(Courtesy of Special Events Management)

Street fests, live music, craft brews and beach season usher in the weekend. Here are 12 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.

(Courtesy of UniverSoul Circus)

Circus acts, Halloween candy, craft coffee and roller skaters usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Their effectiveness can’t be judged by their size: We visit the Barrington nonprofit Mane in Heaven to discover the therapeutic mission of these miniature horses.

Their effectiveness can’t be judged by their size: We visit the Barrington nonprofit Mane in Heaven to discover the therapeutic mission of these miniature horses.

Conservationists are preparing to release about 20 smooth green snakes, like the one pictured here, into an enclosed setting on July 25. (Courtesy Lincoln Park Zoo)

Conservation-minded volunteers in suburban Barrington are attracting snakes to their own backyards – on purpose.

(Special Events Management)

Summer festivals, cycling on Lake Shore Drive, global fare and Chicago Dogs baseball usher in the weekend. Here are a dozen things to do in and around Chicago this long holiday weekend.

Mt. Prospect's Missing Mountain

Geoffrey Baer climbs the highest heights in Chicagoland, gets on his soapbox at Bughouse Square, and tours Chicago via World War I monuments in this week’s edition of Ask Geoffrey.