Weekend Events Around Town: 8/26 – 8/28

Need some ideas for what to do this weekend? Chicago Tonight knows what is going on!

American Craft Exposition
Attend the 26th annual American Craft Exposition this weekend and see the work of approximately 150 artisans. Twelve different craft mediums will be on display: baskets, ceramics, fiber decorative, fiber wearable, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, and wood. However, the Exposition is not only a chance to view the works of American artisans, but also a major fundraising event supporting critical breast and ovarian cancer research and care at NorthShore University Health System. Artists participating in Craft for a Cure will donate a percentage of designated sales to the cause. Learn more about the Exposition. The event is Friday through Sunday. An adult three-day pass is $12 in advance, and $15 at the door.

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The Henry Crown Sports Pavilion at Northwestern University
2311 N. Campus Dr.
Evanston, IL 60208
Friday, August 26: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday, August 27: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday, August 28: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Celebration of Dance by the Chicago Dancing Festival
Ballet, contemporary, modern and more—attend the Celebration of Dance and watch dancers arabesque, roll, and leap across the stage. One of the concluding events of the Chicago Dancing Festival, the Celebration of Dance features Chicago’s own Joffrey Ballet, the Martha Graham Dance Company, and more. The Chicago Dancing Festival seeks to increase the accessibility of dance, to make it available and enjoyable for people who have never attended a professional dance show as well as those who have danced since the age of 3. Learn more about the Festival. The performance is this Saturday, and admission is free.

Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park
201 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
Saturday, August 27: 7:30 pm

Food Truck Social 2011
Time Out Chicago and the West Town Chamber of Commerce present the Food Truck Social, a mini-food fair with live music booked by the Empty Bottle. Enjoy Southern Mac, Tamalespaceship, Flirty Cupcakes, Sweet Ride Chicago and more, while listening to bands such as Ornery Little Darlings, Blue Ribbon Glee Club, and DJ set Only Children. There will also be a cocktail lounge as well as retail vendors. Part of the proceeds will benefit Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to end childhood hunger by 2015. The Social is this Saturday, and there is a $5 suggested donation.

700-800 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
Saturday, August 27: 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm

The Kates at the Book Cellar
It’s a night of comedy at the Book Cellar. Rotating, all-female standup group The Kates performs everything from dark musical numbers to clowning and solo performances, with lots of good-old-fashioned standup in between. Saturday’s show is hosted by Amy Sumpter and features the work of Jennifer Ann Coffee, Chloe Ditzel, Alyson Lyon and Jen Bosworth, Ever Mainard, Sarah Weidmann, and Claire Zulkey. Admission is $10.

The Book Cellar
4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60625

Long Story Short at the Broadway Playhouse
It’s the history of the world in a mere 75 minutes. Saturday Night Live veteran Colin Quinn brings his new one man show, Long Story Short, to Chicago for a three-week run after being twice extended on Broadway. Jerry Seinfeld directed the show, in which Quinn describes the downfall of the world’s great empires while drawing connections between Snooki and Antigone, Julius Caesar and an Italian mobster, and other seemingly isolated historical events and figures. Learn more about the show. There are performances Friday through Sunday, and tickets range from $40 to $65.

Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place
175 E. Chestnut
Chicago, IL 60611
Friday, August 26 & Saturday, August 27: 7:00 pm & 10:00 pm
Sunday, August 28: 3:00 pm

The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience: Chicago
Gina Frangello of online literary magazine The Nervous Breakdown serves as guest curator for this month’s edition of Sunday Salon Chicago. The readings will feature the work of Cris Mazza, a University of Illinois professor and author of 16 books, most recently Various Men Who Knew Us as Girls; Alex Shakar, of University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana and author of The Savage Girl, City in Love; Marisel Vera, author of If I Bring You Roses; and Lenore Zion, with her debut collection, My Dead Pets Are Interesting. The reading is this Sunday, and admission is free.

Katerina’s
1920 W. Irving Park Rd.
Chicago, IL 60613
Sunday, August 28: 8:00 pm

Science Storms at the Museum of Science and Industry
Lightning, fire, tornadoes, avalanches, tsunamis, sunlight, and atoms in motion—Science Storms at the Museum of Science and Industry looks into these seven natural phenomena to investigate and explain the basic scientific principles behind them. With more than 50 experiments, there’s plenty to do. Watch a 40-foot high funnel cloud, see a 20-foot lightning bolt, and create a tsunami while wandering through the exhibit’s two floors. Science Storms is open Friday through Saturday. General admission ranges from $9 to $15.

Museum of Science and Industry
5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60637
Friday, August 26, Saturday, August 27 & Sunday, August 28: 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

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