Tag Archives: oktoberfest

Weekend A-Jenda: October 7th – October 9th

Click Here for Weekend Traffic Projects
Click Here for Weekend CTA Travel Alerts

The Chicago Marathon

Date: Sunday, October 9
Time: First wave begins at 7:30 a.m.
Location: 29 Neighborhoods in Chicago

boa

 

No parking zones along the course will be enforced beginning at 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 9. Please look for no parking signs in your area for full details. Street closures along the route will occur between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. The roads in Grant Park will be closed longer. City streets will re-open promptly as the final runners pass through (at a 15-minute mile pace). The Chicago Police Department will be responsible for closing and re-opening streets, they will do so in a manner ensuring runner and spectator safety. Please follow their instructions when approaching streets on the course. Do NOT attempt to block the race course at any time.

Check out this interactive closure map from the Chicago Tribune.

VIEWING AREAS NEAR CTA STATIONS
Viewing areas are designated near CTA rail stations at 10 points along the marathon route for those interested in following the progress of the race:

First Viewing Area – Grand (Red Line) Station – Miles #1, #3 and #12. Board a Red Line train and exit at Grand Avenue.

Second Viewing Area – Monroe (Red Line) Station –Mile #2. Board a Red Line train and exit at Monroe Street.

Third Viewing Area – Chicago (Red Line) Station – Miles #3.5 and #11.5.  Board a Red Line train and exit at Chicago. Walk three blocks west to LaSalle Street (Mile 3.5) and four blocks west to Wells Street (Mile 11.5).

Fourth Viewing Area – Clark/Division (Red Line) Station – Miles #4 and #11. Board a Red Line train and exit at LaSalle Street (Mile 4). Walk four blocks east to Wells Street (Mile 11)

Fifth Viewing Area – Addison (Red Line) Station – Mile #7.75.  Board a Red Line train and exit at Addison. Walk four blocks east to Broadway.

Sixth Viewing Area – Sedgwick (Brown Line) Station – Mile #10.25.  Board a Brown Line train and exit at Sedgwick Street. Walk a half-block north to North Avenue.

Seventh Viewing Area – UIC-Halsted (Blue Line) Station – Miles #13.5 and #16.5. Board a Blue Line train and exit at UIC-Halsted. Use the Halsted Street exit or Morgan Street exit. Walk two blocks north to Adams Street (Mile #13.5) in Greektown or use the Halsted Street exit to view runners at Mile #16.5

Eighth Viewing Area – 18th (Pink Line) Station – Mile #19. Board a Pink Line train and exit at 18th Street. Walk one block east to Ashland.

Ninth Viewing Area – Halsted (Orange Line) Station – Mile #20.5. Board an Orange Line train and exit at Halsted.

Tenth Viewing Area – Sox-35th and 35th-Bronzeville-IIT (Red/Green Line) Stations – Mile #23. Board a Green Line train and exit at 35th-Bronzeville-IIT usingeither the 33rd Street or 35th Street exit. Board a Red Line train and exit at Sox-35th. Walk two blocks east on 35th Street to State Street.

Eleventh Viewing Area – Cermak-McCormick Place (Green Line) Station – Mile #25. Board a Green Line train and exit at Cermak-McCormick Place. Walk two blocks east to Michigan Avenue.

Twelfth Viewing Area – Roosevelt (Red/Green/Orange Lines) Station – Finish Line. Board a Red, Green or Orange line train and exit at Roosevelt. Walk east on Roosevelt Road toward the Museum Campus/Grant Park.


 

Oktoberfest, Mount Prospect

Date: Friday, Oct 7 – Saturday, Oct 8
Time: Friday, 4:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. & Saturday 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Location: Downtown Mount Prospect

On Saturday, enjoy pumpkin decorating, trick-or-treat candy line, hay rides & food and music in the downtown area.
Join in the fun of celebrating Mount Prospect’s heritage with authentic German food, spirits and music including the Phenix German Band at 6:00 p.m.


 

The Great Highwood Pumpkin Fest

Date: Friday, Oct 7 – Sunday, Oct 9
Location:

At 9:00 a.m. on October 8, the Superhero 5k steps off at the Great Highwood Pumpkin fest! It may not be the Chicago Marathon, but it can definitely get you into the spirit of both the running and fall season.

Click here for registration.
Click here for registration.

From the event website: BYOP (Bring Your own Pumpkin). The quantity of pumpkins delivered on site by the organizers alone will NOT be enough to break the world record without you. To help us get over the hump and break the record, bring a carved pumpkin. Place a candle in the pumpkin, and bring it to our Pumpkin Drop Off location in front of City Hall. All those who bring carved pumpkins will receive a FREE admission pass to the weekend event. BYOP pumpkins will be accepted through Sunday afternoon on Oct 9th.


 

St. Charles Scarecrow Fest

Date: Friday, October 7 – Sunday, October 9
Location: St. Charles

From Festing.com: Located one hour West of Chicago and along the Fox River is the annual St. Charles Scarecrow Fest! For over 25 years, this award-winning festival has brought family traditions and unforgettable memories to children and adults of all ages. The heart of this event is the Scarecrow Contest, which draws over 100 entries each year! From mechanical creations to the traditional scarecrows, visitors view and vote for their favorite in each of six categories. Children will enjoy making their own scarecrow to take home, a carnival, model train displays, a petting zoo and more! Visitors will also enjoy FREE, live entertainment all weekend as well the Autumn on the Fox Arts and Crafts Show. Be sure to also check out a new addition to the festival, the Canine Corner ? complete with a dog costume contest and wiener dog races! Choose from food vendors throughout the fest or many “unique to St. Charles” restaurants. The possibilities are endless! Best of all?.admission, parking, trolleys and parking shuttles are all FREE. Make it a weekend and enjoy a Fall getaway with the entire family. Hotel specials, festival schedules and more are available on visitstcharles.com.


Midnight Circus in the Parks

Date: Every weekend through October 16th!
Time: Various
Location: Various

A big show under the big top comes to local parks in Chicago each fall since 2007. The Midnight Circus has breath-taking local performers, including two rescue dogs, perform while raising funds for Chicago parks! In the past 10 years, the organization has raised more than $800,000 for the Chicago Park District!

From the website: Midnight Circus was a young, brash, troupe of performers on our first adventure together in Europe. We were enchanted with the intimate theatrical circuses we saw in the small parks and piazzas in Italy and France. The idea that families could come together in their very own communities and enjoy unique, exciting, world-class entertainment was a revelation to us. We were of the mind that you had to travel across town, fight traffic, and spend time and money parking in order to enjoy such a treat. We said to ourselves that one day we would create such a venue in our country, in our city, in our community.

From the Midnight Circus Facebook page…

midnight-circus


 

Traffic Restrictions & Road Projects

From the Chicago Marathon website: Vehicle removals If you live on one of the streets along the marathon route (see course map), you must move your vehicle to another location off of the course by Saturday, October 8, 2016. Towing of vehicles on closed thoroughfares will begin at 1 a.m. on Sunday, October 9. Vehicles that are not removed from the street by 1 a.m. will be ticketed and towed to the nearest auto-pound. For inquiries about towed vehicles, call 312.744.4444. We appreciate your support in creating a safe environment for the thousands of participants, volunteers and spectators.

Chicago Cubs Playoff Games Traffic Information
Parking Restrictions
Beginning at Noon on Friday, October 7
continuous through Sunday, October 9 at 4am.
 
Clark – School/Aldine to Irving (Both Sides)
Sheffield-Roscoe to Grace (Both Sides)
Addison-Halsted to Southport (Both Sides)
Racine-Roscoe to Clark (Both Sides)
Irving Park – Clark to Seminary (Both Sides)
 
Seminary & Newport – Com-Ed Substation
Beginning Friday, October 7 at 8am continuous through Sunday, October 9 at 8am
Seminary (east side) from Newport to the alley and
Newport (north side) from Seminary to the alley 
 
Street Closures – Approximately 3 hours prior to Game Time
Sheffield (Addison to Waveland) Full Street Closure (Except Fire Lane)- Pedestrian access will remain open on both sides of Sheffield
Waveland (Sheffield to Clark) Full Street Closure (Except Fire Lane) – Pedestrian access will remain open on both sides of Waveland
  • Expect street closures between Belmont and Irving Park / Halsted to Southport. At the discretion of the Chicago Police and OEMC, arterial streets MAY be closed to ALL vehicular traffic. Please have Photo ID and Proof of Residence available for presentation to either CPD or Traffic Management Personnel.  While this may be inconvenient, public safety is of the utmost importance.

CTA and Public Transit Weekend Alerts

Extra service for Chicago Marathon spectators and participants on ‘L’ train lines.

RAIL SERVICE (Sunday Only):
To accommodate additional ridership for the 2016 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the CTA will provide extra rail service on Sunday, October 9:

Red Line: Longer trains will be running earlier and with more frequent service, from 5 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Blue Line: Longer trains will be running from 5 a.m. until 4 p.m., with more frequent service from 9:35 a.m. until 11:20 a.m.

Brown Line: Longer trains will be running from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. with more frequent service

Green Line: Longer trains will be running from 5:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Orange Line: Longer trains will be running from 5:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Purple Line: Will provide earlier service, with the first train departing Linden at 5:30 a.m.

BUS SERVICE
On Sunday, the CTA will provide additional service on #3 King Drive: from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.  Along the race course, there will be intermittent reroutes affecting the following CTA bus routes:

#3 King Drive #56 Milwaukee
#4 Cottage Grove #60 Blue Island/26th
#6 Jackson Park Express #62 Archer
#8 Halsted #65 Grand
#9 Ashland #66 Chicago
#10 Museum of Science & Industry #70 Division
#12 Roosevelt #72 North
#J14 Jeffery Jump #73 Armitage
#18 16th/18th #74 Fullerton
#20 Madison #76 Diversey
#21 Cermak #77 Belmont
#22 Clark #124 Navy Pier
#29 State #126 Jackson
#35 31st/35th #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express
#36 Broadway #147 Outer Drive Express
#44 Wallace/Racine #151 Sheridan
#50 Damen #152 Addison

 

Weekend A-Jenda: September 22nd – 25th

Click Here for Weekend Traffic Projects
Click Here for Weekend CTA Travel Alerts

The Chicago Half Marathon

Date: Sunday, September 25

Traffic Impact from 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – The race runs on the south side of Lake Shore Drive. The entire drive will be closed to traffic between Jackson Park (67th Street) north to 31st Street. Other streets around Jackson Park will be closed.

2016-chicago-half-marathon-course-map-image


Oktoberfest Chicago

Date: Friday, September 23 – Sunday, September 25
Time: Friday, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.- 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m – 7 p.m.
Location: 1429 W. Wellington Ave, Lincoln Park

16th annual Bavarian celebration in Lincoln Park welcomes fall with plenty of food, music, arts & crafts, and activities for children.

Craft beer tasting nights on Friday and Saturday with “KinderFest” family activities on Saturday and Sunday.

Admission is $5, and benefits St. Alphonsus Church. The event is free of cost on Sunday!

 


Ravinia District’s Harvest and Harmony Festival

Date: Friday, September 23 – Saturday, September 24
Time: Friday, 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. & Saturday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Location: Jens Jensen Park

Friday, September 23rd

4-5pm School of Rock
5-6:30pm FUTURE STUFF
7-9pm Ravinia Ramblers

Saturday, September 24th

11-11:45am Little Miss Ann from Old Town School
Noon-12:30pm Language Stars
1-2:30pm 341 Trio
3–4:30pm Louie Zagoras of Rollover
5-6:30pm The Remars
7-7:45pm Michael McDermott
8-9pm Sam Llanas, Formerly of the BoDeans

For more information and list of food vendors, click here!

 


EXPO Chicago

Date: Thursday, September 22 – Sunday, September 25
Time: Friday, September 23 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.;
Saturday, September 24 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.;
Sunday, September 25 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.;
Location: Navy Pier

From the website, EXPO CHICAGO, the International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art, opens the fall art season each September at historic Navy Pier.

 


Bon Appétit presents Chicago Gourmet 2016

Date: Saturday, September 24 – Sunday, September 25
Location: Millenium Park

The Bon Appétit website says:

Now in its ninth year, Chicago Gourmet is excited to introduce our first-ever Host Chef – Rick Bayless of the acclaimed Frontera Restaurants. Additionally, a weekend-long theme – Food Is Art! – will showcase the culinary arts and explore its vibrant connections to art of many kinds. You’ll find fun and interactive art components throughout the event including Friday night’s popular Hamburger Hop and the exclusive Grand Cru tasting.

 


.38 Special

Date: Sunday, September 25
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Arcadia Theatre, St. Charles

After more than three decades together, 38 SPECIAL continue to bring their signature blast of Southern Rock to over 100 cities a year. And at each and every show, thousands of audience members are amazed by the explosive power of the band’s performance.

Their many Gold and Platinum album awards stand in testament to the endurance of a legendary powerhouse.

With sales in excess of 20 million, most associate the band with their arena-rock pop smashes, “Hold On Loosely,” “Rockin’ Into the Night,” “Caught Up in You,” “Fantasy Girl,” “If I’d Been the One,” “Back Where You Belong,” “Chain Lightnin’,” “Second Chance,” and more – Timeless hits that remain a staple at radio, immediately recognizable from the first opening chord, and paving the way to their present-day touring regimen.

 


Other Local Events

Manteno Oktoberfest 09/22/2016 Manteno, IL
Elmwood Park Fall fest 09/23/2016 Elmwood Park, IL
Huntley Fall Fest 09/23/2016 Huntley, IL
Long Grove Apple Festival 09/23/2016 Long Grove, IL
Quad Cities Balloon Festival 09/23/2016 East Moline, IL
Hyde Park Jazz Festival 09/24/2016 Chicago, IL
Edgewater Arts Festival 09/24/2016 Chicago, IL
OKTOBERFEST, Vernon Hills 09/24/2016 Vernon Hills, IL
Oktoberfest, Oak Brook 09/24/2016 Oak Brook, IL
Oktoberfest Bethany 09/24/2016 Naperville, IL
Oktoberfest Family Festival 09/24/2016 La Grange Park, IL

 


Traffic Restrictions & Road Projects

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced that starting Friday, Sept. 23, overnight lane closures will take place over several days, including a full closure of northbound and southbound Lake Shore Drive (U.S. 41), as part of the ongoing reconstruction of the interchange between Lake Shore Drive and the Stevenson Expressway (Interstate 55). The closures are required for the installation of new bridge beams.

Friday, Sept. 23 to Wednesday, Sept. 28:
Northbound Lake Shore Drive: Starting at 8 p.m. Friday, northbound Lake Shore Drive will be fully closed until 12 p.m. Saturday. A posted detour will direct northbound Lake Shore Drive traffic to take the 39th Street exit to State Street, north on State Street to enter the inbound Stevenson and re-enter northbound Lake Shore Drive. The 31st Street entrance ramp to northbound Lake Shore Drive also will be closed.

Northbound Lake Shore Drive to outbound Stevenson ramp: The ramp will be closed from 8 p.m. Friday to 12 p.m. Saturday. A posted detour will direct northbound Lake Shore Drive traffic to take the 39th Street exit to State Street, enter the inbound Stevenson and exit at Martin Luther King Drive to immediately enter the outbound Stevenson.

Inbound Stevenson to southbound Lake Shore Drive ramp: The ramp from the inbound Stevenson to southbound Lake Shore Drive will be closed Saturday from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. A posted detour will direct northbound Stevenson traffic to take the ramp to northbound Lake Shore Drive, exit at 18th Street and enter southbound Lake Shore Drive.

Southbound Lake Shore Drive: Beginning at 10 p.m. Sunday, the left lane on southbound Lake Shore Drive will be closed, with a second lane closing at 11 p.m. At midnight, southbound Lake Shore Drive will be completely closed until 5 a.m. All lanes will be closed nightly until Wednesday, Sept. 28. A posted detour will direct southbound Lake Shore Drive traffic to take the southbound Stevenson ramp, exit at State Street and take the northbound Stevenson to re-enter southbound Lake Shore Drive.

CTA and Public Transit Weekend Alerts

Trains Rerouted Downtown – Lake and Wabash Closed; Pink Line Rerouted to Connect to Racine Blue Line Station

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

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

Pink Line: Trains will operate between 54th/Cermak and Polk, then to Racine Blue Line for connecting Blue Line train service to/from downtown.

• For service to downtown from Pink Line stations between 54th/Cermak and Polk, take a Pink Line train toward the Loop and stay on board until the train reaches Racine on the Blue Line, where you can transfer to continuing Blue Line service into downtown.

• For service from downtown to Pink Line stations between Polk and 54th/Cermak, take a Blue Line train toward Forest Park to Racine and transfer to a Pink Line train toward 54th/Cermak.

• For service to/from Ashland, Morgan or Clinton stations, use Blue Line service between Racine and Jackson, and Green Line service.

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.