Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
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Friday, May 3
This new summer art festival will take place today from 10am to 5pm. The festival will feature over 100 artists from around the world, including Zimbabwe artist Peter Rujuwa, Polish Artist Lidia Wylangowska, Julio C. Garcia, Rahmon Olugunna, and Vladimir Pailodze. Admission to the festival is free. The festival will be located at the base of the Chicago Tribune building, 435 N. Michigan.
Finally, Chicago gets a top-notch Latin alternative music festival. Ruido Fest's lineup soars with talent from all over the Spanish-speaking world and includes plenty of local acts. Sunday's headlined by Cafe Tacuba and Kinky, both hailing from Mexico, with a dozen more bands playing on three stages; see the festival website for the full schedule. The festival is all ages. 3-day tickets are $154.99, or $254.99 for VIP. Daily tickets start at $54.99. Ruido Fest is at Addams/Medill Park, 1301 W. 14th St. Gates open at noon, and the festival closes at 10pm.
The Windy City Smokeout runs July 10-12 at 560 W. Grand Ave., overlooking the river. It's three days of barbecue, country music and craft beer. Lee Brice headlines today's lineup. Tickets are $40 or $145 for VIP -- or get a three-day pass for $99.50 ($400 for VIP). The festival runs from noon to 10pm today.
The Old Town School of Folk Music presents their annual Square Roots festival, a three-day festival featuring live music, local food & beverage vendors, and family activities all weekend long. The festival takes place on Lincoln Avenue, between Montrose and Wilson. A complete schedule is available at the Square Roots website. The fest runs from noon to 9pm today.
Take a tour today at 1pm with the Chicago History Museum on Chicago's oldest L line, the southerly green one that is, which has been running 24/7 since opening in 1892 with the exception of renovations in 1994-1996. The tour will include discussions on the city's southward development, stories from the 1893 World's Fair, and stops in the Bronzeville neighborhood and the IIT campus. The tour will finish in the Loop and will run approximately 3 hours. Meet for the beginning of the tour at the concierge desk in the Palmer House, located at 17 E. Monroe. Tickets are $25 for non-museum members and $20 for members. They include CTA fare, and reservations are required.
The live lit series That's All She Wrote is back at Great Lakes Tattoo, 1148 W. Grand Ave. This month's lineup includes Nestor Gomez, Rebecca Keller, Kim Schultz, and Jenn Sodini. Co-hosted by J.H. Palmer and Angela Benander. Doors open at 7:30, stories begin at 8pm. Free and BYOB.