Lil' Roy & the Weird Sisters

The Seldoms, an interdisciplinary theatre group, perform Lil' Roy & the Weird Sisters at Architectural Artifacts, 4325 N. Ravenswood, tonight and tomorrow at 8pm. The play is about "three unique characters who battle anti-heroes named Doily, Bingo and Cotton Candy," according to Chicago Social. Should be interesting. Tickets are $15 ($10 for students), or payy $30 and get into the afterparty. Call 312/328-0303 for more info.

Guinness Oyster Festival

Guinness and oysters: a classic combination. Come down to the New City YMCA, 1515 N. Halsted, between 4pm and 11pm tonight for fresh oysters, lots of Guinness and bands on two stages -- Cake headlines tonight at 9:15pm. Tickets are $10 at the door ($7 if you thought to buy them in advance). More information at ChicagoEvents.com.

Around the Coyote Arts Festival

The 15th annual Around the Coyote Arts Festival takes place this weekend in Wicker Park and Bucktown. Check out the website for a full listing of the participating galleries that will be open late to showcase local artists' work, poetry readings, participating restaurants, and other cool activities that run all weekend long.

Golden Age of Gangsters

Meet real mobsters' kids, pretend mobsters and the people who obsess about mobsters at the Golden Age of Gangsters Convention this weekend in Itasca. This event is open to the public and will feature tons of gangster memorabilia, descendents of famous mobsters Capone and Giancana, actors Joe Gannascoli and John Fiore from "The Sopranos," special displays about the St. Valentine's Massacre and The Prohibition years, a guided tour of Chicago gangster history, and several historians and authors who have made gangster history their life's work. Friday-Sunday, Holiday Inn in Itasca. Admission is $15 per day or $40 for the weekend.

9/11 Documentaries @ Facets

This weekend, Facets Cinematheque will feature the double feature "Collateral Damage" and "WTC: The First 24 Hours", both documentaries by Étienne Sauret dealing with 9/11. Sauret and two of the firemen who appear in one of the films will be at Facets for the first three shows on Saturday 9/11 for Q&A. The two firemen are from Engine 6. One of the firemen is the only survivor of a team of five that climbed up the North Tower before getting the order to turn back. Facets is located at 1517 W. Fullerton. For more information, call 773-281-9075 or check out this website (Contrary to what might be printed on that web page, one film is 60 minutes long and one is 30 minutes long, leaving about 30 minutes for Q&A between screenings). Admission: $9 non-members, $5 members.

Logan Square House and Garden Walk

Logan Square Preservation announces its twenty-second annual Logan Square Boulevards Historic District House & Garden Walk on Saturday, September 11, 2004 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Guided tours through the interiors of select residences and churches will emphasize architectural ornamentation, furnishings, and the life-styles of Chicago citizens in the early 1900's. This year Palmer Square is being featured. Advance tickets are available from Logan Square Preservation, 3024 West Logan Blvd., Chicago, IL. 60647-1708; (773) 252-4859. Cost is $10.00 ($8.00 for Seniors 60+) in advance and $12.00 ($10.00 for Seniors 60+) the day of the Walk. Ticket price includes gardens as well as homes. For horticultural enthusiasts who wish to visit the gardens only, the ticket price is $4.00. Orders received after September 1st will be held for pickup at the starting point, 2157 N. Humboldt Boulevard (St. Sylvesters Church at the corner of Humboldt and Palmer Boulevards.) Participants should allow four hours to complete the tour at a leisurely pace.

TOJO Gallery Opening

Around the Coyote brings lots of people to the area who don't come there on a regular basis. It can be fun (and stuffy and crowded) wandering through the live/work studios. So if you want to get away, hit some of the area galleries and revel in more art, and less stuffiness. Tojo Gallery is opening up this weekend and seems like a great new place to pop by for ideas, and maybe a beautiful photo, a sculpture, or a unique fused-glass bowl. They're having a special reception tonight beginning at 8 p.m, so stop by 1418 W. Division.

Buddhism Lecture Series Begins

Beginning today, there's a lecture series on Buddhism beginning 9/11 at Zen Buddhist Temple, located at 1710 W Cornelia (773-528-8685). This series runs for 5 consecutive Saturdays starting at 2:30 pm,and will be given by Joe Schumann formerly of Harvard and U.of C. Donations of $10.00 are optional. This is an opportunity to understand this non-theistic option to Abrahamic religion. Topics include: on 9/11-Buddha's first Teachings, on 9/18-the 3 Jewels,9/25-Sex,drugs,red meat and violence, on 10/2-Religion without God, and on 10/9-Karma of corporate culture. Contact: Ken at 847-793-6327 for more information.

Vice Mag "DOs & DON'Ts" @ Quimby's

DOs & DON'Ts" compiles every do and don't ever published in Vice Magazine. Author and magazine co-founder Gavin McInnes presents a slideshow of his 20 favorite DOs & DON’Ts from the book and answers audience questions tonight at Quimby's, 1854 W. North Ave., at 8pm. And it's free!

Children-created Films @ Peace Museum

The Peace Museum, 100 North Central Park Ave. (second floor the Garfield Park Field House), will screen three short peace-themed movies made by children in Garfield Park today at 11am. Made during Split Pillow's fast-filmmaking workshop for the Garfield Park 10, 11, and 12 year-olds on August 28, volunteer counselors from Chicago's film industry taught the children how to write, direct, shoot, act in and edit short digital video movies in one day. The event will also include a performance of The Neo-Futurists' critically acclaimed "Evidence." Free.

Marshall Field's Day of Music

The eagerly-anticipated eighth annual Marshall Field’s Day of Music will welcome thousands of music lovers to enjoy hours of FREE classical, jazz, world music, and family entertainment presented throughout Symphony Center. The event will kick off at 2 p.m. today with a performance by Sir Andrew Davis and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and will continue until 10 p.m. For a full schedule (PDF), check the website, or call (312) 294-3000 for more information. Symphony Center is located at 220 South Michigan Avenue.

Midwest Literary Festival

The 2nd Annual Midwest Literary Festival runs Saturday and Sunday in Aurora, IL. Featured speakers include former poet laureate Billy Collins and author Karen Joy Fowler, among many others. Panels and activities include a Romance Author Tea, a panel on self-publishing, finding a writing group, playwriting, as well as a separate program just for kids. Billed as a "family-friendly event," the activities are open to the public. For more information, directions and a map, and a full event schedule, check the website.