10 Reasons We Love Market Days

By Tim State in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 12, 2007 5:11PM

1. Porn stars playing Twister. And for a charitable donation, you can join in as well.
2. Gay cheerleaders of the Chicago Spirit Brigade soaring through the air. When you have a significant male presence on the squad, things people really get flying.
3. Shirtless muscle men. And an occasional shirtless woman.
4. Models wearing cutting-edge fashions, strutting their stuff. In an over-exagerated dance move, the rear seam in one model’s pants bursts open.
5. Tell it to my heart, Taylor Dayne. She appears on the Roscoe Stage at 6:45 p.m. this evening.
6. ROTC (Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps) Chicago twirling their riffles to classic disco tunes.
7. Shout!, the Lakeside Pride Jazz Ensemble, filling the streets with soothing jazz.
8. Dancing in the streets to the sounds by international recording artist Ari Gold.
9. Nearly 400 vendors taking up six city blocks.
10. Bumping into friends from all over the country, who come to Chicago this weekend to attend the festival.

These are just some of the reasons we love Halsted Street Market Days, a family festival of a different stort. In it’s 26th year, the festival continues today on Halsted between Belmont and Addison. Billed as the largest outdoor two-day festival in the Midwest, the event features five stages of entertainment, arts and craft, food, and more.

The festival is sponsored by the Northhalsted Area Merchants Association. There is a voluntary $5 donation suggested at the gate. The complete entertainment schedule is available on their Web site.

Image contributed by the author.