TUE 5/8
Wingman’s
best friend
Typically, it’s not acceptable to sniff your date. But when you bring a canine companion to speed-dating event Meet ‘n’ Sniff, one member of your crew might be able to get away with it. (Plus, a pup’s always a great icebreaker.) Already attached? Mingle with other dog owners during a concurrent happy hour. 6:30 p.m. $40. Proceeds benefit PAWS Chicago. Registration: fasterdater.com/chicago. Joe’s, 940 W. Weed St. 773-890-5116.
Bean counters
You don’t have the speed for basketball nor the brawn for football. (Besides, point guards and quarterbacks tend to frown on pregame drinks. Spoilsports.) But bean bag, now there’s a game you can throw yourself into. Head to Carola’s Hansa Clipper to test your mettle. Toss individually or as a team; a cash prize goes to the top scorer. 9 p.m. $5-$10. Carola’s Hansa Clipper, 4659 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-878-3662.
Green art
Long before “An Inconvenient Truth” brought the issue of climate change to the big screen, nature photographers promoted conservation in still life. Check out some of the field’s luminaries at “The Earth As It Was,” a new exhibit examining the impact of climate change through photos from Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter and William Clift. 10:30 a.m. Through Sept. 3. Free with general admission, $7-$12. Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave. 312-443-3600.
WED 5/9
Short cuts
Every year when the Academy Awards roll around, it’s the same story: A wild, uninformed guess in the shorts category keeps you out of the money in the office pool. It’s a couple of months too late to collect this year, but you can catch up on everything you’ve been missing at BACinema. This week, the screening series features all of the 2006 Oscar-nominated live-action shorts. 7:30 p.m. $5-$7. Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. 773-445-3838.
Treasure Hunt
Chicago’s art and entertainment scenes never have been short on talent, so Chicago Treasures, a discussion series featuring artists and writers with connections to the city, always unearths some greats. This week: actress-comic and Chicago native Bonnie Hunt. Steve Edwards of “Eight Forty-Eight” on WBEZ (91.5-FM) moderates. 7 p.m. $10-$12. Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St. 312-642-4600.
THU 5/10
Play it cool
With the weekend just a day away, you’re entitled to cut out of work a bit early for a play date. Leave the cubicle behind and head to monthly mixer Play Chicago, featuring live performances by folk rockers Michael McDermott and Shawn Mullins. (Been wondering what Mullins has been up to since that insidious hit “Lullaby”? Here’s your chance to find out!) Includes one cocktail; cash bar available. 5:30 p.m. $15-$20. Tickets: chicagohistory.org. Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St. 312-642-4600.
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kpratt@tribune.com
