Weekend Best Bets: Garden Walk, Craft Beer in Lincoln Park

From flowers to brews, this weekend's Sheffield Garden Walk and Craft Beer Fest are all about the bouquets. (Courtesy Special Events Management)From flowers to brews, this weekend's Sheffield Garden Walk and Craft Beer Fest are all about the bouquets. (Courtesy Special Events Management)

The big event

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Put your green thumb to good work – holding a miniature beer mug. That’s right: You can have it all during this weekend’s twofer: Sheffield Music Festival and Garden Walk / Craft Beer Festival. Start your day strolling through residential gardens around the Sheffield neighborhood – more than 100 are open for public perusal from noon-5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Pick up a map ($7 donation) on the grounds of the St. Vincent de Paul Church, 1010 W. Webster Ave.

In addition to the gardens, two stages of live music, special programming for kids, food vendors, artists and merchandise highlight the 48th annual event. Festival hours: noon-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Suggested donation: $7-$10. Festival is held along Sheffield Avenue, from Webster to Fullerton avenues.

But if suds are inherently more appealing to you than soil, head over to the adjacent Craft Beer Festival, where about 70 craft breweries offer special, seasonal and small-batch brews. Tastings on Saturday and Sunday take place from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. for $35-$40 and include up to 15 three-ounce samples, plus a souvenir tasting glass. Advance ticket purchase recommended, as the event, now in its fifth year, is limited to 2,500 people each day. Cheers!

Free pick of the week

Movies Under the Stars: Our Lives at Work (Friday)
Archive House / Rebuild Foundation, 6918 S. Dorchester Ave.

Join Black Cinema House and Chicago Film Archives for an outdoor screening of three films about work, from a women who delivers mail in Chicago for the U.S. Postal Service to a 70-year-old bathroom attendant on Rush Street to the documentary story of a prostitute and her yogi pimp. Feminist filmmaker Loretta Smith ("Where Did You Get That woman") attends. 9 p.m. Free.

Also on tap ...

The 15th annual Taste of River North features food, music and art. (Courtesy Taste of River North)The 15th annual Taste of River North features food, music and art. (Courtesy Taste of River North)

Taste of River North (Friday-Sunday)
Kingsbury and Erie streets

The 15th annual riverfront festival is held in and around Ward Park. Live music headliners include Lucky Boys Confusion (Friday); Sixteen Candles (Saturday); and Rod Tuffcurls & The Bench Press (Sunday). Expect food, beer and wine from local restaurants such as Ruth's Chris Steak House, Taco Joint, Kinzie Chophouse and the Motel Bar, plus a special area for kids activities and an art walk. 5-10 p.m. Friday; noon-10 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. $5 suggested donation.

Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks: 'Twelfth Night' (through Aug. 14)
Various locations

Tote your blanket or lawn chair to the park for a 75-minute performance of the Bard's romantic comedy about unrequited love. The event is presented as part of the city's Shakespeare 400 Chicago celebration. 6:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday at Loyola Park, 1230 W. Greenleaf Ave.; 3 p.m. Sunday at Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave. Free.

Wicker Park Fest (Saturday-Sunday)
Milwaukee Avenue, from North Avenue to Paulina Street

Live music, food and drink vendors and arts and crafts highlight the annual dog-friendly event. Headliners include Antibalas, Com Truise and The Mountain Goats (Saturday); and Rocket From The Crypt, Ought and Alvvays (Sunday). Don't miss arts programming by theater group Collaboraction, including a daily dance battle for adults and kids inside a geodesic dome, and additional activities for kids. Noon-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. $10 suggested donation.

Charles Heppner Artist Studio is one of three Chicago homes on the GreenBuilt Home Tour this weekend. (GreenBuilt Home Tour)Charles Heppner Artist Studio is one of three Chicago homes on the GreenBuilt Home Tour this weekend. (GreenBuilt Home Tour)

GreenBuilt Home Tour (Saturday-Sunday)
Locations include: Charles Heppner Artist Studio, 8628 S. Marquette Ave.

A dozen area homes, including three in Chicago, that feature sustainable building practices and energy-saving technology are open for tours this weekend. Tickets to the fourth annual event include access for each ticketholder and one guest to completed and in-process homes. Suburban homes include those in Hinsdale, Highland Park, Libertyville and more. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $5 per home; $20 pass to see all homes; free for kids under age 18.

Taste of Latin America (Saturday-Sunday)
Division Street, from California Avenue to Rockwell Street

The fourth annual fest includes fare from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico and Spain, plus live music, beer and wine vendors, cooking demonstrations and arts and crafts. A separate ticket ($10-$12) is required to attend a wine tasting (4-8 p.m. Saturday; 2-6 p.m. Sunday) featuring more than two dozen selections. Noon-10 p.m. Free.

Kane County Fair (through Sunday)
Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 South Randall Road, St. Charles

Watch bull riders and barrel racing (Friday-Saturday), a demolition derby (Sunday) and live music all weekend at the annual summer fair, which also features carnival rides, exhibitors, a 4-H fair, petting zoo, food vendors and more. Midway hours: 3-11 p.m. Thursday; noon-midnight Friday-Saturday; noon-10 p.m. Sunday. General admission: $5-$10; free for kids under age 3. Fees for rides, grandstand entertainment apply.

Party in the park in near north suburb of Lincolnwood this weekend. (Steve Lasker / Lincolnwood Fest)Party in the park in near north suburb of Lincolnwood this weekend. (Steve Lasker / Lincolnwood Fest)

Lincolnwood Fest (through Sunday)
Proesel Park, 6900 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincolnwood

A community festival features live music, carnival rides, food vendors, a beer and wine garden, a car show (Sunday) and more. Headliners: the Neverly Brothers (Thursday); Tributosaurus as Led Zeppelin (Friday); Think Floyd USA (Saturday); and Rose Hill Revival (Sunday). 5-10 p.m. Thursday; 5-11 p.m. Friday; 1-11 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. Free admission.

Veggie Fest (Saturday-Sunday)
Science of Spirituality Meditation Center, 4045 Naperville Road, Lisle

Billed as one of the largest food and lifestlye fests of its kind, the 11th annual celebration of vegetarianism includes an international food court, food demos, speakers, live music, kids activities and vendor booths. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Free admission and parking.

North Shore Festival of Art (Saturday-Sunday)
Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Center, 4999 Old Orchard Center, Skokie

The 28th annual outdoor event features handmade works of art from more than 100 juried artists from across the country, plus live music. Browse paintings, photography, ceramics, glass, jewelry, sculpture, furniture and more. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 


Events listed are subject to change. We recommend double-checking times and locations before you head out the door. Want to share your upcoming events with us for consideration in a future roundup? Send us an email.


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