As we all know, all good things must come to an end, and this weekend is no exception.  Summer is fading away as autumn officially arrives in Chicago this coming Wednesday.  However, a change of season doesn’t stop Chicagoans from enjoying their weekends, and this weekend is no exception!  So, gear-up for an amazing September weekend!!

The Southport Corridor (Southport Ave. and Addison St.) becomes a mecca for taco lovers at the 8^th annual, flavor-filled Sam Adams Lakeview Taco Fest this Saturday and Sunday (11 a.m.-10 p.m.).  Various taco vendors offer their take on this tortilla-wrapped dish filled with traditional chicken, steak, chorizo, and beef, or stuffed with imaginative ingredients.  This fest also features special beer and taco pairings, two live music stages, activities for the kids, and crowd-pleasing Luche Libre Mexican Wrestling at 5 p.m. each evening at Cornelia & Southport!  Plus, visitors can text vote for Chicago’s “Best Taco.”  Not only is this a celebration of seasonal beers but it’s also the start of autumn!!

Returning to the Magnificent Mile for its 5^th year this Saturday and Sunday (10 a.m.-5 p.m.), Artfest Michigan Avenue takes place at the base of the iconic Tribune Tower (435 N. Michigan Ave.) in The Loop.  This fest showcases the work of 70 juried artists from across the country in a wide variety of mediums.  This “all-art” show offers the opportunity for you to find something to exhibit in your home to enjoy!  And admission is FREE for all attendees!!

After a year off in 2020, Riot Fest returns to Douglass Park (2800 W. Roosevelt Rd.) in the North Lawndale neighborhood with a vengeance in 2021 this Saturday and Sunday.  This rock- and hip-hop-focused fest will feature local alt-rock luminaries the Smashing Pumpkins, energetic rap duo Run the Jewels, and costumed metal act Slipknot as this year’s headliners.  Other big names such as new wave art punks Devo, psych-rockers the Flaming Lips, local rapper Lupe Fiasco, and many others are still being added as well.  Also, check out the full schedule of Riot Fest 2021 Late Night Shows as well as their 2021 Merch to update your old band tees!  Be prepared to bask in sonic waves of nostalgia if you’re attending!!

Join former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann as they team up with singer John Mayer for this Saturday’s Dead & Company Live at Wrigley Field (1060 W. Addison St.) in the Wrigleyville neighborhood.  They’ll be reheating the Dead’s hallowed catalogue of genre-bending, psychedelic tracks they played in stadiums and arenas across the country!  So, pull out those tie-dyed T-shirts and get ready for an evening of great music and thick clouds of skunky smoke!!

There’s never a dull moment in Chicago!  Come out and support, or partake, in the 1^st ever Rock Skipping Challenge at Hartigan Beach Park (1040 W. Northshore Ave.) in the Rogers Park neighborhood this Saturday (12 p.m.-2 p.m.).  Prizes include a trophy to the winner and free beers at the after party at the corner bar Bulldog Bar.  Even though this competition is for adults, the kids are welcome to compete too.  Families with kids who want to learn how to skip rocks are welcome to attend a rock skipping tutorial from 11 a.m.-11:30 a.m.!  It’s an event you don’t want to skip!!

The Northman Beer Camp & Cider Garden on The Riverwalk (233 E. Riverwalk) will be celebrating all things Oktoberfest at their Oktoberfest Weekend Series beginning this Saturday and Sunday (11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.).  These weekend series will feature free live music, sausage, cider, pretzels, beer and more.  Also, this Sunday is their Oktober-Family-Fest featuring balloon twisters, face painters and kids’ entertainers!  Plus, kids can make their own Fishy Windsock at the Friends of the Chicago River craft and go table.  Yep, time to embrace the arrival of autumn!!

Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago

For nearly 70 years, Ann Sather Restaurant in Lakeview has been serving up Swedish delicacies such as delicate Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, Swedish meatballs, Swedish fruit soup and Swedish potato sausage.

The Ann Sather story began In the 1940s, when, according to their website, a vivacious career woman named Ann Sather decided that what she really wanted to do was own and run a restaurant. Her restaurant. A place where people could come for generous homemade meals, warm hospitality and know the moment they came in the door they went from being a customer to becoming a friend, with a special side dish of gästfrihet (hospitality).

For 30 years, Ann ran the diner herself. In 1981, after searching for a successor who would meet her stringent demands for quality and remain devoted to her patrons, Ann sold the restaurant to Tom Tunney– then a 24-year-old graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel and Restaurant Management– and now, Alderman of Chicago’s 44^th Ward.

But ask any Chicagoan what Ann Sather means to them, and the most likely answer is “cinnamon rolls!”

Pre-Cinnabon, Ann Sather cinnamon rolls have been the pre-eminent Swedish ambassadors to the city. Freshly made, oozing cinnamon and sweet icing goodness, and available any time of the day, they grace the breakfast and lunch menus. According to several sources, cinnamon rolls were invented when Roman spice traders introduced the Sri Lankan cinnamon spice to Europeans, and Swedes used the new spice to make kanelbulle (cinnamon buns) and adding cardamom to the dough to give it a distinctive flavor.

But Ann Sather is about so much more than their mouth-watering cinnamon rolls. They are known for enormous portions, fresh meats, vegetables and their welcoming spirit. They are also known for breakfast! Go native and have a Swedish Breakfast Sampler, which includes one Swedish pancake, a Swedish meatball, Swedish potato sausage and one egg. Lighter appetites will enjoy Ann’s Darling-hot oatmeal with rice porridge and granola, topped with dried apricots, raisins, cranberries and pecans. Other choices include crepe-like Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, served with Swedish meatballs if you like. Or, try a Swedish waffle!

All egg entrées, including specialty Eggs Benedicts and omelets, are served with your choice of two sides, including two homemade cinnamon rolls, two hot biscuits & honey, one sweet muffin, toast, hash browns, fresh fruit, sliced tomatoes (in season), applesauce, or low-fat cottage cheese.

Lunch starters are worth the ala carte price, particularly the chilled Swedish fruit soup, homemade soup of the day, and pickled herring, followed by a Swedish Sampler, a platter of roasted duck with lingonberry glaze, Swedish meatball, Swedish potato sausage, spaetzle, sauerkraut and Swedish brown beans.

While Ann Sather is BYOB, they do offer fixings for Mimosas and Bloody Marys, as well as assorted juices. 

Ann Sather has three locations on the North Side of Chicago. All locations are open daily for indoor and outdoor dining, pick-up and delivery from 7 am to 3 pm. No reservations are taken. For more information, click here.

Have you ever wanted to change the landscape of your yard by adding a tree or shrub? Whether you have a green thumb or are a green dud, with proper preparation and some good tips, you can successfully do it yourself.

The first step for planting a tree is to purchase a tree seedling from your local hardware store or tree nursery. It’s important to measure the width of your roots because this will determine the size of your planting hole. Your hole should be at least three times as wide as the root mass of the tree seedling. As for the depth, be sure to dig a planting hole that is deep enough for the roots, but doesn’t cover the base of the tree trunk with dirt. It’s important for the entire trunk to be above the soil and some experts even leave some of the root ball above as well.

Once your planting hole is dug, inspect your tree seedling to make sure the roots aren’t creating a bunched up circular pattern, as this may affect the tree’s growth. If you do see patterns forming, simply tear apart the roots from the pattern and don’t worry about lost soil. Place your tree seedling in the planting hole and make sure to eradicate any air pockets by lightly tapping the soil, hand-packing the soil, or spraying the soil with water after planting.

After you plant your new tree, make sure to water it every day for the first seven days. After the first week you can start watering your tree every other day for the next seven days and you can gradually decrease the frequency after that point. Then, enjoy the new addition to your yard!

With two weeks of ‘official’ summer left, September offers glorious opportunities to enjoy Chicago’s legendary festivals, concerts and events!

Two uniquely Chicago music forms come together Saturday evening as the City of Chicago presents ‘Sanitize Your Soul,’ a  House music celebration featuring DJ Lady D, and a debut Gospel House Choir collaboration between Mark Hubbard and DJ Terry Hunter on Saturday, September 11, 5:30–8:30pm, as part of the City’s ‘Chicago in Tune’ series at Millennium Park. Bring a picnic dinner to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and enjoy this unique gospel and house music celebration! Free admission.

Wilkommen! Chicago’s famed German American Oktoberfest returns to Lincoln Square with gemutlichkeit September 10-12, at the corner of Lincoln and Western. Try authentic German food such as spaetzle, brezel and traditional drinks, dance to the music of German bands, spend the evening with friends and family, and raise a bier in celebration! Opening ceremony is 8pm Friday, and the Great Parade begins at 2pm Saturday on Lincoln Avenue at Irving Park Road. Sunday’s special events include a German Mass at 11am. Festival hours are 5pm-11pm on Friday, Noon-11pm on Saturday, and Noon-10pm on Sunday. Free admission.

Just south of Lincoln Square, the 16^th Annual Lakeview East Festival of the Arts along Broadway from Belmont to Hawthorne, showcases more than 150 juried artists on Saturday, September 11 and Sunday, September 12, displaying paintings, sculpture, photography, furniture, jewelry and more! These original pieces are for sale. In addition to seeing some of the greatest Chicago artists, the festival features live demonstrations, entertainment stages, family activities and a garden oasis. Featured musical acts include the Barry Winograd Trio, the Hoyle Brothers, Nora Jean Wallace, and Decoy Prayer Meeting, among many others. Free admission.

Lincoln Park Greek Fest is back at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 2701 N. Sheffield Ave, Chicago from Friday, September 10 at 5pm to Sunday, September 12, at 10pm! Join your hosts for the aromas, sounds, tastes and traditions of Greece. This popular annual cultural celebration will serve up an authentic dose of “filoxenia” (Greek hospitality and generosity of spirit) along with flavorful food, great music, dancing and pure fun! Spanakopita, anyone? Admission is $5.

Sundays on State concludes on Sunday, September 12 with a celebration of music, games, and community for a free, interactive city-wide block party. Bring the family to safely enjoy free art, culture, active recreation, shopping, food, drinks, and local attractions from 11am-8pm with musical performances by the Freakeasy, Sweet Kay Bluegrass, Derrick Carter, Beautiful Guitar Hands, and Blind Adam and the Federal League, among many others. Preview Imagination Circus, participate in an interactive game show by The Acting Workshop Chicago, live art demonstrations from Aaron Pierre Brown, outdoor fitness classes featuring workouts from Chicago’s top fitness instructors in cycle, boxing, yoga, Pilates, strength, barre and meditation, play Blue Demon Bag Toss for prizes, hear from DePaul Men’s Basketball Coach Tony Stubblefield, and dance in the streets with DIBS the Blue Demon! Free admission.

Alison Moran and Dean’s Team Chicago

As a Real Estate Broker, I see refrigerators and their interiors every week. Most are in a state of disarray at best, and a smelly mess at worst. Even in the most upscale homes and neighborhoods, you’ll find refrigerators that leave a lot to be desired in the way of cleanliness and smell. I think we’re all so busy today that the refrigerator, along with the oven are the last thought in the kitchen. With a little work we can keep the fridge smelling clean and looking organized. 

If you haven’t done so, you’ll need to start out with a big clean up. I do this twice a year. Take out everything, shelves and any other removable parts. Wash all interior parts in hot water and dish soap. Set on towels to air dry. Wipe down the interior with the same dish water. Sprinkle baking soda on any tough spots, wet and wipe away in a minute or two. Replace all the parts. Wipe down any bottles, jars or containers with warm water and a cloth and put them back in the fridge.

Every month you can get away with a quick wipe down of the shelves as you fill up or empty the refrigerator. A damp paper towel is usually sufficient for this. I also check expiration dates every couple of weeks to weed out any old condiments and such. Check out what you have in your fridge and how often you use the items. A condiment that you haven’t used in a year, may just be taking up space. Using small bins in the refrigerator is the best organizing tool I can think of. Group like items together; such as single snack packs for the children. Group similar condiments together. Keep seldom used ones in the back.  Use your drawers too. I find using one of these drawers is sufficient for my produce; as I only buy what’s needed. Wrap your produce properly after prepping. Google the proper way to wash and store fresh veggies. Use other drawers for juices, seltzers and pop. Shallow bins can be stacked. Be careful to always keep any uncooked meats together and always on the lower levels of the fridge to prevent cross-contamination. Keep acrylic containers on hand to hold defrosting meat.

Of course, all this cleaning and organization really starts with your shopping habits. Create a list and review what you have in the refrigerator before you add to the list. Resist the temptation to over buy. It is not a bargain if you buy more than you can eat or store and half of the purchase winds up in the trash. 

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago