(Courtesy of One of a Kind Show)

A unique craft show, sudsy beverages, classical music and an alfresco art fair usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.

(Oddities & Curiosities Expo / Facebook / Photo by: Megan Vescio Photography)

Eclectic collections, a musical about family, Mexican stews and reptiles usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.

(Credit: Special Events Management)

German beers and brats, live jazz, a freestyle dance contest and a boozy art show usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

NEIU invoked eminent domain to acquire a block of buildings on Bryn Mawr. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)
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Five years after acquiring a block of properties on Bryn Mawr Avenue through eminent domain, Northeastern Illinois University has officially scrapped its plan to build student housing on the site and is casting about for other uses.

(North Park Village Nature Center / Facebook)

In a win for nature lovers and fans of open space, the Chicago City Council voted on Wednesday to keep 100-plus acres in North Park protected from development, permanently.

(WTTW News)

A onetime tree nursery became a bucolic place of rest and recovery for tuberculosis patients on Chicago’s North Side. Geoffrey Baer has the story of a decadeslong battle against a contagion.

UniverSoul Circus (Photo by Boon Vang)

Circus acts, a prison tour, barrel-aged brews and a powwow usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Sean Spicer served as White House press secretary under President Donald Trump. (whitehouse.gov)

A group of Northeastern Illinois University students, faculty, staff and alumni plan to protest a sold-out event Thursday featuring former Trump White House press secretary Sean Spicer.

A monarch butterfly (Pixnio)

It’s a colorful sign of summer: brightly colored butterflies floating on the wind. From nature museums to forest preserves to beachfront parks, Chicago has plenty of spots to see these beautiful insects. Here are 10 of the best. 

Black-eyed Susans are among the many types of native plants available for purchase at the Lake County Forest Preserves’ Native Plant Sale. (brian60174 / Pixabay)

A native plant sale, nerdy comedy, a craft fair and a house walk usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

Scales in spades: See more than 200 species this weekend at ReptileFest. (Pexels / Pixabay)

We get up close and personal with some cold-blooded creatures ahead of the nation’s largest educational reptile show.

(Courtesy of I Heart Halal)

A Halal lifestyle fest, scaly creatures, roller derby matches and island music usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

A recently discovered collection of old political buttons may tell us something about the voters of an earlier era.

(Trina Mae Studio LLC / Facebook)

Pet portraits, model trains, fermented tea and a murder mystery usher in the first weekend of 2019. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.

A newly discovered collection of old political buttons may tell us something about the voters of an earlier era.

Northeastern Illinois University has a new president, its first African-American woman. Gloria Gibson shares her plans for the Northwest Side campus.