"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."
-Dorothy Parker
9/11 - The art of Western tattooing;from sailors to fur traders to religious pilgrims, Western tattooing from the 1500s to the 1900s has a complex history. Along with an art exhibit, a teacher from Chicago's School of the Art Institute will give a talk and answer questions about the artworks. 11 a.m, free, at the Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art.
If you live in Valparaiso, the city wants your opinion. It has launched its first annual “City Employee & Community Diversity and Inclusion”initiative, a survey of attitudes about discrimination. Fill out the brief form and register to participate in seminars to discuss the findings. Seminars from August 24 through 28 and September 14 through 18. For the form, registration and other info, click here.
8/17 -"Reinventing Public Investment: Better Choices for a Better Chicagoland;" panelists discuss how cleaner air, ample water supplies and more liveable communities could be achieved by changing the way Washington, D.C. spends our tax dollars, and how their past decisions have already shaped development in Chicagoland. Noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 South Michigan Avenue, John Buck Company Lecture Hall Gallery.
8/19 -Camp Green Drinks; For the sixth year, preservationists gather to watch a documentary and nosh. This year's film is "Milking the Rhino," a documentary about rural Africans trying to conserve their native wildlife. 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at a private house in Wicker Park. You must register first for one of the limited spaces (60). $20 at the door. Snacks and beverages will be provided, but you can BYOB and your favorite goodies.
All ages welcome.
8/22 - Indiana Dunes Bike and Swim; this is a leisurely, one-day ride of 30 miles (round trip) from the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to Michiana Shores. Includes lunch on the beach, swimming and an ice-cream break. $3. Limited to 25 participants, so register now.
8/29: Downtown Canyons; paddle through downtown Chicago and marvel at the wildlife managing to share the river between skyscrapers with private boaters, tour boats and the occasional barge.
8/29, 8/30 - Viva Chicago Latin Music Festival;local, national and international talent performing salsa, reggaeton, mariachi, norteña, Spanish pop y más. 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. both days in Grant Park at Jackson Boulevard and Columbus Drive. Free admission.
8/29 - Mushroom hunt - Hike the Cowles Bog trail in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore with a mycologist and see how many of the 1,000 species present in Chicagoland you can find. 9 a.m. to noon. Free, but limited to 15 participants. Sponsored by the Shirley Heinze Land Trust.
9/4, 9/5, 9/6 - Chicago Jazz Festival;.twenty-one acts on four stages, ranging from local high school jazz bands to internationally acclaimed performers. 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Grant Park at Jackson Boulevard and Columbus Drive. Free admission.
9/12 -TreeKeepers classes begin; help keep Chicago's trees alive and healthy. This is a seven-week course covering basic tree planting and care, species identification, and how to recognize diseases and pests. Taught by expert arborists at the boathouse in Humboldt Park. Graduates of the program are the only volunteers in Chicago permitted to plant and maintain trees on city, park, and forest preserve land. $80. Sponsored by Openlands.org.
9/12, 9/13 - 13th Annual Celtic Fest; Harps and pipes, strange Scottish athletic events, food and dance, along with a Wee Ones play area. Free admission. Noon to 9:30 p.m. in Grant Park at Jackson Boulevard and Columbus Drive.
9/13 - Lakeshore Century Bike Ride;a one-day ride along the Indiana National Lakeshore, through rural Northwest Indiana to Michigan. $20 to $30 (depending on how early you register) gets you food, drink and an end-of-ride chili dinner. Starts in Valparaiso, Ind. This is a fund-raiser for the Calumet Crank Club.
9/15, 9/16, 9/17 - Fifth National Small Farm Conference; brings together farmers, ranchers, academics and community groups to share ideas and network in Springfield, Ill.
$125 to $300, depending on what you sign up for and when. Sponsored by the University of Illinois Extension.
Bat exhibits, bat houses, bat merchandise and bat activities for kids. At the Science Building, Indiana State University, and Dobbs Nature Park, both in Terre Haute. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a barbecue and a bat science night.
9/26 - Hyde Park Jazz Festival; 15 hours of nonstop jazz from more than 100 musicians, all free. 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on the Midway Plaisance at 59th Avenue.
GREENCalumet
Environment, Energy, Farm, Food . . .
8/19 - "Milking the Rhino,"
documentary film, snacks and BYOB, Wicker Park, Chicago
8/22 - Dunes Bike and Swim, starting at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
