Tag Archives: weekend agenda

Weekend A-Jenda: St. Patrick’s Day 2017

Mar 6, 2017 | WLSAM Staff

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Dyeing of the Chicago River & the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Date: Saturday, March 11th, 2017
Time: 9:00 a.m. River Dyeing, 12:00 p.m. Parade Step-Off
Location: The Chicago River at Columbus Drive, then along Columbus Drive

ChooseChicago.com explains the event as In what might be one of the world’s most famous St. Patrick’s Day rituals, 45 pounds of eco-friendly vegetable dye are poured into the Chicago River to turn it emerald green for the occasion. Actually, at first glance, the dye appears orange on the river’s surface—but don’t panic. Thanks to a little leprechaun magic (or, well, science), the hue transforms and seeps in until the whole river is a bright, beautiful green.

The dyeing of the river remains a beloved tradition for many generations of Chicagoans (it dates back over 50 years ago) and draws nearly 400,000 spectators downtown looking to catch a glimpse before taking in the parade that follows. The Chicago River keeps its coloring for about five hours only, so don’t miss out.

Why not go on a river-dyeing cruise? Various companies are providing sightseeing ventures complete with corned beef and cabbage lunches or dinners!
Check them out:
Mystic Blue St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Cruise
Shoreline Sightseeing St. Patrick’s Day Lunch Cruises
Spirit of Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Afternoon Lunch Cruise
Wendella’s St. Patrick’s Day Cruise

Millenium Garages are offering discounted parking for the weeekend events

South Side Irish Parade

Date: Sunday, March 12th, 2017
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Beverly Neighborhood (103rd & Western)

An annual staple in Chicago’s south side Beverly neighborhood, the South Side Irish Parade has been not only a local tradition but a suburban tourist destination.

Though the parade has a long-standing reputation of being a place for excessive consumption, it is the official policy from the organizers that “The South Side Irish Parade is a family-friendly event and has a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol along the parade route.”

What would Jen do?
The 2017 Emerald Isle Mile, that begins at 11:30 a.m., before the start of the parade. The race runs from 104th Street to 112th Street, and is expected to have nearly 250 entrants. Fun fact: one-mile burns about 100-110 calories which is equivalent to an O’Doul’s Non-Alcoholic beer, a shot of whiskey, or about two-thirds of a Smithwicks.

Northwest Side Irish Parade

Date: Sunday, March 12th, 2017
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Norwood Park

Venturing to the south side can be a bit much for north siders wishing to imbibe on St. Pat’s celebration weekend. For that, the Northwest Side Irish Parade and festival provides a means of entertainment.

The parade after party is held at the Immaculate Conception Recreation Center, 7271 W. Talcott Avenue, beginning at 1:00 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for party-goers aged 10+ and includes “Danny Boy Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, Eli’s Cheesecake, soda, and live entertainment!”

GET LUCKY Half Marathon, 14k & 7k

Date:Saturday, March 11th, 2017
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: Soldier Field

A lucky morning to burn away all of that whiskey and corned beef? Yes, please.

Participants can choose between the seven or 14-kilometer version, or better yet run both adding to 21-kilometers, or a half-marathon.

Here’s how to get in: http://www.chicagogetlucky.org/Information/

Finish the race, enjoy the post-event party, and then head over to Columbus Drive for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade!

Chicago Bulls against the Houston Rockets

Date: Friday, March 10th, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: United Center

Traffic Restrictions & Road Projects

Saturday, the parade starts at Balbo and Columbus, will be closed to traffic. The parade will proceed north on Columbus Drive to Monroe. These streets will be closed.

CTA and Public Transit Weekend Alerts

It is predicted that the CTA will increase service this weekend for St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

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Weekend A-Jenda: June 23rd – 26th

Jun 23, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

Ray’s Forecast:

  • Friday – Partly cloudy skies. High 82F. Cooler by the Lake. Low 64F.
  • Saturday – Sunshine and some clouds. High around 90F. At night, Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 73F.
  • Sunday – Scattered thunderstorms. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the upper 60s.

Click Here for Weekend Traffic Projects
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White Sox at Home

The White Sox are home this weekend, and they are giving away some really neat things as long as you get there early!
white sox promos june 24

Styx at the Taste of Joliet

Date: Friday, June 24
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Location: ATI Field at Joliet Memorial Stadium

Although Styx plays Friday night in a show with our sister station, 97.9 WLUP, the Taste of Joliet runs all weekend long.

From the website: With 25 food vendors, carnival, kids zone, and headline entertainment, the Taste of Joliet is the highlight of the summer.

Friday, June 24 Noon – Midnight
Saturday, June 25 Noon – Midnight
Sunday, June 26 Noon – 7 PM

Proud to Run 2016

Date: Saturday, June 25
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Montrose Harbor

From the website proudtorun.org: As part of Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Pride Week activities since 1982, Proud To Run (PTR) is an annual 10K run & 5K run/walk along the lakefront, focused on celebrating pride in and raising funds to support the greater Chicago area LGBTQ community. In 2015 we had a record turnout of more than 1,700 registrants. Overall, more than 2,200 people participated in this year’s event by running, walking, volunteering and sponsoring.

The Proud To Run 10K run & 5K run/walk is organized by an all volunteer, community based board of directors.

PRIDE Parade

Date: Sunday, June 26
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Uptown, Lakeview East, Lakeview

The 47th Annual Chicago Pride parade steps off at noon on Sunday, June 26, from the intersection of Montrose and Broadway in Uptown, and ends near the intersection of Diversey Parkway and Sheridan in Lincoln Park.

Upwards of 750,000 people line the streets of the north side of Chicago for the event. Pets are welcome, but keep in mind that the rules still apply and open alcohol is not allowed on city streets.

Traffic Alert: Broadway CLOSED between Sunnyside and Diversey.

For more information on the event, click here.

Old St. Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party

Date: Saturday, June 25
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: West Loop

Passion Pit headlines the historic annual block party that benefits area education and outreach programs. The event is in a parking lot on Morgan between Taylor and Roosevelt.

A bags tournament, food trucks and lots of alcohol attract the adult crowd to this 21+ event.

PHISH at Wrigley Field

Date: Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago

LivePhish.com will webcast live from Phish’s 2-Night Sold Out show at Wrigley Field this Friday & Saturday. Shows begin at 7:00 p.m. and there will be additional traffic in the area.

There is a webcast for those who wish to throw a Phish party in their living room. Here is where you are able to get that.

Fountain Square Art Festival

Date: Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sunday
Location: Evanston

From the official website: The festival takes place in downtown Evanston, just steps from the eponymous Fountain Square. It also features a popular children’s art tent with fun activities overseen by the acclaimed Evanston Art Center, food, and a soothing jazz-centric music lineup.

Saturday night enjoy a beer tasting with tickets for $25 that include 15 tastings.

Traffic Alert: Sherman at Clark Closed
Public Transportation – Purple Line CTA L Train to Davis

 

Other Events

From Festing.com

Homer Community Fest 06/23/2016 Homer Glen, IL
Rotary GroveFest 06/23/2016 Downers Grove, IL
Summer Solstice Festival 06/23/2016 Yorkville, IL
Galesburg Railroad Days 06/23/2016 Galesburg, IL
Cicero American Fest 06/23/2016 Cicero, IL
Wauconda Fest 06/23/2016 Wauconda, IL
Party in the Park 06/24/2016 Tinley Park, IL
BeachFest – Round Lake Beach 06/24/2016 Round Lake, IL
Northlake Days 06/24/2016 Melrose Park, IL
Champaign Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival 06/24/2016 Champaign, IL
Taste of Joliet 06/24/2016 Joliet, IL
Long Grove Summer Festival 06/24/2016 Long Grove, IL
Fox Lake Fire Department 58th Annual Festival 06/25/2016 Ingleside, IL
Glenview Summer Festival 06/25/2016 Glenview, IL
The World’s Largest Block Party 06/25/2016 Chicago, IL

Traffic and Travel

From TravelMidwest.com: The ramps connecting eastbound I-88 to northbound Farnsworth Avenue and northbound Farnsworth Avenue to westbound I-88 will be closed permanently for removal and detours will be posted. Traffic on eastbound I-88 exiting to northbound Farnsworth Avenue will be detoured via Diehl Road, Eola Road and Butterfield Road. Traffic on northbound Farnsworth Avenue entering westbound I-88 will be detoured via a similar route using Butterfield Road, Eola Road and Bilter Road.

Ramp closures and detours will also be put in place for the ramps connecting eastbound I-88 to southbound Farnsworth Avenue and southbound Farnsworth Avenue to westbound I-88 as work begins to reconfigure the ramps. Traffic for both these ramps will be detoured via Illinois Route 31 and Indian Trail Road. These ramps will reopen this summer.

 

Roadwork on Illinois 390 at I-290: On Saturday, June 25, one eastbound lane on Illinois Route 390 between Meacham Road and I-290 is scheduled to close at 9 p.m., followed by second lane closure at 11 p.m. to prepare for bridge beam placement. 

At 1 a.m. on Sunday, June 26, a full closure of the ramp connecting Meacham Road to eastbound Illinois Route 390 and I-290 is scheduled and traffic will be detoured. The ramp is scheduled to reopen by 7 a.m. and all lanes are scheduled to reopen by 10 a.m. Sunday, June 26.

Meacham Road Ramp from TravelMidwest.com
Meacham Road Ramp from TravelMidwest.com

Weekend CTA Travel Alerts

Cumberland station service impacts

BLUE LINE
Jun 24 – 25
10 p.m on Friday to 6p.m. on Saturday
Boarding Change, Delays Between Harlem (O’Hare branch) and Rosemont
Board/exit all trains on the Forest Park-bound side of the platform at the Cumberland station.
Trains in both directions will operate on the same track between Harlem (O’Hare branch) and Rosemont, resulting in minor delays.

Jun 25 – 26
6:00 p.m. Saturday to 6:00 a.m. Sunday
Boarding Change, Delays Between Rosemont and Harlem (O’Hare branch)
Board/exit all trains on the O’Hare-bound side of the platform at the Cumberland station.
Trains in both directions will operate on the same track between Rosemont and Harlem (O’Hare branch), resulting in minor delays.

PRIDE Parade

From the CTA: CTA offers convenient service for those attending the 2016 Chicago Pride Parade on Sunday, June 26. To avoid crowded areas like Belmont, attendees are advised to consider viewing the parade from areas like Broadway, south of Montrose — a short walk from the Wilson and Sheridan stations on the Red Line. For more information, tips and a map and information, visit our Chicago Pride Parade page.

RED, ORANGE, BROWN, BLUE LINES
Sun, Jun 26
Increased Capacity/More Frequent Service
Red Line: More frequent service will operate between 95th and Howard every 5 to 8 minutes from 9am to 7pm.
Orange Line: Longer trains will operate between Midway and the Loop, 8am to 6pm.
Brown Line: Longer trains will operate between Kimball and the Loop every 7 to 8 minutes from 8am to 5pm.
Blue Line: Longer trains will operate between O’Hare and Forest Park from 8am to 11pm.
Why is service being changed?
Added service is being provided for the convenience of customers attending the 2016 Chicago Pride Parade.

 

LOOP ‘L’: ORANGE, GREEN, PINK, BROWN LINES
Jun 24 – 27
10pm Fri to 4am Mon
Trains Rerouted Downtown: Lake and Wabash Closed
How does this affect my trip?
Orange, Green, Pink and Brown Line trains will be rerouted on the west side of the loop.

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Weekend “A-Jenda” June 2nd – 5th

Jun 3, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

Click Here for Weekend Traffic Projects
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Lincoln Square Maifest

Date: Friday, June 3rd through Sunday, June 5th
Time: Friday 5:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Saturday noon to 11:00 p.m.
Sunday noon to 10:00 p.m.
Location: Lincoln Square, Chicago

Mayfest (Maifest in German) is the traditional German celebration of the arrival of spring. Maifest is still celebrated throughout Germany with the maypole (maibaum) decorated to show off the history and crafts of the local village or town.

Mayfest, like Octoberfest, has now become a popular celebration throughout the world. Chicago’s German community welcomes all to their Mayfest in Lincoln Square; the heart of Chicago’s German Community.

Road Closures: Western Ave Between Eastwood and Leland

CTA Options:
Brown Line to Western
#49 Western Avenue Bus
#81 Lawrence Avenue Bus
#11 Lincoln Bus (however, only from the north since the #11 doesn’t connect through the Northcenter neighborhood. It is coming back next month. Read more here.)

Chicago Gospel Music Festival

Date: Friday, June 3rd & Saturday, June 4th
Time: Friday at 12:00 p.m., Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
Location: Millennium Park, Chicago

The Chicago Gospel Music Festival showcases the best in local, national and international Gospel Music performers, and the admission is FREE!

For the full lineup, click here.

A panel discussion is scheduled for Thursday, June 2 at 5:30 p.m. to kick off the weekend.

CTA Options:
Pink, Orange, Green, Brown and Purple (rush) Lines – Randolph
Blue Line – Washington
Red Line – Lake
Buses #3, #4, #6, #10, #14, #26, #143, #144, #145, #146, #147, #151, #157

Taste of Little Village; Flavors of Mexico

Date: Friday, June 3rd – Sunday, June 5th
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Location: Kedzie at 26th Street in Little Village, Chicago

From the event website:

Beyond authentic Mexican treats (tacos, gorditas, flautas, enchiladas and tortas) from nearly a dozen Chicago restaurants, there’s also a non-stop music lineup, daily cooking demonstrations on a Culinary Stage with top chefs, carnival rides and arts/crafts.

Traffic Alert: 26th Street from Kedzie to Sacramento

CTA Options:
Pink Line – Kedzie (just over one-half mile, south to 26th Street)
#52, #60

Hyde Park Brew Fest

Date: Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Location: Hyde Park, Chicago

Located in the heart of downtown Hyde Park at 53rd and Harper, the Hyde Park Brew Fest boasts “good music, great people, craft beer, food and craft vendors.”

The event is free, though tickets for sampling beer and cider from over 50 different breweries must be purchased.

More information here.

Traffic Alert: 53rd at Harper closed

CTA Options:
#2, #4, #6, #10, #15, #28, #55, #59

The Steve Dahl Show at Hooters in Downers Grove

Date: Friday, June 3rd
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Location: Hooters Downers Grove

Steve, Dag and Brendan will be watching the White Sox game from Hooters in Downers Grove on Friday. Ten lucky listeners will also have a chance to win tickets to an upcoming White Sox game!

For more information, click here!

Girls on the Run 5k – Chicago

Date: Saturday, June 4, 2016
Time: 6:30 a.m. On-site registration opens, 8:00 a.m. Start Time
Location: Grant Park, Chicago

For registration and more information visit this link.

The Squeez’d Girls on the Run 5k is a family-friendly event and fun run. It is open to the public. Girls who are currently participating in the program are already registered for the 5k. All finishers receive “woo hoos!” and the admiration of numerous spectators, but runners are not timed nor are awards given.

Everyone who crosses the finish line is a winner!

Do you have a child between the ages of two and six? Li’l Spark Sprints go from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and are 20-60 yard dashes!

Morning Traffic Anchor, Jen DeSalvo, coaches for Girls on the Run. Read about her work with the organization here!

Traffic Alert: Balbo closed from Columbus to Lake Shore Drive. Event will take place on lakefront bike path.

Weekend Festivals in the Suburbs

Information from Festing.com

Gilberts Community Days Gilberts, IL
St.Joseph Carnival Summit Argo, IL
Maifest Chicago Chicago, IL
Hawthorn Mall Carnival Vernon Hills, IL
Aledo Rhubarb Fest Aledo, IL
Virginia BBQ Virginia, IL
Lincoln Park Greek Fest Chicago, IL
Taste of Little Village: Taste of Mexico Chicago, IL
2 Brothers Summer Festival Aurora, IL
Lemont Beerfest Lemont, IL
Red Head Days Highwood, IL
57th Street Art Fair Hyde Park, Chicago

Traffic Projects

In Itasca, Parkside will close between Thorndale and Granville avenues at 7 a.m. Thursday for removal to make room for new ramps and frontage roads as part of the Illinois Route 390 Tollway Project.

Beginning on Thursday, June 2, 104th Avenue will be closed at 159th Street until Winter 2016. A posted detour will direct traffic to use 108th Avenue, 167th Street and Lagrange Road (U.S. 45).

One lane in each direction on I-80, just west of Illinois 23, will be closed below the bridge to repaint the East 16th Road (Airport Road).
Use Route 6 between Ottawa and Utica as an alternate.

CTA Alerts

Blue Line trains heading in the direction of Forest Park will bypass Montrose for platform repairs on weekends from Friday at 10:00 p.m through Monday at 4:00 a.m. until June 7.

Passengers are urged to use Irving Park or Jefferson Park.

Trains Rerouted Downtown: Lake and Wabash Closed

Planned Work w/ Reroute

Affects Train Tracker prediction availability
Orange, Green, Pink & Brown Line trains will be rerouted on the Loop elevated via Wells & Van Buren. No service will operate on Lake or Wabash.

Orange and Brown Lines: Trains will operate as one route, between Kimball and Midway, via Wells and Van Buren.

Green Line: Trains will operate between Harlem and 63rd via Wells and Van Buren.

Pink Line: Trains will operate between 54th/Cermak and Downtown via Wells and Van Buren. Trains will begin/end their trips at Roosevelt station.

Customers may transfer between the Loop elevated, and Blue and Red line subways at Harold Washington Library (Loop elevated) and Jackson (Blue and Red lines) stations.

Photo from http://www.transitchicago.com/
Photo from http://www.transitchicago.com/

 

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