West Fest & East Village Arts Walk

West Town, aka East Village, is holding its first-ever street festival, probably the last of the season. It features your typical range of vendors, plus a surprisingly good music line-up (see below). Saturday and Sunday, noon to 10pm on Chicago Avenue between Damen and Wood. $5 donation gets you in.

Simultaneously, the East Village Arts Walk features more than 50 artists' studios and galleries. Maps will be available at West Fest entry points; the Arts Walk is free. Saturday and Sunday, noon to 7pm.

More info on both events here.

Saturday, October 9th 2004
12-1pm: Loose Assembly
1:30-2:30pm: Jose Valdez Trio
3-4:30pm: Chi Town Reggae with Special Guest DJ Red Lox
5-6pm: Chocolate Covered Karma
6:30-8pm: Waco Brothers
8:30-10pm: Urge Overkill

Sunday, October 10th 2004 12-1pm: Indoor/Outdoor
1:30-2:30pm: Good Times
3-4:30pm: Emerging Light with Special Guest DJ Red Lox
5-6pm: Million Yen
6:30-8pm: Califone 8:30-10pm: Local H (Rock)

FOUND magazine @ The Hideout

FOUND magazine, the critically-acclaimed zine that publishes the findings of its readers, is back in town again, and they'll be at The Hideout tonight. Two shows to choose from! There's a 7:00 PM and a 10:00 PM show. Expect readings of found texts, music from found CDs and cassettes, performances of found plays, and so much more. The shows are 21+. The Hideout: 1354 W. Wabansia. (773) 227-4433.

Madison Zine Fest

Not really in Chicago, but close enough that people could go for a day, or a weekend. Madison Zine Fest will be taking place this weekend as part of the Wisconsin Book Festival. Join zinesters and hipsters and music-makers at Open Book Cafe and other locations in Madison.

Rhino Theater Fest: 16 Students

Part of the Rhinoceros Theater Festival: "16 students with stories about learning or teaching or failing to learn. Or failing to teach. A variety show of student pieces including improvisation, collaborative performance art, narrative, nonfiction, monologue, and electric cello, among other things, with pieces written or performed by Eric Blank, Alison Chesley, Olivia Cronk, James Dunn, Alex Jovanovich, Heidi Moore, Shannon Mullally, Erika Pahk, Christopher Piatt, Adam Pomajzl, Janie Porche, Andrea Rexilius, and Della Watson, among others." 7pm, Curious Theatre Branch, 7001 N Glenwood. $12 or pay what you can. Call 773-274-6660 for reservations.

Gay and Lesbian Alternative Wedding Expo

Heartland Gay & Lesbian Alternative (G.A.L.A.) Wedding Expo. Today from 2 until 6 p.m. this expo will bring together lesbian and gay couples with wedding industry professionals at the Allegro Hotel, 171 W. Randolph, in downtown Chicago. Tickets for the event are $10 per person, $15 per couple when purchased in advance, or $15 per person, $25 per couple at the door. Tickets are available online or by calling 866-468-3401. The event is a benefit for Equality Illinois, which will receive 100% of the event's proceeds.

UNIVERSES: Slanguage @ MCA

A fierce fusion of poetry, politics, blues, and boleros combine in "Slanguage," an original performance by poetry ensemble UNIVERSES presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago, in association with the Guild Complex, on October 8, 9, and 10 at 7:30 p.m. Hailing from the South Bronx, UNIVERSES is an ensemble-based company of multi-disciplined writers and performers, weaving their own lives and language into a collage of stories, songs, scenes, and poetry. Following tonight's performance, there will be a First Night post-show talk with UNIVERSES. For more information please visit the MCA website.

Bike & Hike the Calumet

Starting at Lake Calumet at 9:30 a.m., this event will open your eyes to the region's ecological challenges, as well as showcase the triumphs of a strong local effort to rehabilitate the natural environment on Chicago's far south side. Participants will bike/hike from 2½ to 12 miles, depending on one's endurance, with interpretive stops along the way. See Chicago's landfills (past and present), heavy industries, lakes, rivers, bridges, wetlands, migrating birds, threatened species, and cultural attractions. A special tour through the Historic Pullman District is featured as part of this event. Water plus other refreshments and snacks provided; participants should pack a lunch. For more information, check out the website. Donations accepted: $5 and up. To register, call 773-646-0436; or send email to SETF setf@sbcglobal.net.

Chicago Botanic Garden Bulb Bazaar

This weekend, the Chicago Botanic Garden hosts it's annual Bulb Bazaar. The largest bulb sale in the Midwest, the Bulb Bazaar offers more than 300,000 bulbs of 250 varieties—everything from tulips to irises, alliums to daffodils. Members-only hours are 1 to 7 p.m. on October 8. The sale is also open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on October 9, 10 and 11. The sale will be held in the Education Center at the Botanic Garden. For more information, contact the garden or download the catalogue (PDF).

Lyric Opera Warehouse Sale

The Lyric Opera's warehouse at 2559 S. Dearborn is being sold for redevelopment, so this weekend the doors are being thrown open for a huge sale. Trunks for $50, costumes starting at $5 -- and all sorts of props, from swords to a giant Edgar Allen Poe face. It's free, and runs Saturday and Sunday from 1-4pm. More info in this Tribune article.