ribfest Chicago titles:  People’s Choice (chosen by the crowd), and Top Award (chosen by a panel of celebrity judges).  Plus, this event also provides live eclectic music on two stages and a spacious kids’ area with inflatables and games for the family to enjoy!

It’s time again for The Great American Lobster Fest for that ultimate lobster meal!  This fest takes place at the Navy Pier Beer Garden on Saturday (1 p.m.-11 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.-8 p.m.).  Ticket holders will be able to enjoy live lobster that is flown in fresh from the east coast along with an array of seafood selections, non-seafood related items, vegetarian options, and more.  Plus, live music performances, family-friendly games and activities, unique craft shopping, and more are also featured at this fest!

Returning to the Rogers Park neighborhood for its 22^nd year is the Glenwood Avenue Arts Festival this Saturday (11 a.m.-9 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.-7 p.m.).  This art fest not only presents a diverse selection of over 120 artists and craftworkers but also offers live music acts on two stages, kids’ artmaking activities, food and drink from local restaurants, and more!

This Saturday Stan’s Donut Race takes place at Soldier Field where runners are challenged to complete the course while consuming lots of treats along the way!  The race takes place along a section of the Lakefront Trail where donut stations are positioned at every mile, and as you cross the finish line, don’t forget to claim your donut-shaped medal!  Plus, participants will also receive a Stan’s Donut dri-fit shirt (or upgrade to a hoodie), more donuts, coffee, and much more!

Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago

Part neighborhood tavern, part Chicago institution, since 1932, Old Town’s Twin Anchors has maintained its reputation for tender, barbequed baby-back ribs and other BBQ delights. Families, couples and singles can all enjoy lunch or dinner in the ambience of a true historic building. 

According to their website, as far back as 1910, there was a tavern operating in this spot. Sometime during World War I, the Schlitz Brewing Company donated the bar that remains in use to this day. Notoriously, during Prohibition (1919-1933) a speakeasy known as “Tante Lee Soft Drinks” provided refreshments for the “thirsty” in this location. The Walters family, along with Captain Herb Eldean, were the original operators of the Twin Anchors, and provided the barbecued ribs recipe.

Swimming pools… movie stars

Twin Anchors’ exterior has been the location of 2001’s ‘Return to Me,’ with Minnie Driver, David Duchovny, and director/Chicago native Bonnie Hunt. In 2008, ‘The Dark Knight,’ starring Christian Bale was filmed at Twin Anchors. 

Word is that this was one of Frank Sinatra’s famous haunts back in the day. 

Ah, Memories … 

Twin Anchors has a special place in my heart, as we used to make annual trips to Twin Anchors to share my husband’s godmother’s birthday. This was her favorite spot in Chicago, and every year, she treated her favorite nephew and niece-in-law to a steaming platter of ribs with all the fixings… so large, that we could make multiple meals for a few days. 

A word of advice: while the servers bring plenty of napkins, you’re going to need a bundle, along with wet-naps, or whatever those things are called. Keep them nearby… at all times. The pork ribs are baked and slathered with sauce. The meat is so tender, it practically falls off the bones. If you’re a true Chicagoan, or learning to eat like one, knives and forks are verboten when eating ribs. 

After devouring the complimentary bread basket of black rye and crunchy bread sticks, share one of their newer creations…Crispy Potato Chips, which are fresh fried chips, served with homemade bleu cheese buttermilk dressing. Whether it’s your starter or accompanying your meal, I’d recommend their Zesty Baked Beans. It’s a hearty dish of baked beans, hand-pulled pork, and diced onions, simmered in their own tangy Zesty sauce. Whoever invented the phrase ‘rib-stickin good’ probably was talking about these baked beans. 

Lighter appetites wanting nothing to do with ribs or beans will enjoy their 1655 Salad, a six-ounce cut of Ruby Red Ahi Tuna on a bed of mixed greens, with pecans, cranberries, crumbled bleu cheese, and Balsamic vinaigrette on the side.

Finally, the Entrees… 

Their World Famous Ribs are slow-cooked, meaty and tender, and basted with your choice of sauce. A full slab has 12 bones, a half-slab has six.

For those who can’t decide, their Rib & Chicken Combo is a great compromise and combination. You get one half rib and one quarter chicken, basted with your choice of sauce, and would you like white or dark meat chicken? 

All entrees are served with coleslaw and a slice of dill pickle, and your choice of french fries, onion rings, baked potato, baked beans, pepper jack creamed spinach or steamed green beans. 

The Sauces…

A note: Their Zesty Sauce is their most popular since its introduction 40 years ago. We know why: this tangy tomato-based sauce “goes great on everything barbeque.” Their original mild sauce is what another reviewer describes “as bland as tomato soup,“ and they’re not wrong. But not everyone likes a ‘zesty’ sauce. To each, their own. 

But…try their ‘Prohibition Sauce’

This sauce features brown sugar, cracked black pepper and just a dash of ghost pepper for “just the right amount of heat.”

Kids are ‘Little Piglets’ Here

It’s said with love! And they have their own ‘Little Piglet Menu.’ Their Small Fry Slab isa kid-sized portion of their ribs and fries, with their zesty or original mild barbeque sauce. Just like the parents, dinners are served with slice of dill pickle. Then pick your choice of french fries, onion rings, baked potato, baked beans, pepper jack creamed spinach or steamed green beans. 

I’m not sure how you’d fit a dessert into this mix, but Twin Anchors has teamed up with some of the best bakeries in town to bring chocolate and carrot cake, cheesecake, and specialty dipped ice cream bars. Try to squeeze one in! 

No Reservations… 

Twin Anchors is located at 1655 N. Sedgwick Street. Unlike nearly every other restaurant in Chicago, they seat on a walk-in basis only, so it’s recommended you get there early or face a lengthy wait. Fortunately, they’re open seven days a week: Monday– Friday, 4:30pm-10pm, and Saturday–Sunday, Noon-10pm. For more information, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

Just because you pour something down the drain doesn’t necessarily mean that it will magically disappear through the pipes. Sure, you can expect most liquids and a few tiny solids to make their way through the plumbing with little issue, but there are plenty of other items that can wreak havoc if you try to pour them down the drain.

To avoid the messy job of having to clear the pipes in your home, make sure none of the following items are ever sent down the drain. 

1. Grease

One of the most deceiving items that clog your pipes is grease. After frying up a pan of bacon or other fatty meats, all the fat at the bottom of the pan will be in liquid form, but not for long. Once it starts to cool off, it turns into solid.

Imagine pouring that hot liquid grease down the drain. At some point, it’ll start to turn to sludge as it cools, which can block the drain. The best thing you can do to dispose of this type of grease is to pour it into a separate bowl and allow it to cool, then throw it in the trash.

2. Baby Wipes

The only thing that should be flushed down a toilet is toilet paper that has been designed specifically to break apart easily when wet. Baby wipes are much thicker and are not made to break down the way toilet paper does. If the toilet gets clogged as a result, a plunger likely won’t do much. Instead, you’ll probably have to call in a plumber to clean the mess. Even if these wipes manage to actually pass the drainage system in your home, they’ll continue to do damage to the municipal sewage system.

3. Starchy Food

Any food scraps should be wiped off of plates and sent straight into the garbage can. However, it’s typical for small food particles to make it into the sink. Certain types of foods can be more damaging to pipes than others, including starchy foods such as potatoes, corn, pasta, rice, and onions skins. These fibrous foods can expand when they’re in the pipes and clog them right up. Even if you have a garbage disposal installed, these types of foods can damage the motor. While handy, garbage disposals are truly only meant for crumbs, not larger food peels or other scraps.

4. Coffee Grinds

The fine grinds of coffee may deceive homeowners into thinking that they’ll pose no problem when washed down the drain. However, coffee grounds can easily stick to any items that have already made their way into the pipes, creating a blockage. In fact, coffee grounds are one of the biggest culprits in clogged drains.

5. Dental Floss

It’s probably no surprise that the accumulation of hair can clog pipes. The same sort of principle applies with dental floss, which is similar in size and shape. Floss may be very thin, but that doesn’t mean it will necessarily slide easily through the pipes. Instead, it can easily clump into balls of knots, creating a blockage that will warrant a call to the plumber.

6. Cat Litter

Don’t be fooled by the tiny pebbles of cat litter products. Cat litter should never be flushed down the toilet or poured down sink drains. Traditional cat litter is made of clay, sand, and silica, which are made to absorb moisture. This, in turn, results in clumps that will easily clog your plumbing.

7. Medications

Tiny pills may be able to easily make it through the pipes with little issue, but they can cause trouble for our natural waterways. While it may have once been recommended to flush medications down the toilet in order to safely dispose of them and keep them out of the hands of others, it is now suggested that unconsumed medications be brought to a pharmacist for proper disposal.

8. Conventional Cleaning Solutions

Like medications, cleaning products that are found on grocery store shelves should not be poured down the drain because they can harm the water’s ecosystem. Instead, try using natural or home-made solutions that still work to clean but do not contain any agents that would cause harm to the environment.

The Bottom Line

The pipes in your home were not designed as trash cans. Many items can cause major blockage in your plumbing system that will result in the need to manually extract them, which is not a pretty job. To prevent any blockages to the pipes or harm to our natural waterways, make sure none of the above items ever make their way to your home’s plumbing system.

Held annually since 1929 on the second Saturday in August, Bronzeville’s Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic(also known as The Bud Billiken Day Parade) is the largest African-American parade in the United States. 

Its focus is solidly on celebrating youth, education and African-American life, according to Wikipedia sources.

What’s a Billiken? 

In traditional Chinese mythology, a billiken is a guardian angel, a sort of patron saint of children.

Bud Billiken Begins 

‘Bud Billiken,’ according to Brittanica.com, is a fictional character created in 1923 by Robert Sengstacke Abbott, the founder and publisher of the Chicago Defender.  While dining at a Chinese restaurant he noticed a ‘Billiken,’ a “smiling, rotund, elfin creature,” popular in the early 1900s,  which became the mascot for the Bud Billiken Cluband created the fictional character of Bud Billiken, which he featured in a youth advice column in the Defender. Along with the advice column, he created the Bud Billiken Club… sort of a youth social media forum for the mid-20^th century. 

Bud Billiken Clubs Go National 

The “Rules of the Bud Billiken Club” guided youth to take pride in their race and to strive towards middle-class respectability, according to the Club’s Wikipedia page. It was also meant as a way to give underprivileged children a creative outlet and a chance to shine. Over the years, Bud Billiken became the mascot not only for the children’s page, but for the whole newspaper. Abbott organized dozens of Bud Billiken Clubs nationwide for children who pledged to read the Defender. Today, the Club supports African–American youth with financial and academic help. The Club also organizes, in conjunction with Chicago Defender Charities, school supply giveaways, reduced rates on computers and Internet service, and prom dress donations. They also  focus on creating safe communities through conflict resolution and promoting education.

David Kellum, co-founder of the Bud Billiken Club and longtime parade coordinator, suggested the parade as a celebration of African-American life.

According to Wikipedia sources,during the early 1930s, names of international youth were listed in the “Bud Billiken” section of the newspaper every week. Between 1930–34, approximately 10,000 names appeared and were archived in the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library of the Chicago Public Library.

The Bud Billiken Day Parade

Since 1929, the parade has featured celebrities, politicians, businessmen, civic organizations and youth. They’ve hosted several notable figures including Oprah Winfrey, President Harry Truman, Duke Ellington, and President Obama (then Senator). The parade features contests like ‘Best Float’ and ‘Best Dance Team,’ showcasing their unique talents, according to its website. At the close of the parade, all attendees are welcome to join in the post-parade festivities in Washington Park.

The 2023 Parade- August 12, 2023

The two-mile, 94^th Annual Parade is scheduled to kick-off at 10:00 a.m. at the intersection of King Drive and Oakwood Boulevard. The parade route heads south down King Drive and ends at Garfield Blvd./Elsworth Dr. & 55^th Street, near Washington Park, where community organizations, businesses and other agencies host a Back-to School Fair.  ABC-7 Chicago is televising the parade. For more information, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

Vaseline is one of those items that everyone has in their medicine cabinet, and it has not changed since your grandmother reached into her cabinet for it 75 years ago! Most of us keep our Vaseline usage for chapped lips, skin or burn ointment, but there are many other ways Vaseline can help in your beauty routine. 

Vaseline works as a great makeup remover. It completely dissolves mascara, eyeliner, and shadow. It’s lubricated so the makeup slides right off without being rough on the skin. Despite what you may think, Vaseline can also help with inflamed cystic acne because it won’t clog pores! Try it as the last layer in your nighttime skin-care routine to help seal in the ingredients of your clarifying products.

Use a small amount as an eyeshadow primer. It makes the color richer and more vibrant. For a glossier look for evening, use a bit more. Vaseline will also tame unruly eyebrows. It will also make them look longer and thicker with no added cosmetics. A small amount on your cheeks is a great highlighter. Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist calls this the expensive skin gorgeous glow.  

Vaseline is a great moisturizer. A dab under your eyes will lock in moisture. I use it nightly on my cuticles to keep them healthy. It can be helpful when giving yourself a manicure. Spread a small amount around the nails before polish. It will catch any stray polish and you can just wipe off when your nails are dry. 

Vaseline will also act as a primer for your favorite perfume. It slows down the evaporation of the scent molecules, so scent lasts longer. Dab a small amount on your pulse points before applying perfume. 

Do you have any other uses for this inexpensive medicine cabinet staple?

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago