La Grange Park, IL Arts & Culture and More

Illuminate 900 Shops Holiday Event

Chicago’s tallest holiday tree will be the center of the 10th annual Illuminate 900 tree-lighting event, benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation on November 19, 2026, at the 900 N. Michigan Shops in the Gold Coast neighborhood. Get ready for the ultimate holiday extravaganza with music, performances, food, crafts and of...

Chicago, IL · 2d

takingthekids.com

The new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is a must visit for kids and families

Sometimes, don’t you wish you were a kid again? That’s what I was thinking as I stood in the middle of The Obama Presidential Center’s huge and wonderful playground on the Center’s campus on Chicago’s South Side. It is the country’s first play space tied to a presidential museum. (Shouldn’t they all have one?)

publisher · 8.7K followers

The Crusader Newspaper

Johnson Publishing Company building revisited in dazzling new book

The office desks were gone. So was the exotic furniture and framed artwork. The space where the bustling cafeteria fed employees $1 dollar lunch meals was empty and silent. But the vacant interior spoke loudly to renowned photographer and Columbia College Professor Barbara Karant. It was a building Karant never...

publisher · 6.0K followers

WBEZ

Where to ice skate in Chicago and the suburbs 2026

With the season’s first snowflakes potentially falling on Friday, it’s a sign that now is the time to hit the rink. Whether you have your sights set on Olympic glory or don’t know a snowplow from a salchow, one of these 14 Chicago-area venues, from great date night spots to large, regulation-sized rinks, offer something for skaters of all levels. At Skatium Ice Arena in Skokie, you’ll even find classic rink fare like burgers and nachos with Jamaican flair.

publisher · 11.4K followers

Naperville Community Television (NCTV17)

Morton Arboretum’s 14th ‘Illumination’ aglow with northern lights

The Morton Arboretum puts nature in a new light this holiday season with its 14th year of Illumination. “It’s definitely The post Morton Arboretum’s 14th ‘Illumination’ aglow with northern lights appeared first on NCTV17 .

Lisle, IL · 1d

Austin Weekly News

partner publisher · 397 followers

Lil Rel Howery’s comedy still carries the energy of Chicago’s West Side

From Crane High School to the national comedy stage, Howery reflects on the experiences that helped shape him The post Lil Rel Howery’s comedy still carries the energy of Chicago’s West Side appeared first on Austin Weekly News .

rockrivercurrent.com

Once a staple in Chicago, new monumental public art lands in Rockford’s Davis Park

ROCKFORD — A large-scale abstract sculpture that was a fixture of the James R. Thompson Center in downtown Chicago for nearly four decades has a new home in Davis Park. Bridgeport, a 35-foot tall and 15-foot wide painted aluminium sculpture from late artist and sculptor John Henry, now serves as the centerpiece of a new collection installed this week in the riverfront park, 320 S. Wyman St. in downtown.

Rockford, IL · 23h

chicagoconcertreviews.com

partner publisher · 14.7K followers

From Netflix to Skokie’s North Shore Center with writer, speaker and satirist Fran Lebowitz

For nearly 50 years, writer, speaker and satirist Fran Lebowitz has applied her sardonic wit to a variety of subjects. Reaching the “New York Times” bestseller list with “Metropolitan Life” and “Social Studies” in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Lebowitz has more recently delivered her hilariously scathing critiques both on stage and on screen, appearing in seven episodes of the Martin Scorsese-directed conversational Netflix documentary series “Pretend It’s a City” in 2021.

Skokie, IL · 1d

History Snob

Chicago Couldn't Move The Bean, but It Once Lifted an Entire City Block

Chicago has never been a city that shies away from unusual ideas, but its latest attempt to move a major landmark didn't exactly go according to plan. On November 8, 2026, hundreds of people gathered in Millennium Park to push the city's famous Bean sculpture seven inches to the left. Despite their enthusiasm, the 110-ton stainless steel structure didn't budge. The event was inspired by an internet conspiracy theory claiming someone was trapped inside the sculpture, but it also brought attention to a fascinating piece of Chicago history. More than 160 years earlier, engineers successfully lifted an entire row of enormous buildings several feet into the air. Unlike the recent gathering, this extraordinary undertaking wasn't a joke, and it actually worked. Why Chicago Once Needed to Raise Its Buildings During the mid-1800s, Chicago had a serious problem with its geography, particularly the swampy land on which much of the city stood. Its streets frequently turned into muddy disasters whenever it rained, making even ordinary transportation surprisingly difficult. Some roads became so waterlogged that horse-drawn wagons could barely navigate them, creating constant headaches for residents and businesses. Unfortunately, the muddy streets were only part of the problem, as the city's relatively

Chicago, IL · 2d

irm.org

partner publisher · 193.4K followers

IRM Acquires Train of CB&Q Gallery Cars

The Illinois Railway Museum has acquired a second complete and operational train of bi-level “gallery cars.” The three stainless-steel Chicago Burlington & Quincy cars, including two coaches and a cab car, arrived at the Museum on November 11, 2026. Cars 702 and 709 were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia in 1950 and were among the very first gallery cars ever constructed. Cab car 791 was built in 1965 and was part of the Burlington’s original order for cab cars, which enabled the railroad to inaugurate push-pull commuter service.

Chicago, IL · 2d

ABC 7 Chicago

Cook County Sheriff's Office transforms prison transport bus into mobile library for children

A former prisoner transport bus has been transformed into a mobile library, bringing thousands of books to children in Cook County communities with limited access to reading resources.

Cook County, IL · 3d

blockclubchicago.org

Pop-Up Museum Highlights Route 66’s Passage Through North Lawndale

NORTH LAWNDALE — Get your kicks celebrating Route 66’s centennial anniversary at a pop-up museum in the Central Park Pink Line stop in North Lawndale. Neighbors and officials cut the ribbon earlier this week on “Route 66 @ 100 in North Lawndale,” an interactive museum inside the Pink Line station at 1915 S. Central Park Ave. The pop-up includes history exhibits, games and pop culture memorabilia related to Route 66’s history locally and nationally.

evanstonroundtable.com

Evanston Public Library to host author event on Nov. 14 with Jill Vanneman, daughter of former mayor

The Evanston Public Library is hosting an author event with Jill Vanneman to talk about her new book, The Perfection Campaign: A Daughter’s Search for Acceptance. It will take place from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in the Community Meeting Room (107) at the Main Library, 1703 Orrington Ave.

evanstonroundtable.com

New film, ‘Mouse,’ has lots of local ties

The movie Mouse, written by Kelly O’Sullivan and directed by O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, is a thoughtful, at times funny, and sensitive story about navigating grief, high school and complex mother-daughter relationships. The film is set in 2002 and filmed in North Little Rock, Arkansas. O’Sullivan and Thompson...

partner publisher · 16.0K followers

The Garden Magazine

Shakespeare's Plants Bloom in Evanston's Century-Old Campus Garden

Few spots on Northwestern University’s Evanston campus feel as removed from the bustle as the Shakespeare Garden. Set behind a double row of hawthorn hedges, the ([1])plot has drawn students, garden lovers and couples for generations. Its plantings are drawn from the works of William Shakespeare, which gives a visit a literary twist that few...

publisher · 6.0K followers

WBEZ

Evanston musician Jason Narducy is back with more tales of rock ’n’ roll in ‘Mostly the Van’ part two

Jason Narducy would be the first to tell you that rock ’n’ roll stories are not all biting the heads off bats, snorting human ashes, setting hotel rooms on fire and having some intern pick out all the brown M&Ms in your dressing room. Sure, the Evanston-reared musician...

evanstonroundtable.com

Guest essay: Bookends & Beginnings needs fresh beginning

Visitors to Bookends & Beginnings’ flagship store at 1620 Orrington Ave. frequently look around at our cozy packed bookshelves, our eclectic chandeliers, our colorful signature mural and all the magical little nooks and crannies upstairs and downstairs, and say, “What a beautiful bookstore.” I’ve also heard it called “the bookstore of my dreams” and “just like that cute little bookstore in You’ve Got Mail.”