16 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Week
By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 16, 2017 5:35PM
Protest through music with Bumpus this Friday. Image courtesy of the band.
Eat, drink and protest your way through this week in the city.
MONDAY JANUARY 16: MLK DAY
MLK PROJECT: The Chicago History Museum has a full day of family-friendly programming for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Visit the museum’s website for a full schedule. Museum admission is FREE for Illinois residents.
MLK DAY FESTIVAL: The Art Institute’s family festival includes artwork, storytelling, performances and more at the Ryan Learning Center from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The programming encourages guests to discover the power of their own voice. Free.
Image courtesy of Chicago Sinfonietta.
SINFONIETTA TRIBUTE: Chicago Sinfonietta presents their Annual Tribute to MLK, Jr. at Symphony Center at 7:30 p.m. Young voices from the area will perform works from Williams, Vivaldi, Dvorak and Beethoven. Tickets start at $18.
FEMINIST HAPPY HOUR: The feminist-friendly variety show goes “From GOBAMA to Goodbye” in this edition of Feminist Happy Hour at the Whistler. Alicia Swiz hosts with Veronica Arreola, Kim Bellware, Jasmine Davila, Colette Gregory and Jill Hopkins-Oleynik who say goodbye to “the administration that brought us The White House Council on Women and Girls, the first Latina woman to serve on the Supreme Court, as well as the first President to hold a hip-hop block party at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
AMERICAN CIDER HISTORY: Cider pub and bistro The Northman continues their Cider School curriculum with a lesson on American Cider History from 7 to 8 p.m. Learn about cider from the founding fathers to today while sipping on cider flights and munching on light snacks. Tickets are $30.
TUESDAY JANUARY 17
Image via Common Threads' Facebook page.
COOKING PHO LIFE: Spend an evening supporting empowering kids, families and underserved communities with lifelong cooking skills and nutrition knowledge. A portion of proceeds from bellyQ’s “Cooking Pho Life” night from 6 to 8 p.m. will support the non-profit Common Threads. Tickets are $25 and include a Pho bar, snacks and one cocktail per person.
BUILD N BREWS: Help the Rebuilding Exchange continue their mission of reclaimed building materials, sustainable practices and education during a fundraiser at Lagunitas from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be $5 drink specials, free tamales and a chance to work on and build a collective project out of scrap wood and other reclaimed materials. Tickets are $10.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 18
SOUND OPINIONS CINEMA: Sound Opinions pays tribute to the late Leonard Cohen with a screening of McCabe & Mrs. Miller at the Music Box at 7 p.m. Cohen wrote the score for the 1971 Robert Altman film. The rock and roll radio show’s hosts Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis will introduce the film. Tickets are $10.
BREW U: Dusek’s Board & Beer brings back their popular beer education series, Brew U, on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Your first lesson will be from Off Color Brewing with Lagunitas, Goose Island and Moody Tongue teaching following courses. Tickets for the 4-week run are $99
Image via Jerry's event page.
AMERICAN WHISKEY TASTING: Jerry’s Lincoln Square is hosting an American Whiskey class and tasting event with two certified Kentucky Colonels at 7 p.m. Trey Elder (Jerry's) and Eric Q. Rosentreter (Redemption Whiskey) will lead guests through whiskeys from different distilleries across the country. Tickets are $25. The tasting moves on to Jerry’s Andersonville on Wednesday.
LIVE TALK: Pivot Arts launches a winter series with Uncommon Ground at 7:30 p.m. The show is part performance and part live talk show, with interviews, live music and more. The season kicks off with “We Shall Overcome,” an evening focused on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and voting rights, hosted by comedian and Second City National Touring Company Member Dewayne Perkins. Tickets are $12.
THURSDAY JANUARY 19
2017 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival: January 19-29 from Wickstrom Design on Vimeo.
PUPPET THEATER FESTIVAL: Puppets and marionettes take the spotlight at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival at venues across the city. The fest combined three previous festivals in the theater scene and includes many free family events through a partnership with the Chicago Cultural Center. For more information and a full schedule of performances through Jan. 29, visit the festival’s website.
FRUNCHROOM: The south side reading series Frunchroom returns with diverse storytelling at Beverly Woods at 7:30 p.m. WGN Morning News anchor Robin Baumgarten is among this month’s readers who tell stories about and from the south side of Chicago. Admission is a $5 requested donation.
WINTER DINNER SAFARI: Try some of Restaurant Row's best restaurants all in one night at the West Loop Winter Safari. March from restaurant to restaurant taking in a full dinner. Participating restaurants include Saint Lou’s Assembly/MONEYGUN, The Betty, Bar Takito, Nellcôte and Green Street Local. Tickets are $55 with proceeds benefiting Open Books.
FRIDAY JANUARY 20
Image via Shamilton's website.
SHAMILTON: You’d have to be living under a rock to not know about the blockbuster success of the musical Hamilton, but what about Shamilton? Every great cultural touchstone deserves a parody, and this improvised musical brings it. With a cast featuring “Baby Wants Candy” and other great Chicago improvisers, the show will include on-the-spot songs about a historic figure of the audiences’ choosing. Performances are every Friday at 10:30 p.m. at Apollo Theater through March 31. Tickets start at $15.
BUMPUS PROTEST CONCERT: Local soul band Bumpus is holding a special protest concert on Inauguration Day at Martyrs. The evening takes a theme of "Songs of Protest. Songs of Love" and will feature special guests and music from Sly & The Family Stone, Stevie Wonder and many more. With the evening being about love, a portion of the proceeds will benefit World Relief Chicago, an organization that helps refugees with resettlement, employment, legal services and education. Tickets are $10.