Chicago Event Calendar

Featured Five

Staycation before School Starts Fun: Day trips in the city are great. With better weather, try these old standards. You may have been there before, but there is always something new!

• Brookfield Zoo: First Ave. between Ogden Ave. and 31st St., Brookfield. Metra stop is Hollywood. 866-GoToZoo or 800-201-0784. www.czs.org.

• Lincoln Park Zoo: 2001 N. Clark St. 312-742-2246 or www.lpz.com.

• Navy Pier: 600 E. Grand Ave. 312-595-7437 or www.navypier.com. See the Tall Ships this weekend. Ride the Ferris Wheel. Take in an IMAX movie. Watch Cirque Shanghai Extreme. Visit the Children’s Museum. Check out the shops and restaurants. Enjoy the scenery.

• Urban Excursions: Explore Chicago, showcasing hundreds of treks, tours, itineraries and other urban adventures downtown and throughout the neighborhoods. Through Labor Day. www.ExploreChicago.org/summer.

Buzzing About Bees: Honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet, literally vanishing from their hives; while at the same time, urban beekeeping is on the rise. The Little Bee Big Mystery series will include film screenings, tours and hands-on experiences, with one part per month from August through November starting at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 16 with a screening of Vanishing of the Bees, a 90-minute documentary narrated by Ellen Page. At Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Drive, just off Lake Shore Drive at Fullerton. Across the street to the north of Lincoln Park Zoo. Free. RSVP to adultprograms@naturemuseum.org. More info at www.naturemuseum.org.

Illinois Central Music Festival: From noon to 10 p.m. Aug. 20, the West Loop, at the intersection of Madison St. and May St., will be taken over by celebrated blues musicians from around the country. The Illinois Central Music Festival will pay homage to the music of America’s past featuring live performances from legendary blues musicians like Larry McCray, Little Ray Neal, Sugar Blue, Carl Weathersby and many more. Festival-goers will have a chance to chow down on authentic Southern-inspired food courtesy of The CrossRoads Bar & Grill (CRBG). Kids’ games such as a Moonwalk, Waterslide and Face-Painting will be on-site also. www.illinoiscentralrailroadfestival.com.

Four-Star Bike Tour Fun Routes: The Four-Star ride, which grew out of the now-retired Boulevard Lakefront Tour, features four different routes, offering everyone from beginners to avid cyclists a fun, healthy way to explore the city’s hidden gems. Riders can choose a 12, 21, 35 or 65-mile route, each starting at UIC’s campus and rolling through historic neighborhoods featuring lush parks and stunning architecture. The biking event takes place on Aug. 28. Bikers start rolling at 6:30 a.m and are released in waves for each distance group. Registration is $17 to $42 at www.fourstarbiketour.org. Event registration includes a ride T-shirt, rest stop access and entry into the post-ride festival with live entertainment, food and beer. www.fourstarbiketour.org.

Middletown: Steppenwolf Theatre Company concludes its 2010/11 season with Middletown. Mary Swanson just moved to Middletown to enjoy small town life, but it is not as she hoped it would be. Ends Aug. 14 in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Tix $20 to $73, available at the box office, 312-335-1650 or www.steppenwolf.org.

Metra’s $7 Weekend Pass: Weekend passes are good for unlimited rides on both Saturday and Sunday for all stations. Weekend parking is available at all stations. Note: Boat taxi’s are available from Union Station to Navy Pier and/or the museum campus and other points along the river or lakefront. Reasonable pricing and fun.