A few minutes walk from Bubba Gump, Shakespeare Theater and the IMAX is this weekend’s Exposition of Sculpture Objects and Functional Art (SOFA) Chicago, bringing around 100 similarly eclectic galleries to Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. Considering the show’s artistic star power and the stacks of bills changing hands, Friday afternoon seemed positively mellow. Visitors seemed more intent on finding that perfect trinket for their living room or personal adornment than investing in the next Picasso.......

We find oddball things to on the weekend very intriguing. We have some normal and some not so normal events for you today. Chiefly, we are referencing going to a bar to watch 40 people compete in a guitar video game at a bar. As always feel free to add more events in the comments section. SOFA Chicago's Mark Lyman said this year's event will be "...the most international and the largest in terms of......

Didn't it seem like we were enjoying primo beer garden weather just a couple days ago? That's because we were. Mother Nature, you're such a tease. Even though the forecast calls for showers and temperatures in the low-to-mid fifties this weekend, Festival Hall A at Navy Pier is being transformed into a giant indoor beer garden. Attendees at Saturday's Beer Fest 2006: "Beer on the Pier" will be able to sample hundreds of beers from......

They’re giving Navy Pier a makeover. Cripes. It’s like the makeover for Paula Jones: we guess it couldn’t hurt, but it doesn’t really help, does it? Chicagoist holds little affection for Navy Pier. Sure it’s better to have businesses there than the wasteland that preceded it, but did it have to turn into a mall? The Trib article describes the original vision in 1995 as “an entertainment district and exposition center.” Right. Ever tried making......