Eric Rohmann @ AIC

Eric Rohmann, author and illustrator of Caldecott Award winner My Friend Rabbitt, stops at the Art Institute to partake in their Meet the Artist Series. The event will take place in the museum's Price Auditorium, located on the lower level near the exhibition Fantasy, Facts, and Furry Friends, of which Rohmann is a featured artist. Rohmann can be seen at 11am. The Art Institute is located at 111 S. Michigan Ave.; call 312-857-7161 for more information. This event is free with museum admission.

PISTIL Prom

Time to dust off the taffeta and corsages! PISTIL Magazine is holding thier first Prom at The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia. Starting at 9pm, music will be provided by beau, Easy Rider and how could go let this happen. Come get your picture taken and see who will be crowned Prom King and Queen. Cover is $6, wil proceeds benefitting the independent magazine.

The Dean Evans Show @ Neo-Futurarium

The Neo-Futurists present The Dean Evans Show! Ensemble member Dean Evans presides over a live talk show which features Neo-Futurist Bilal Dardai as Dean's sidekick, intern Chip Dickerson, and a cavalcade of special guests, video clips, and other surprises. The Dean Evans Show runs Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 PM at the Neo-Futurarium (5153 N. Ashland) through July 30. See the Neo-Futurist Website for full information and to purchase tickets, or call the Neo-Futurist hotline at (773) 275-5255.

5th Annual Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy

Interested in boating in Chinatown, along the Chicago river? Want to do it for a good cause? This Saturday you can join the 5th Annual Chicago Dragon Boat Race for Literacy, a competition based traditional Chinese boat races. Teams are composed of 18 people, with $35 entry fee per team member. If boating's not your thing, you can still come to cheer the racers on and enjoy the music, food and festivities. Email danagehlhausen[at]hotmail[dot]com for more information or call 773-415-4154. (Team registration for this event has now closed, but support is always appreciated.)

Murder City: Chicago history discussion

Chicago Public Radio presents a discussion between This American Life's Ira Glass and writer and historian Michael Lesy. The topic: Chicago's bloody history in the 1920s. The event happens tonight at 7:30 PM at the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater at Millennium Park (205 E. Randolph Drive). Tickets are $30, or $25 for Chicago Public Radio fans. See the Chicago Public Radio Website for full details on the event.

Vegetarians on Bikes

This afternoon is the second annual Veggie Bike & Dine, hosted by EarthSave Chicago and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. The event is a 15-mile progressive dinner-style bike tour of four vegan-friendly restaurants in and around downtown Chicago, including Karyn's Cooked and Lao Sze Chuan. It kicks off at 1pm at the Green City Market in Lincoln Park (1750 N. Clark St.); you can get lots more details here. (Please note: there is no day-of registration and space is very limited.)

Chicago SummerDance

The ninth annual Chicago SummerDance festival of public dancing continues tonight in the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park (601 S. Michigan, between Harrison and Balbo). This evening's entertainment: Dawud Shareef & Lura Satterfield, teachin step dancing; and P-1, playing Chicago house, Steppin' and New York dance. SummerDance features one hour of dance lessons, followed by two hours of live music and dancing. Tonight's show runs from 6:00 to 9:30, and SummerDance runs at the park Wednesday-Sunday nights (weather permitting) through August 28. See the SummerDance site for a complete schedule.

Hardcore Histories @ Mess Hall

Hardcore Histories is a new series at Mess Hall that will explore many facets of Hardcore Punk music and culture, from its origins in around 1980 up to what’s happening now. The series will provide concrete information and knowledge in a variety of social event formats. All events are free to attend and many will include opportunities for attendees to participate and share their knowledge, music, videos and ephemera.

Tonight we’ll be serving up a free pasta dinner, musically complimented by raging Italian Hardcore Punk records. Included on the menu will be rare records by Raw Power, Negazione, Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers, Indigesti, Declino, High Circle, and Chain Reaction.

Anyone who has any Italian hardcore records, CDs, cassettes, or video is urged to bring music to share. Pasta dinner is free but please bring a beverage or dessert to share if you can.

Saturday, July 23, 2005, 5:00p - 7:00p at Mess Hall 6932 N. Glenwood Avenue, Rogers Park. www.messhall.org -- "Morse" stop on the Red Line.

Lollapalooza in Grant Park

What's more convenient than a great big music festival in your backyard? Tickets are still available for the venerable summer rock-a-thon, Lollapalooza, taking place today and Sunday in Grant Park. There are over 60 bands and DJs on the bill, including the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Weezer, Billy Idol, and Liz Phair, as well as special programming just for the kids. A two-day pass ($115) gets you a wristband and the ability to stay or go as you please each day. One-day passes ($60) don't allow re-entry. You can buy tickets online, or at the box office in Grant Park, open starting Wednesday, July 20th.

GB staff member Anne will be in attendance, wearing lots of sunscreen.

Northwestern Summer Writers' Conference

Northwestern is sponsoring their first Summer Writers' Conference this weekend. Taking place on the Chicago campus, the conference will feature programs for writers of all levels, taught by local writers, teachers and publishers. Some of those instructors include big names such as Elizabeth Crane, Joe Meno and Bill Savage. There will be readings and panel discussions with Alesksander Hemon, Kevin Guilfoile and Audrey Niffenegger, and there will be a local book and journal fair. While the conference itself is not free -- $525 for three days or $190 per day with discounts given to Northwestern staff -- the readings and performances are. Go here for a schedule of programs and here to register for the sessions.

Sheffield Garden Walk & Festival

This year marks the 37th year of the annual Sheffield Garden Walk & Festival, celebrating food, fun, and gardens. In addition to tours of the North Side gardens, the festival will include architectural tours, gardening workshops, a kids' center and eats and drinks from local restaurants. There is also a schedule of performing bands. Suggested donation is $6 ($8 after 5pm on Saturday) with proceeds benefitting the Sheffield Neighborhood Association. 12-9:30pm at the intersection of Webster St. and Sheffield Ave (one block south of the Fullerton El stop).