People dance during a class at DivaDance Chicago. (WTTW News)

During the day, Lexi Longsworth is a speech pathologist. By night, she runs DivaDance Chicago, a dance studio focused on building confidence and community.

Kids learn ice skating techniques at a “Figure Skating on Your Block” class. (Courtesy of Chicago Youth Foundation)

The Chicago Youth Foundation offers a new program to introduce figure skating to diverse neighborhoods across the city.

The Kiddieland Amusement Park sign at the Melrose Park Public Library, 801 N. Broadway in Melrose Park. (Marc Vitali / WTTW News)

“If we didn’t take it, it would’ve gone to the scrap heap,” Gary Marine, Melrose Park’s director of public works, said of the historic Kiddieland sign that now lives in the Melrose Park Public Library parking lot.

(Courtesy of Bull Stock Media)

Professional Bull Riders is a sports league based on the most popular event at rodeos: bull riding, the man-versus-beast contest in which a cowboy rides a bull in search of eight seconds of glory and a slice of prize money. A tour is coming to Rosemont Jan. 12-13.

froSkate attendees braved skating on the rain-slick concrete at the Wilson Skate Park, 700 W. Wilson Ave., on Oct. 26, 2023. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

“They make an environment where it’s easy to be a beginner, it’s easy to not know people and find someone to talk to and work on a trick together,” longtime skateboarder Randi Rogers said of froSkate, a Chicago collective centered around women, people of color and queer people.

Driver David Mangnall was the 2022 champion in the Chicago Republic Road-eo. (Erica Gunderson / WTTW News)

On a recent cool and sunny Saturday, 14 trash haulers mounted their trucks to compete in the annual Republic Road-eo. The competitors had a singular focus: to become one with their craft as they safely navigate an obstacle course of trash cans, traffic cones and judges.

(WTTW News)

It’s said the South Side Irish Parade started with about a dozen children marching around West Morgan Park with shamrocks and Irish flags. Now, organizers say it’s the largest community-based St. Patrick’s Day parade outside of Dublin.

The Chicago Air and Water Show is set to return after a two-year hiatus on Aug. 20 and Aug. 21. (Courtesy Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events)
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A “bite-sized version” of Taste of Chicago will return to Grant Park in July, with pop-ups returning to Chicago’s neighborhoods, officials said. 

(Courtesy of South Side Irish Parade Committee)

Irish eyes will be smiling in March as all three of Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day parades are set to return after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(Ana Krach / Pixabay)
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With Halloween and Día de los Muertos fast approaching, state health officials released guidelines Friday to help people safely celebrate common fall traditions, like trick-or-treating and visits to pumpkin patches.

Tyler Pence of Springfield, Ill., finishes first in the TBK Bank Quad Cities Marathon on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in Moline, Ill. (Gary L. Krambeck / Quad City Times via AP)

An Illinois man unexpectedly won the Quad Cities Marathon this weekend when the two Kenyan runners who had far outpaced him were disqualified after being diverted off the course by a race volunteer bicyclist.

Kamau Murray, founder of the XS Tennis and Education Foundation. (WTTW News)

Tennis fans have the opportunity to catch some top professionals this week at the Chicago Tennis Festival. We meet the tournament’s promoter to learn more about his mission to give kids an opportunity to thrive.

Volunteers can help improve Monty and Rose's habitat at Montrose Beach Dunes on National Public Lands Day, Sept. 25, 2021. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

It is the largest single-day volunteer effort in support of environmental stewardship. Here’s how to get involved in National Public Lands Day at Chicago area parks and preserves.

A Chicago beach sign warns people against swimming or diving in Lake Michigan. (WTTW News)

Safety officials are reminding Chicagoans that even if it still feels like summer, the lakefront’s beaches are now closed for the season to swimming, with lifeguards no longer present along the shoreline. So far in 2021, 38 people have drowned in Lake Michigan.

Monarch butterflies roosting in Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. (Courtesy of Ron Kapala)

Large numbers of monarch butterflies are making a pit stop at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie during their annual fall migration. That’s just one of the ways to enjoy and explore nature this weekend.

Outdoor movie screenings in Millennium Park, 2021. (Courtesy of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events)

The 1975 cult classic has just been added to Millennium Park’s outdoor film series. And while it wouldn’t be a proper “Rocky Horror” screening without audience participation, the city has some dos and don’ts when it comes to your DIY props.