[Travelandtourism] Midwest Entertainment

Sun May 9 19:30:34 UTC 2010

FYI

Midwest brims with summer fests. By Phil Marty, SPECIAL TO TRIBUNE NEWSPAPERS. Summertime, and the living is easy. What's hard is figuring out how to spend your free time. For music fans there's classical, the big band sound and Weezer. Oh, and washboards too. For history buffs there are Renaissance and Civil War re-enactments. And then there are the oddities, such as fests celebrating hobos and lumberjacks. Here's a sampling of what's going on in the Midwest between Memorial Day and Labor Day:  \ Illinois  June 6-27 -- Southern Illinois Music Festival, multiple cities. Musicians from around the world present more than 30 concerts in venues throughout the region, including Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. There's a Romeo and Juliet theme to this summer's festival. Prices vary. 618-453-2776, sifest.com. Miles from Chicago: 335  June 24-Aug. 8 -- Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Bloomington. Enjoy Shakespeare under the stars at this nationally renowned festival. $22-$42. 309-438-8974, thefestival.org/shows. Miles from Chicago: 140  Sept. 4-6 -- Jersey County Victorian Festival, Jerseyville. White tents spring up all around the Col. William Fulkerson Mansion for Civil War re-enactments, encampments, agricultural demonstrations and working crafts. $8. 618-498-5590, greatriverroad.com/vicfest.htm. Miles from Chicago: 285  \ Indiana  June 25-27 -- Brown County Studio and Garden Tour. Visit artists' and crafters' home studios on a self-guided driving tour. browncountystudiotour.com. Miles from Chicago: 245  Aug. 26-29 -- Swiss Wine Festival, Vevay. Wine tasting, grape stomping, riverboat cruises, entertainment, parade, arts and crafts, food, beer garden. $2-$3, parking $3. 812-427-9463, swisswinefestival.com. Miles from Chicago: 295  \ Iowa  June 10-13 -- Glenn Miller Festival, Clarinda. Big band music, parade, dance, exhibits, grand opening of Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum. $5-$22. 712-542-2461, glennmiller.org. Miles from Chicago: 465  July 25-31 -- RAGBRAI, across Iowa. The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa is the oldest, largest and longest bicycle touring event in the world. This year's route runs from Sioux City to Dubuque, with stops in Storm Lake, Algona, Clear Lake, Charles City, Waterloo and Manchester. Registration for the weeklong ride is closed, but day-ride applications ($25) are still being accepted. ragbrai.com. Miles from Chicago: 530  Aug. 12-15 -- National Hobo Convention, Britt. 110th annual convention includes the crowning of the hobo king and queen, free Mulligan stew, parade and flea market. 641-843-4433, brittiowa.com. Miles from Chicago: 415  \ Michigan  June 5-6 -- Red Bull Air Race World Championship, Detroit. OK, technically the race is in Windsor, Ontario, across the river. But you don't need a passport to stand on the U.S. side of the Detroit River to watch pilots compete on a challenging aerial race course low over the river. $20. tinyurl.com/ylxx9sz. Miles from Chicago: 290  June 16-July 18 -- 20th Pine Mountain Music Festival, Western Upper Peninsula. The music ranges from a Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin Revue to tango and opera in more than 40 performances and workshops at several locations. Prices vary. 888-309-7861, pmmf.org. Miles from Chicago: 420  Sept. 3-6 -- Arts, Beats & Eats, Royal Oak. A quarter of a million food, music and art lovers will enjoy this 13th annual Labor Day weekend tradition in a new location, downtown Royal Oak (formerly held in Pontiac). $3. 248-334-4600, artsbeatseats.com. Miles from Chicago: 290  \ Minnesota  June 5-6 -- Minnesota Antiques Dealers Association Show and Sale, St. Paul. The sixth annual show will be in the Historic Fine Arts Building at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and will feature silver, furniture, original art, textiles, vintage jewelry, decorative arts and more. $6. 651-430-0095, mnantiquesdealers.com. Miles from Chicago: 400  July -- Sommerfest, Minneapolis. The Minnesota Orchestra holds this monthlong series of concerts featuring music ranging from light to classical. Prices vary. 800-292-4141, minnesotaorchestra.org/sommerfest. Miles from Chicago: 410  Aug. 21-Sept. 26 - Minnesota Renaissance Festival, Shakopee. Billed as the country's largest Renaissance-themed festival, this event, held on weekends, celebrates its 40th season with 12 stages, 250 artisans and 500 entertainers. $20.95. 800-966-8215, renaissancefest.com. Miles from Chicago: 430  \ Missouri  May 29 -- Twain on Main Festival, Hannibal. Each year (this is the second), this fest celebrates a specific Mark Twain book. The theme for 2010 is Twain's travel book about his journey out west, "Roughing It." 866-263-4825, twainonmain.org. Miles from Chicago: 305  Sept. 4-6 -- Japanese Festival, St. Louis. This annual event at the Missouri Botanical Garden presents taiko drumming, traditional tea ceremonies, martial arts and candlelight walks in the Japanese Garden. $15. 800-642-8842, mobot.org/events/japanesefestival. Miles from Chicago: 300  \ Ohio  June 18-19 -- Dean Martin Festival, Steubenville. The singer's daughter Deana is among the entertainment for this annual festival in his hometown. Prices vary. 740-283-9164, deanmartinsteubenville.com. Miles from Chicago: 470  June 17-19 -- Washboard Music Festival, Logan. This festival's focus is to celebrate the enduring role the washboard has had on American music. It offers a variety of music styles, including Dixieland jazz, jug music, Celtic, blues and Cajun zydeco, played by bands from across the country. 740-380-2752, washboardmusicfestival.com. Miles from Chicago: 410  Aug. 14-15 -- Festival Latino, Columbus. Heat up the summer with salsa, cumbia, merengue, norteno and banda music in the streets of Ohio's capital. 614-469-1045, festivallatino.net. Miles from Chicago: 360  \ Wisconsin  June 4-5 -- Verge Music Festival, Milwaukee. Wisconsin's newest music fest will be held on the Summerfest grounds and targets alternative music fans. Acts will include Three Days Grace, AFI and Weezer. $35. 800-745-3000, yourmusicfest.com. Miles from Chicago: 90  July 23-25 -- 51st Annual Lumberjack World Championships, Hayward. This international competition welcomes professional male and female lumberjacks and logrollers from around the world. $14-$20. 715-634-2484, lumberjackworldchampionships.com. Miles from Chicago: 420  Aug. 19-22 -- Road America Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase, Elkhart Lake. Four action-packed days at what's billed as the world's fastest road-racing circuit. $25-$75. 800-365-7223, roadamerica.com. Miles from Chicago: 150  ----------  D