Illinois
March 4-6: Fishing and Outdoor Expo, Rockford. Lots of gear and clinics to get you hyped for summer. Fee applies; 815-877-8043; showtimeproduction.net/fishingexpo. Miles from Chicago: 85
March 5-6: Fandomfest Metropolis. Vendors offer comics from the 1940s to present-day, vintage Star Wars toys, autographed celebrity items, games, T-shirts and more in the town of Metropolis. Also a film festival and trivia contests. Fee applies; 615-573-4537; tinyurl.com/68gljb7. Miles from Chicago: 370
Indiana
Feb. 25-27: Indianapolis Golf Show. Check out and try out the latest gear; compete in the long-drive championship and other contests. Fee applies; 330-963-6963; tinyurl.com/6xqmh3u. Miles from Chicago: 185
March 3-5: Indiana Heritage Quilt Show, Bloomington. More than 200 quilts on display, nationally known instructors, quilting classes and quilt exhibits. Fee varies; 812-391-0009; ihqs.org. Miles from Chicago: 235
March 5-6, 12-13: National Maple Syrup Festival, Medora. Held at Burton’s Maplewood Farm, the festival offers tours of maple-syrup harvesting and production, along with demonstrations of blacksmithing, Dutch oven cooking, butter churning, wood carving, wool spinning, needle art and more. Fee varies; 812-966-2168; nationalmaplesyrupfestival.com. Miles from Chicago: 270
Michigan
Feb. 26: Michigan Winter Beer Festival, Grand Rapids. Sip the best from Michigan’s growing specialty brew scene with hundreds of samples from more than 40 micro-breweries and brewpubs. Fee varies; tinyurl.com/5uvc4x6 . Miles from Chicago: 180
March 5-6: 106th and 107th annual Detroit Kennel Club Dog Shows. The Cobo Convention Center is the site for breed judging, group and best-in-show judging, demonstration events, breed seminars and more. Fee varies; 248-644-7717; detroitkennelclub.com. Miles from Chicago: 285
Minnesota
March 4-6: International Festival of Owls, Houston. Billed as the only full-weekend, all-owl event in North America, this festival includes activities for adults and children, including live-owl programs, photography tips, hooting contests, birding bus trips and more. Fee for some activities; 507-896-4668; festivalofowls.com. Miles from Chicago: 300
Missouri
March 3-6: True/False Film Festival, Columbia. Most films come freshly discovered from Sundance, Toronto and other festivals; others appear mysteriously before their official premieres elsewhere. Also includes parties, debates and field trips. Fees vary; 573-442-8783; truefalse.org. Miles from Chicago: 390
Ohio
March 3-6: Arnold Sports Festival, Columbus. This sport festival, named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, hosts 18,000 athletes competing in more than 40 events and 12 Olympic sports. There’s also a three-day Arnold Fitness Expo with the latest in fitness apparel, equipment, training tools and supplements. Fees vary; 614-431-2600; arnoldsportsfestival.com. Miles from Chicago: 355
Wisconsin
March 4-6: Winter Festival, Bayfield. Activities include a Run on Water family race across the frozen “ice road” to Madeline Island and dogsled rides. Free; 800-447-4094; tinyurl.com/6fyp4pc. Miles from Chicago: 455
March 5-6: 21st Annual Trig’s Klondike Days Winter Family Festival, Eagle River. A living history encampment from the early 1800s is planned, along with chainsaw-carving and lumberjack competitions, snowshoe races, a dog-weight pull, bluegrass music and more. Fee varies; 715-891-2679; klondikedays.org. Miles from Chicago: 325
