Members of The Chicago Moving Company are going to dance their way through the history of modern dance. Their program, called History in Motion, begins with the free-spirited Isadora Duncan who rebelled against ballet and the restrictive roles of women who were expected to wear tight corsets. Loie Fuller’s imagination was sparked by the invention of the light bulb. She used colored lighting to transform her voluminous white costumes into a changing array of shades. Kids in the audience will be able to play a role in the performance. They will get to decide the order in which dance phrases will be performed to illustrate Merce Cunningham’s concept of Chance Dance.
The Chicago Moving Company, 1 p.m. Wed. July 10, Chicago Historical Society, Clark St. at North Ave; $5 adults, $1 children; 312-642-4600.
— Nancy Maes
Art is child’s play
Kids can be artists too at the Lincolnshire Art Festival. Toddlers and preschoolers can make a Garden Friend which can be either a flower, a bee or a butterfly. Schoolchildren can do a project called Dot Like Seurat using special markers on black paper. Older kids can Make a Monet using watercolors to paint a still-life of flowers. Youngsters can also see what other kids have created in an exhibit of art works by children in kindergarten to those in high school in Lincolnshire schools.
Lincolnshire Art Festival, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun., Village Green, Olde Half Day Rd. and Milwaukee Ave., Lincolnshire; free; 847-444-9600.
— Nancy Maes
Blue Island fest
Games, food, shopping and music are just some of the features of the Come to the Island Street Festival Saturday in Blue Island. The festival kicks off with a children’s parade at noon, followed by a procession of antique cars. There are games for the kids, a mystery tour for shoppers who want to explore the stores on Western Avenue and an art show. When you get hungry, buy some refreshments and enjoy the bluegrass band performing in the park at York and Western Avenues.
The Come to the Island Street Festival runs from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday on Western Avenue between 127th and 132nd Streets; free, 708-388-5735.
— Pat Harper
Country living
Pack a picnic and spend a day in the country at Round Barn Farm in Manhattan.
The farm has picnic facilities, a petting zoo, pony rides and hayrack or barrel train rides. The farmyard has an assortment of typical animals, such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and rabbits, along with some exotic creatures, including a llama, an emu and a pot-bellied pig.
Round Barn Farm, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the picnic grounds stay open till 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, 24115 S. U.S. Highway 52, Manhattan; $4 per person, children under 2 free. 815-478-3215.
— Pat Harper
Become an Aztec
Kids learn the skill of Mexican writing as the Des Plaines Public Library presents, “Write Like the Aztecs and Mixtecs.” Children in third grade and above are invited to this workshop presented by Georgina Diaz, a representative of the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in Chicago. This established form of writing, known as codices, was used to record transactions, tell religious stories and document battles. Kids will learn to read and write the glyphs and will create a booklet for their own stories. “Write Like the Aztecs and Mixtecs” 2 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. Des Plaines Public Library, 1501 Ellinwood St., Des Plaines. Free, registration required; 847-376-2839.
— Stephanie Price
The pioneer life
Children live the life of pioneers during Blackberry Farm’s “Pioneer Children’s Day” Sunday. Come out to the farm’s Pioneer Village and participate in several hands-on pioneer activities. The events include crafts, games, butter-churning, candle dipping and old-fashioned clothes washing. Kids also can help chink the cabin or fish in the lake.
“Pioneer Children’s Day” 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Blackberry Farm’s Pioneer Village, 100 S. Barnes Rd., Aurora. Fox Valley Park District residents, $3.75 adults; $3.25 for children and seniors. Non-residents pay $7.50 adults; $6.50 children and seniors; 630-892-1550.
— Stephanie Price
