Wicker Park Bucktown Insider's Guide

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of your Insider Weekend Guide. 

Thanks for joining us. This week we've got lots of news to share and special events you won't want to miss. The 28th Annual Bucktown Arts Festival is this weekend but that's not all. We've also included puppet shows, architectural tours, lots of food news, fundraisers, carnivals, music shows, theater, big sales and more. And you can score a free yoga class today at Ready Coffee in Wicker Park.

The weather should be great again this weekend. Thanks again for joining us and we'll see you in the neighborhood. 

ART GALLERIES/NEWS

This weekend run don't walk to the 28th Annual Bucktown Arts Fest . You'll find food, music, performing artists, lots of beer and over 200 artists showcasing their work in Holstein Park. And if that's not enough, the festival is FREE. A number of streets willclosed for that as well as Chicago Fire filming.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Neighborhood News: This little pooch was found in Wicker Park at LeMoyne + Wood Street. And it's not the little dog that's been advertised all over the neighborhood. If you do, however, know of someone who may have lost a chihuahua, please contact us. 

 ENTERTAINMENT

Movies:  The very last Summer Movie in the Park is next week in Bucktown. Don't miss The Amazing Spider Man in Churchill Park on Thursday. All movies start at dusk and they're free. A very special thanks to the Chicago park district. These are great events.

Music: This weekend the Laughing Stock Comedy Rock Fest heads to Double Door. Over 30 comedic rock acts will perform throughout the day and we will be giving away a FREE pair of tickets via Facebook & Twitter. So keep your eyes open for those. Also this weekend, The Empty Bottle will be hosting a fundraiser for one of the coolest galleries in town; Johalla Projects. $5 pays for your admission to the event and includes your 1st PBR. 

Theater: A whole slew of new and continuing burlesque shows have been announced at Gorilla Tango Theatre in Bucktown. So if you're looking for something a little different, yet fun, head to Gorilla Tango.

FOODIE & DRINK NEWS

Food -  As we reported last week Cafe Con Leche has closed up for good in Bucktown and new owner restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff says he won't open a new business there until next year. Not a lot of details yet on this new development but the space already has a new owner.

Next week Black Dog Gelato and Glazed & Infused are creating a wicked (as in awesome) variety of Gelato-Doughnut sandwiches. Not your traditional ice cream sandwich, these will pack a powerful punch of flavor...and sugar. Pre-ordering is recommended and they will be available at Black Dog Gelato on August 29th.

Gourmet empanadas are replacing the burgers and fries at J. Wellington's in Wicker Park. 5411 Empanadas has taken over the space on North Avenue and are hoping to open their 2nd Chicago restaurant later this year. 

Gunner's closed earlier this year and will soon become an Italian restaurant...again. This is an interesting development because before it was Gunner's it was an Italian restaurant called Cafe Bionda. So 1467 N. Milwaukee Avenue is heading back to its Italian roots. Look for Azzurra Eno Tavola to open in October. 
 

Wicker Park's Weekly Food Festival  The Nosh is back this Saturday from 10am -5pm. New participants are featured each week. This week includes: The Rice Table, Chicago's Dog House, Bad Happy, The Bento Box and many more ... even organic treats for dogs will be available. Dogs are welcome and there's no admission fee.

Drink - Bangers & Lace and the Carriage House are hosting a block party this weekend at Division & Paulina in Wicker Park. The block party is also a fundraiser and will feature food, drink and even a dunk tank. $35 buys you 4 tickets and the party benefits UN86'D. 

SHOPPING EVENTS

This weekend Dusty Groove is hosting the first massive sale of its kind. The Garage Sale will offer LPs CDs and 45s for as little as 25 cents! And whatever hasn't been sold on Saturday by 5pm will be auctioned off. Sounds like a great opportunity for music fans to score some incredible deals. So be sure to head to 1120 N. Ashland on Saturday.

Also to put on your radar, the Renegade Craft Fair is right around the corner. So be sure to mark your calendars for September 7th. Always a nice event, last year we bumped right into Mayor Emanuel at the corner of Division and Wood Street. 

That's it for this weekend. If you'd like to receive this via email each week, just sign up below. Thanks again for joining us and for sending us your events and information. For up-to-the-minute details throughout the week, be sure to follow us on Facebook & Twitter so you never miss a thing.

Have a great weekend and we'll see you in the neighborhood.

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of your Insider Weekend Guide. 

Thanks for joining us. This week we've got lots of news to share and special events you won't want to miss. The 28th Annual Bucktown Arts Festival is this weekend but that's not all. We've also included puppet shows, architectural tours, lots of food news, fundraisers, carnivals, music shows, theater, big sales and more. 

The weather should be great again this weekend. Thanks again for joining us and we'll see you in the neighborhood. 

ART GALLERIES/NEWS

This weekend run don't walk to the 28th Annual Bucktown Arts Fest . You'll find food, music, performing artists, lots of beer and over 200 artists showcasing their work in Holstein Park. And if that's not enough, the festival is FREE. A number of streets willclosed for that as well as Chicago Fire filming.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Neighborhood News: This little pooch was found in Wicker Park at LeMoyne + Wood Street. And it's not the little dog that's been advertised all over the neighborhood. If you do, however, know of someone who may have lost a chihuahua, please contact us. 

 ENTERTAINMENT

Movies:  The very last Summer Movie in the Park is next week in Bucktown. Don't miss The Amazing Spider Man in Churchill Park on Thursday. All movies start at dusk and they're free. A very special thanks to the Chicago park district. These are great events.

Music: This weekend the Laughing Stock Comedy Rock Fest heads to Double Door. Over 30 comedic rock acts will perform throughout the day and we will be giving away a FREE pair of tickets via Facebook & Twitter. So keep your eyes open for those. Also this weekend, The Empty Bottle will be hosting a fundraiser for one of the coolest galleries in town; Johalla Projects. $5 pays for your admission to the event and includes your 1st PBR. 

Theater: A whole slew of new and continuing burlesque shows have been announced at Gorilla Tango Theatre in Bucktown. So if you're looking for something a little different, yet fun, head to Gorilla Tango.

FOODIE & DRINK NEWS

Food -  As we reported last week Cafe Con Leche has closed up for good in Bucktown and new owner restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff says he won't open a new business there until next year. Not a lot of details yet on this new development but the space already has a new owner.

Next week Black Dog Gelato and Glazed & Infused are creating a wicked (as in awesome) variety of Gelato-Doughnut sandwiches. Not your traditional ice cream sandwich, these will pack a powerful punch of flavor...and sugar. Pre-ordering is recommended and they will be available at Black Dog Gelato on August 29th.

Gourmet empanadas are replacing the burgers and fries at J. Wellington's in Wicker Park. 5411 Empanadas has taken over the space on North Avenue and are hoping to open their 2nd Chicago restaurant later this year. 

Gunner's closed earlier this year and will soon become an Italian restaurant...again. This is an interesting development because before it was Gunner's it was an Italian restaurant called Cafe Bionda. So 1467 N. Milwaukee Avenue is heading back to its Italian roots. Look for Azzurra Eno Tavola to open in October. 
 

Wicker Park's Weekly Food Festival  The Nosh is back this Saturday from 10am -5pm. New participants are featured each week. This week includes: The Rice Table, Chicago's Dog House, Bad Happy, The Bento Box and many more ... even organic treats for dogs will be available. Dogs are welcome and there's no admission fee.

Drink - Bangers & Lace and the Carriage House are hosting a block party this weekend at Division & Paulina in Wicker Park. The block party is also a fundraiser and will feature food, drink and even a dunk tank. $35 buys you 4 tickets and the party benefits UN86'D. 

SHOPPING EVENTS

This weekend Dusty Groove is hosting the first massive sale of its kind. The Garage Sale will offer LPs CDs and 45s for as little as 25 cents! And whatever hasn't been sold on Saturday by 5pm will be auctioned off. Sounds like a great opportunity for music fans to score some incredible deals. So be sure to head to 1120 N. Ashland on Saturday.

Also to put on your radar, the Renegade Craft Fair is right around the corner. So be sure to mark your calendars for September 7th. Always a nice event, last year we bumped right into Mayor Emanuel at the corner of Division and Wood Street. 

That's it for this weekend. If you'd like to receive this via email each week, just sign up below. Thanks again for joining us and for sending us your events and information. For up-to-the-minute details throughout the week, be sure to follow us on Facebook & Twitter so you never miss a thing.

Have a great weekend and we'll see you in the neighborhood.

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of your Insider Weekend Guide. 

This weekend we're featuring theater, music, fundraisers and more. You can also win FREE tickets to a few of the shows at Double Door so please check out our Facebook and Twitter pages for details. There is also lots of news to share. A number of businesses are expanding this Summer like Big Star and Emporium Arcarde. Full details and more are included below. Last but not least, Do Division 2013 has announced the preliminary line-up for this Summer's fest.

For up-to-minute updates and news throughout the week, be sure to follow us on Facebook & Twitter and you'll never miss a thing. Thanks, as always, for joining us. Have a great weekend and and we'll see you in the neighborhood.

 BAR NEWS

Emporium Arcade to Expand This Summer

COMMUNITY EVENTS 

  ENTERTAINMENT

Crime Scene Last Chance - This is the final weekend to see Collaboraction's Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology. This powerful show closes at the Flat Iron Building on Sunday.

FREE Tickets - Don't miss your chance to win a FREE pair of tickets to 2 upcoming shows at Double Door. Girl Group Chicago magically recreates the aesthetic of the 1960’s with their charming harmonies and custom-made, A-lined, mod-cloth dresses. We are also giving away a pair of free tickets to the FU Manchu show early next week. They will be performing their album "The Action is Go" from start to finish. Both shows are at Wicker Park's Double Door.

 

Empty Bottle Named in Top 20 US Clubs - Rolling Stone Magazine has named The Empty Bottle as one of the top 20 clubs in the country. They're in good company with Lincoln Hall and Schubas rounding out Chicago's top 3 on the list.

 

Official Lollapalooza Party Monday - On Monday, Lollapalooza will be kicking off their opening party with Do312 and you can win tickets and giveaways. You can also sample a little food from Graham Elliot. But you have to RSVP.

 

 

 

 REAL ESTATE

Wicker Park Historic Landmark - Sells For $125,000 Over Asking

We've been keeping our eye on this stunning turn-of-the-century building for a while. And if you've ever walked past Damen and Schiller, you've walked right past this 6,000 square foot residence on the park. The combination of updating required and slow real estate market pushed this landmark into foreclosure. But this year? It just sold well over asking at over $900,000.

 

 

 

 

 RESTAURANT NEWS

Big Star's Getting Bigger - This very popular - but very small - taqueria has announced they are expanding at long last. Plans include moving the take out window to the building where Caravette Real Estate was located and expanding the cafe itself. With an approval by the city, the patio may also be expanded to include the parking lot next door. Summer is the target date for the expansion. Big Star.

Chicago Chop Shop - Additional details have been released about Chicago Chop Shop heading to North Avenue this Summer. What can you expect to find here? A gourmet butcher, a restaurant-bar serving up a seasonal menu and small plates. Wine, craft beer and a rooftop patio. The adjacent venue will be called The 1st Ward. Details.

Miko's Italian Ice is Open - It's a sure sign of Spring when Flipside Cafe, at 1846 N. Damen Avenue, closes up shop for the season and Miko's Italian Ice opens. And Miko's officially opened for the season April 1st. 

 

 

  SHOPPING NEWS & EVENTS

Moon Voyage Targets Monday - We really love the sound of this new boutique heading to Wicker Park just around the corner from the Violet Hour at 2010 W Pierce. A little off the beaten path? Maybe. But it sounds like they're going to be worth the trip. And they're targeting Monday as their opening day.

 

Also this weekend, AKIRA and Mazi Dance Fitness are teaming up together to provide FREE classes, buy-one-get-one discounts, food, drink and more. And it's all happening Sunday.

That's it for this weekend. Thanks again for joining us and for sending us your events and information. If you have information to share be sure you do so through our website. If you'd like to receive this information each week, just sign up below.

 

 Have a great weekend and we'll see you in the neighborhood.

 

 

 The Wicker Park Bucktown Insider's Guide