Elizabeth Royte @ Chicago Public Library

Journalist and author Elizabeth Royte will read from and sign her book, Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash, at the Budlong Woods Library, 5630 N. Lincoln Ave., at 1pm today as part of the "Chicago Matters: Growing Forward" series.

Pitchfork Music Festival @ Union Park

July 18-20, get ready to get down and boogie at Union Park for Pitchfork Media's Music Festival '08. Bands performing on Saturday, noon-10pm, include !!!, The Hold Steady, Vampire Weekend and Animal Collective among others. Tickets are going fast online. Don't forget your snappy shades and your sunscreen! And be sure to stop by and get some great swag at the Gapers Block: Transmission table at the CHIRP Record Fair tent!

Hill Harper @ Woodson Regional Library

Actor and author Hill Harper will be at the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted St., at 2pm today to discuss and sign his new novel, Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny, the follow-up to his national bestseller, Letters to a Young Brother. Free.

Green Home Fair @ Chicago Center for Green Technology

Whether you’re planning a remodel, or just want to learn what’s new on the green building scene, attend this free event and meet with vendors and retailers with sustainable products. 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at Chicago Center for Green Technology, 445 N. Sacramento Blvd. Call (312) 746-9642 with questions.

Interactive Circus Event @ 2nd Nature Yoga

Celebrate the grand opening of 2nd Nature Yoga (1750 N. Kingsbury) on July 19th, 2008 with:

"Daytime workshops for all ages, Creative Learning Environments, Entertainment, Delicious Food and Family Fun glide into an early evening Sunset Yoga Session, followed by; Death Defying Circus Artisty, Spectacular Performances, Acrobatic Wonders, Live Art & Craft, World Class D.J. sets, Live Music Performances, Mind Body & Spirit Healers, Catered Food & Drink, Visionary Arts, Face & Body Painting, Fire Arts, Photo Shoots and more. All in an immaculate venue offering a Chill Space, Sacred Space, Open Air Space, Dance Floors, and Plenty of Room to Explore with a River View."

Tickets range from $15 - $40. More information can be found here.

Hell's Fairies Botanic Bebop

Hell's Fairies, Chicago's GLBTQ scooter club, takes an afternoon ride up to the Chicago Botanic Garden. Meet outside The Coffee Studio at 5628 N. Clark St. at 2pm. Admission at the Garden is free, parking is $15.

Experimental Garage Sale

The Experimental Garage Sale, a chance for curious amateur electrical engineer to buy toys for circuit bending purposes (or already-modified circuits) and to talk shop with circuit-bending artists, happens today at the Experimental Sound Studio (5925 N. Ravenswood) from noon to 9:00 PM. Among the artists expected to attend: Beatrix*Jar; Creme Dementia; Spunky Toofers; Roth Mobot; DJ Demchunk; and Mike Una. Admission is free, but bring your cash to buy your gear. Full details available at GetLoFi.

Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe Exhibit @ Chicago Cultural Center

Life as a Legend visually celebrates the many sides of this 1950s glamour goddess and immortal legend by exploring both the celebrity of, and the woman behind, one of the world's most recognizable icons. This exhibition presents a lively dialogue between art and media representation, and explores the range of artists' individual engagement with the Marilyn persona and how that impacted their art. It captures the spark, sex appeal and sensation that was Marilyn through the art of Andy Warhol, Allen Jones, Peter Blake, Richard Avedon, Bert Stein, Henri Cartier-Breson, Mel Ramos, and many others using a broad range of media. Through Sept. 21. 78 E. Washington. For more info, visit the Website.