1. WHERE BOARD GAMES ARE ALL THE RAGE
FOR YEARS SNOWBOARDERS WERE TREATED LIKE SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS ON THE SKI SLOPES, SO KEITH DUCK FOUNDED RAGING BUFFALO SNOWBOARD PARK IN 1993, MAKING IT ONE OF THE FIRST BOARD-EXCLUSIVE DOWNHILL FACILITIES IN THE NATION. THE ALGONQUIN PARK, CARVED INTO THE BANK OF THE FOX RIVER, FEATURES RAILS, TABLETOPS AND A “MAGIC CARPET” (THINK ICY ESCALATOR) FOR ITS EXTREME CLIENTELE TO RIDE, ALONG WITH A FROZEN HALF-PIPE AND RAMPS THAT LAUNCH THE FEARLESS 100 FEET THROUGH THE AIR. IN A SIGN THAT THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE BLOWING THROUGH THE NATION’S SKI SLOPES, REGULAR SKIERS ARE OFTEN TURNED AWAY FROM RAGING BUFFALO: THE SNOWBOARDERS DON’T LIKE RIDING ALONGSIDE THEM. THE PARK IS ON ILLINOIS HIGHWAY 31, ABOUT 1.5 MILES SOUTH OF ILLINOIS HIGHWAY 62 IN ALGONQUIN. CALL KEITH DUCK, 847-836-RAGE, OR VISIT RAGINGBUFFALO.COM.
2. WATCH SNOW TURN TO DOUGH
Spectators are welcome at the First Annual Snow Sculpting Competition, where more than a dozen teams are expected to compete for cold cash. Starting Jan. 29, professional snow sculptors from the U.S. and Canada (as well as a few amateurs) will be given three days to make something spectacular from a 10-by-6-foot block of snow. Spectators will vote for the three winners, who will take home $1,500, $1,000 or $500. Jan. 29-30, Atrium Corporate Center, 3800 Golf Rd., Rolling Meadows. Call Fran Volz at 847-427-0703.
3. LET YOURSELF GO DOWNHILL
SLEDDING SOLITUDE
Most Chicago sledders are well aware of Cricket Hill, just east of Lake Shore Drive near Montrose Avenue in Lincoln Park, but it’s at the lesser-known slopes where you’ve got a chance to have the hill all to yourself. In Chicago, try Riis Park, 6100 W. Fullerton Ave., and Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Ave., if you’re looking for some solitude.
SOLDIER FIELD PARKLAND
At 33 feet high and 220 feet long, the sledding hill just southeast of Soldier Field is not exactly the Matterhorn. But the benefits of a manmade hill are obvious-artificial snowmakers, ramps providing accessibility to disabled thrill seekers, and a deceleration bowl at the bottom. Those accoutrements were the handiwork of Peter Lindsay Schaudt, principal landscape architect for the North Burnham Park Redevelopment. His tip for reaching maximum velocity on the hill: Get a running start and begin screaming. 425 E. McFetridge Dr.
MT. HOY
Snow tubing is sledding on an air cushion. It’s just as fast and, sometimes, much more comfy. In the western suburbs, rangers at Mt. Hoy in the Blackwell Forest Preserve near Warrenville will rent tubes for $3 on weekends and school holidays through Feb. 29, weather permitting. The main entrance is on the north side of Butterfield Road, 1/4 mile west of Winfield Road and one mile east of Illinois Highway 59. Call the district’s hot line, 630-871-6422, for conditions.
GOODENOW GROVE FOREST PRESERVE
In the south suburbs, there’s a 50-foot sledding hill in the Goodenow Grove Forest Preserve in Beecher where you can rent a snow tube for 50 cents an hour at the Plum Creek Nature Center. The nature center is about a mile east of the intersection of Illinois Highways 1 and 394 on Goodenow Road, south of Crete. Call Plum Creek, 708-946-2216, for snow conditions on the hill.
4. GO BACK IN TIME
VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS TOURS OF THE FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT HOME
SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE ARCHITECTURAL GENIUS OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT GETS A HOLIDAY SHINE. THESE SPECIAL HOLIDAY TOURS HIGHLIGHT HOW THE WRIGHT FAMILY CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. TOURS ARE LED BY THE HOME’S JUNIOR INTERPRETERS, SPECIALLY TRAINED 5TH- THROUGH 10TH-GRADE STUDENTS. TOURS RUN CONTINUOUSLY FROM 9 A.M. TO 11 A.M. ON DEC. 11 AND DEC. 18. FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT HOME, 951 CHICAGO AVE., OAK PARK, 708-848-1976, WWW.WRIGHTPLUS.ORG.
COUNTRYSIDE CHRISTMAS IN HISTORIC LONG GROVE
PART COUNTRY TOWN, PART VICTORIAN VILLAGE, THIS HISTORIC SECTION OF LONG GROVE IS THE PLACE TO FIND THAT OLD-FASHIONED HOLIDAY FEELING. WATCH OUT FOR LIVE REINDEER AMID THE 80 SHOPS, HOLIDAY LIGHTS, TROLLEY RIDERS AND CAROLERS. NOV. 19-DEC. 24, 1/4 MILE NORTH OF ILLINOIS HIGHWAYS 53 AND 83 INTERSECTION, 847-634-0888, WWW.LONGGROVEONLINE.COM.
5. BEFRIEND A SOLDIER
Times have changed and the days of sending soldiers care packages through the USO are over. “There are too many security issues,” says a USO spokeswoman. “There’s a concern that someone could send something like anthrax.” That’s why the USO is looking for volunteers to serve at their “Home Away From Home Centers” at O’Hare and Midway airports, the Great Lakes Naval Training Center and at Navy Pier. Volunteers do a little bit of everything, depending on the day: help a soldier find a flight home, make coffee, play pool or maybe jot down directions to a local museum. Contact the USO of Illinois volunteer line at 312-923-7070 or www.uso.org/illinois.
6. RESCUE A FAMILY’S HOLIDAY
Make a profound impact on a family by adding just a few items to your holiday shopping list. Every year, the St. Vincent DePaul Center in Lincoln Park finds dozens of needy families and matches them with a gift-giving volunteer. Donors are given a sense of their families’ needs, along with their ages and sizes, so donations can be more sentimental and meaningful. The Adopt-A-Family program runs through Dec. 15 and gifts can be dropped off at the center, 2145 N. Halsted St. Call Denise Howard, director of outreach services, 312-943-6776, ext. 2130.
7. BASK IN SOME HOLIDAY LIGHTS
Dozens of Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs take holiday decorating to the extreme these days, so if you want to spend less time in the car and more time appreciating the lights, one option is to just stick to a few choice areas.
Lincolnwood has a long history of great decorations, particularly in the Lincolnwood Towers area, but it’s hard to find a block that doesn’t try to live up to the town’s reputation. Lincolnwood Towers is west of the Edens Expressway, north of Devon Avenue.
North School Park in Arlington Heights is where wire lights have been twisted into a series of white-light sculptures. Many homes surrounding the park are fabulously decorated too. North School Park is at Arlington Heights Road and Eastman Street.
In Des Plaines, dozens of residents in the Westfield Gardens area have been decorating their lawns with luminescent candy canes for the last decade. Candy Cane Land now spans more than 100 homes, and the village estimates that more than 400 candles were used last season alone. Candy Cane Land is bordered by Mt. Prospect Road, Wolf Road and Dempster Street.
In the western suburb of Westchester, the community-wide lights festival, highlighted by the glow from Candy Cane Lane, began as a summer block party on Becket Avenue in Westchester. Without street lights, the party was a dim affair until one neighbor, George Zanoni, strung Christmas lights through the trees. That sparked something in the neighbors, and the following holiday season their block glowed with enough tiny bulbs to be spotted from passing aircraft. The Westchester Park District soon caught on; for the past decade they’ve sponsored the Holiday House Decoration Contest. To learn more, contact the park district at 708-865-8200, or visit wpdparks.org. Becket Avenue, aka Candy Cane Lane, is off 31st Street, a half-mile east of Wolf Road in Westchester.
If you want to leave the driving to the pros, Chicago Limousine Service (888-736-3254) offers Christmas Lights Tours, complete with warm blankets, hot cocoa and three hours of delicate lights viewed through tinted glass.
8. SALUTE THE SUN
Just before dawn on Jan. 23, a parade of University of Chicago students, staff, faculty-and anyone else who’s feeling sun-deprived and slightly bizarre-will dash from the school’s Henry Crown Field House to the city’s Promontory Point in an effort to coax the sun from the clouds. At the lake, the group will perform the annual yoga ritual known as Suryanamaskar, or “salute to the sun.” The salute, incidentally, is the culmination of Winterfest at the U of C, a week’s worth of activities (limited to U of C students) to battle the winter blues. Inspired by the Eskimo tradition of Kuviasungnerk, an Eskimo word meaning “happy times,” U of C students have a long tradition of wacky events that embrace the cold. The Polar Bear Run and Salute to the Sun is Friday, Jan. 23, at the Henry Crown Field House at the University of Chicago, 5550 S. University Ave., coup.uchicago.edu.
9. SEEK MUSICAL ENLIGHTENMENT
Imagine a downtown winter weekend filled with blues, jazz or opera. Best of all, the details are taken care of, from concert tickets and accommodations to exclusive receptions with experts in the field. All you have to do is show up. That’s the gist of an Immersion Weekend, sponsored and organized by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Department of Tourism. Each Immersion Weekend package consists of a pre-planned itinerary, including a two-night stay in a downtown hotel. The price of the weekend, and some other details, still are being ironed out. But the first package, the Blues Immersion, begins Jan. 14-15 and includes shows with Mavis Staples and Koko Taylor. The Jazz Immersion Weekend is Jan. 21-22, and the Opera Immersion Weekend is Feb. 11-12 and centers on Puccini’s Tosca at the Chicago Lyric Opera. Call 1-877-244-2246, or visit www.877chicago.com.
10. GET INTO A HEATED DISCUSSION
HOSTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO SINCE 1976, THE LIVELY “FUTURE OF CHICAGO” LECTURE SERIES FOCUSES ON SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES AFFECTING CHICAGO. DEBATE AND DISCUSSION ARE ENCOURAGED. THE FREE LECTURES ARE FROM 11 A.M. TO NOON AT UIC LECTURE CENTER E1, 806 S. HALSTED ST. CALL 312-996-8660.
AMONG THE TOPICS:
NOV. 22: “COMMUNITY POLICING IN CHICAGO” WITH WESLEY SKOGAN, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR AND FACULTY FELLOW FOR THE INSTITUTE FOR POLICY RESEARCH, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY.
NOV. 24: “MEDIA AND THE FUTURE OF CHICAGO” WITH ALTON MILLER, FORMER PRESS SECRETARY TO MAYOR HAROLD WASHINGTON.
NOV. 29: “CHICAGO’S YOUTH JUSTICE SYSTEM” WITH WILLIAM AYERS, EDUCATION PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO AND FORMER ’60S RADICAL ACTIVIST.
11. ENJOY A NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Plenty of people live with more brutal weather than we do, yet they manage to have fun, so let’s borrow a page from their book:
“MUSHER MANIA”
Each winter, the Monee Reservoir sponsors “Musher Mania,” a workshop where participants can learn mushing techniques and sled-dog racing. Locals that they are, organizers are ready to teach even when the weather doesn’t cooperate-the sleds also have wheels. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 8, snow or no snow, Monee Reservoir, 27341 Ridgeland Ave., Monee, 60449, 708-534-8499, www.fpdwc.org/monee.cfm.
WILL’S NORTHWOODS INN
Nothing warms the cockles of a real man’s heart like a stiff drink after a successful hunt. Of course, many men couldn’t stomach shooting a deer, but all are welcomed at Will’s Northwoods Inn, where the mounted game and awesome antler chandelier will make you feel like a hunter even if there’s a PETA card in your wallet. The fire is located in the Lombardi Room. 3032 N. Racine Ave., 773-528-4400.
12. CATCH SOME FAKE RAYS
When the gray tones outside match your face, it’s time to take drastic action. Salons like the alluringly named L.A. Tan dot the city, offering both tanning beds ($6 per session, $20 per month unlimited) and spray-on tans ($30 for one, $150 for 10). Two of the salons are at 345 W. North Ave., 312-266-4826; and 3110 N. Broadway, 773-296-6199 . For those whose need for sun is less about looks, the Lighten-up Lamp ($169 to $289 at lighten-up.net) bathes the face in full-spectrum light, which scientists claim treats seasonal affective disorder, commonly known as the winter blahs.
13. LISTEN & LEARN
A tongue-in-cheek riff on the summer alternative-rock festival, “Lollapajewza: Hot Jewish Music on a Cold Winter’s Night” brings three Jewish music groups to Schaumburg. The bill: Shakshuka, playing Israeli and Sephardic music spiced with jazz; the choral group Kol Sasson; and Listen Up! A Cappella, which bills itself as the world’s only Pop-Klezmer-Jazz-Yiddish-Hebrew-Country-Western band with no instruments. $20; $15 for students and seniors. Dec. 18, Prairie Center for the Performing Arts, 201 Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg, 847-895-3600, www.prairiecenter.org.
14. TAKE A TWIRL
THE OPENING OF MILLENNIUM PARK THIS SUMMER WAS EASILY THE CIVIC SPECTACLE OF THE SEASON, IF NOT THE LAST DECADE, AND THE ICE RINK THERE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP PEOPLE COMING BACK DURING THE CHILLY WEATHER. IF CROWDS AREN’T YOUR THING, THERE ARE OTHER RINKS AROUND THE CITY THAT ARE SURE TO BE LESS CROWDED OR TOURISTY. THE RINK AT THE MIDWAY PLAISANCE, FOR EXAMPLE, JUST A SHORT WALK FROM THE MAIN CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO IN HYDE PARK, IS LARGE ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE CROWDS BUT FAR ENOUGH FROM THE BUSTLE OF DOWNTOWN TO GET TOO CROWDED. WARREN PARK ON THE NORTH SIDE AND RIIS PARK ON THE WEST SIDE ARE EVEN MORE TUCKED AWAY AND, SURROUNDED AS THEY ARE BY DOZENS OF TREES, SKATERS WILL EASILY FORGET THEY’RE IN THE CITY. HERE’S WHERE TO FIND THESE RINKS, AS WELL AS SOME OTHERS:
Daley Bicentennial Plaza, 337 E. Randolph St.
McKinley Park, 2210 W. Pershing Ave.
Midway Plaisance, 1130 Midway Plaisance North
Millennium Park, 55 N. Michigan Ave.
Mt. Greenwood Park, 3721 W. 111th St.
Rowan Park, 11546 S. Avenue L
Riis Park, 6100 W. Fullerton Ave.
West Lawn Park, 4233 W. 65th St.
Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Ave.
15. STOKE THAT INNER GLOW
PROJECT LINUS
Based in Downstate Bloomington, Project Linus has delivered more than a million homemade blankets to seriously ill or traumatized children across the country. Even if you make the simplest blanket, the project’s extensive network of volunteers will make sure it finds its way to a needy child at a hospital or shelter. The project accepts blankets of any material-quilted, crocheted, knit, flannel or fleece-and almost any size, from baby blanket to twin. The only requirement is that the blanket be made from new materials and kid-friendly colors, says Mary Balagna, the group’s national vice president. “It can be very simple or it can be complicated. We’ve had people take polar fleece and just fringe the ends; we’ve had people spend months making a quilt.” To contact the volunteer coordinator in your area, visit projectlinus.org, or call 309-664-7814.
FAIRY GODMOTHER FOUNDATION
The appropriately named Fairy Godmother Foundation is a 6-year-old non-profit that grants wishes to adults who have a year or less to live. More than 500 wishes have been granted in 44 states, and this year the foundation has been invited to set up gift-wrapping tables at Borders and Barnes & Noble stores and in malls around Chicago. That’s where you come in. The stores are giving the group free wrapping paper, and any gratuities for gift-wrapping will go right to the foundation. You could get your holiday gifts wrapped and donate the tip, or volunteer your time as a wrapper. Volunteers usually work a three-hour shift, and wrapping expertise is welcome but not necessary. “They can open boxes and tie ribbons,” says foundation founder Bonnie Tunick. “We’ll find something for everyone.” Call Wendy Mattner, 773-883-3841, or visit wendy@fairygodmother.org.
SCARCE
This Glen Ellyn-based non-profit group has figured out a way to help people by recycling old cell phones and crayons. SCARCE can take your old cell, reprogram it as an emergency call device and give it to a domestic-violence victim or senior citizen. The same recycling idea applies to crayons. Cobble together all those tiny, wax stubs from the basement or under the kids’ beds, and SCARCE will melt and refashion them into larger crayons that can be more easily grasped by children with disabilities. Call 630-790-4345.
16. STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS
Pining for the color green? The annual Holiday Flower Show at Garfield Park Conservatory begins the day after Thanksgiving. Hundreds of varieties of winter poinsettias are on display, along with traditional evergreens, Jerusalem cherry, Christmas peppers, plumbago and begonias. Admission is free. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Thursdays, when it’s open until 8 p.m., Nov. 26, 2004-Jan. 9, 2005, 300 N. Central Park Ave., 312-746-5100.
WINTER FLOWER AND TRAIN SHOW
Tiny trains traverse a miniature hillside made from poinsettias at the 7th annual Winter Flower Show and Holiday Garden Railway Exhibition at the Lincoln Park Conservatory. This year, several model trains-including an old-fashioned steam engine, freight train and trolley-are on display, winding their way through a miniature village set in a field of red, pink and white flowers. The village also features miniature replicas of Chicago landmarks. Admission is free. 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Dec. 11, 2004-Jan. 9, 2005, Lincoln Park Conservatory, 2391 N. Stockton Dr., 312-742-7736 .
17. GIVE IN TO ANIMAL MAGNETISM
BROOKFIELD ZOO’S HOLIDAY MAGIC FESTIVAL
When the zoo flips the switch around 4 p.m. each day on more than 750,000 twinkling lights during its annual Holiday Magic Festival. Along with the winter-wonderland ambience, the zoo has ice-carving demonstrations, storytelling, caroling, and visits from Santa, Frosty the Snowman and other costumed characters. Nov. 23-25, 30; Dec. 1-2, 7-9, 14-16, 21-23; 1st & 31st Street, Brookfield; 708-485-0263; www.brookfieldzoo.org.
COSLEY ZOO
Wheaton’s Cosley Zoo sits on five acres of a former farm. The charm remains, especially during the holidays, when the zoo is decked out with twinkling lights. The zoo has a rustic feeling (coyotes still howl there), but parents of little ones shouldn’t worry: The brick-paved paths are suitable for strollers. The lights come on at 3 p.m. and the zoo closes at 9 p.m. 1356 Gary Ave., Wheaton, www.cosleyzoo.org.
LINCOLN PARK ZOO
This year’s ZooLights festival includes a laser show at the Kovler Sea Lion Pool, holiday crafts at Santa’s Workshop, light “animals,” ice carving and more than a million lights. 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 26-Nov. 28, Dec. 2-Dec. 5, Dec. 9-Dec. 12, Dec. 16-Dec. 23, Dec. 26-Jan. 2; 2200 N. Cannon Drive. 312-742-2283. www.lpzoo.org/events.
18. HIT THE LINKS
You don’t have to be a Californian to play golf in January. For duffers, this is easily one of the best ways to make the most of an all-too-common problem with Chicago winters: semi-chilly days with no snow. All six of the Chicago Park District’s courses are open as long as it’s at least 45 degrees and there’s no snow to make things slippery. Meanwhile, the Diversey Driving Range offers 20 heated and enclosed driving booths year-round, no matter what the weather, and cross-country skiers are welcome at the Jackson Park and Marovitz golf courses, two of the city’s most pristine and undisturbed spots for skiing. For more information, or to book times, visit www.cpdgolf.com or call 312-245-0909.
19. REAP SOME CULTURE
“Kwanzaa-The Exhibition,” a 2,000-square-foot exhibit at the DuSable Museum of African American History, is typically one of the most popular Kwanzaa celebrations in Chicago. Visitors will learn about the history of the African-American holiday, its founder, Maulana Karenga, and details of the seven principles guiding the holiday’s daily rituals. Kwanza is celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. $3 for adults, $2 for students and seniors, $1 for children 6-13, free on Sundays. The exhibit runs from Nov. 15 to Jan. 3 at the museum, 740 E. 56th Pl., Chicago, 773-947-0600, www.dusablemuseum.org.
20. THANK A HERO
HEROES ARE OFTEN TOO HUMBLE TO GET THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE, SO THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IS ASKING YOU TO PUT PEN TO PAPER (OR FINGER TO KEYBOARD) AND NOMINATE SOMEONE WHO HAS DONE SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARILY COURAGEOUS OR KIND. THERE ARE EIGHT CATEGORIES-ADULT GOOD SAMARITAN, YOUTH GOOD SAMARITAN, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIREFIGHTER, MILITARY, ANIMAL RESCUE, COMMUNITY IMPACT AND CITIZENSHIP. ENTRIES ARE DUE BY MARCH 15. WINNERS WILL BE RECOGNIZED AT THE 3RD ANNUAL HEROES BREAKFAST IN JUNE. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND A NOMINATION FORM, VISIT WWW.CHICAGOREDCROSS.ORG .
21. APPEAL TO THE GODS
RISING 16 FEET INTO THE SKY, FACING EAST WITH ARMS OUTSTRETCHED TOWARD THE HEAVENS, THE SUN SINGER STATUE IN ROBERT ALLERTON PARK IN DOWNSTATE MONTICELLO HAS HELD A WINTER VIGIL FOR THE RETURN OF WARM WEATHER SINCE 1932. SWEDISH SCULPTOR CARL MILLES FOUND HIS MODEL IN PHOEBUS APOLLO, THE GREEK SUN GOD, AND CRAFTED THIS PIECE FROM 1,600 POUNDS OF BRONZE. THE GOD SPORTS A HELMET BUT WEARS NOT A STITCH OF CLOTHING, PERHAPS AS A SIGN OF CONFIDENCE THAT THE SUN WILL ULTIMATELY RETURN. THE PARK IS AT 515 OLD TIMBER ROAD IN MONTICELLO. WWW.ALLERTON@UIUC.EDU.
22. TRY A LITTLE GARDENING
CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN
“Celebrations” is the Chicago Botanic Garden’s answer to the winter doldrums, a chance to remember that Mother Nature doesn’t always bring cold, dark weather. Christmas lights are everywhere, but the Botanic takes things a step further with such events as caroling, a Hanukkah party with The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, a Teddy Bear Museum and the 2nd Annual Reindog Parade, for dogs only. Admission is free, although some events require a fee or registration. Parking is $10. Nov. 26 – Jan. 2, Lake-Cook Road in Glencoe, one-half mile east of the Edens Expressway, 847-835-5440. www.chicagobotanic.org/celebrations.
CUNEO MUSEUM AND GARDENS
The “Winter Wonderland Festival” outside this 32-room Italian villa includes dozens of light designs and sculptures. Cold-weather haters also should know that the festival is a “drive-thru,” so you can keep warm in your car as you meander through the tree-lined estate. The festival opens Friday, Nov. 26, and runs through Jan. 2. $5 per car Monday through Thursday, and $10 per car Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 1350 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, 847-362-3042.
23. ENCOURAGE SIBLING REVELRY
“ZHOU BROTHERS: 30 YEARS OF COLLABORATION”
Originally from China, the critically acclaimed Zhou Brothers have been painting together since 1973, resulting in a body of work in which two artists and two minds paint, sculpt, print and draw as one. In an unusual collaborative showing, the Elmhurst Art Museum and the Chicago Cultural Center are exhibiting the Zhous simultaneously. The Zhous’ larger works are on display at the Cultural Center, while the Elmhurst museum has their smaller pieces. Runs until Jan. 2 at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, 312-744-1424; and until Jan. 9 at the Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 Cottage Hill in Elmhurst, 630-834-0202.
24. SWOOP THE LOOP
CHRISTKINDLMARKET
One of the best holiday breaks from shopping or the workday, the Christkindlmarket is an open-air market where vendors from around the world bring their crafts, cooking and other specialties to Chicago’s Loop. After a sneak preview on Thanksgiving Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the market opens officially on Nov. 26 with regular hours 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m Friday through Sunday. Open through Dec. 22, Daley Plaza and Block 37 between Dearborn and Washington Streets, 312- 644-2662, www.christkindlmarket.com.
CHOIRS AT CITY HALL
One of downtown Chicago’s simple treasures, this program invites student choirs from around the city to sing in the west lobby of City Hall. Noon-1 p.m. from Dec. 1 to Dec. 21, 121 N. LaSalle St.
25. DON’T FLY SOUTH
When it comes to bird-watching, the pigeon on your windowsill is not Chicago’s only winter avian. Take a stroll (or snowshoe) through Montrose Harbor and Dune in Lincoln Park (4400 N. Lake Shore Drive) or the 198-acre Calumet Park (9801 S. Avenue G) to get a glimpse of Thayer’s, Iceland, glaucous and other wintering gulls. Park district experts say there’s also a chance you’ll spot a rare and reclusive snowy owl at Montrose or several miles north at Northerly Island (1400 S. Lynn White Drive).
