Summer Fest Season Kicks Into High Gear

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 10, 2011 9:45PM

With the improved weather comes more street festivals. This weekend gives people who want to drink beer in the middle of a city street, eat funnel cakes all afternoon and load up on knockoff brand sunglasses a few options. These are the average dilemmas of the Chicagoan.

Ribfest Chicago kicks off in just a few minutes. The annual testament to all things smoked and slathered in barbecue sauce is as much an official ringing in of summer in the North Center neighborhood as anything these days.

A bit further to the north, Andersonville Midsommarfest readies for its 46th edition tomorrow and Sunday. Nearly 50,000 people visit Clark Street from Foster to Catalpa for two days of music, dancing, kids' entertainment, and food. Vendors from around the region will sell their wares to passers-by, while ethnic dance troupesdo their best to entertain.

In Old Town, the Wells Street Art Festival, now in its 37th year, features the works of more than 250 juried artists with the eclectic mix running the gamut from paintings, sculptures and glasswork to photography, ceramics, woodwork and much more. It also features the food of the restaurants of Old Town and a "party like it's 1995" musical lineup headlined by 10,000 Maniacs tomorrow and Beatles tribute band American English Sunday.