Chicago Official Visitors Guide - Summer/Fall 2008 - (Page 3) We’re glad Welcome to Chicago. I am pleased to invite you to experience the exciting events and activities that make our city a wonderful place to live and visit year-round. Chicago’s free renowned blues and jazz festivals are both celebrating anniversary years. A fitting tribute to our legacy as the Blues Capital of the World, the 25th Annual Chicago Blues Festival, headlined by B.B. King and other blues legends, runs June 5–8 in Grant Park. The city’s longest-running lakefront festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival (August 28–31), marks its 30th anniversary with a stellar lineup — including jazz greats Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman — and an opening concert in Millennium Park followed by three days of music and festivities throughout Grant Park. One of our city’s most popular cultural destinations, the 24.5-acre Millennium Park salutes the visual and performing arts. Besides its world-class collection of architecture, landscape design and public art, the park regularly hosts free premier arts events. Part of the summer-long fun starts in June with the Family Fun Festival, offering hands-on crafts, concerts and performances; and the Grant Park Music Festival, the nation’s only remaining free outdoor classical music series. And Great Performers of Illinois returns July 18–20. This extravaganza of performers from around the state features family entertainment from pop, rock, blues, jazz, classical and folk music concerts to drumming, storytelling, spoken word and square dancing. The award-winning Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents Sarah Ruhl’s Dead Man’s Cell Phone through July 27. And, June 26–July 27 Cirque du Soleil presents Kooza. This family-friendly theatrical event unfolds under the big top in the United Center’s parking lot. Find out about more great theater at Hot Tix, located in the Chicago Tourism Center (72 E. Randolph Street) and the Water Works Visitor Information Center (163 E. Pearson Street). Eye-opening exhibitions include the National Museum of Mexican Art’s ”¡Chupacabras! Artists Reinterpret the Myth,” which precedes the major exhibition “Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe” opening July 19 at the Chicago Cultural Center, and the freestanding “Smart Home: Green + Wired,” honoring the Museum of Science and Industry’s 75th anniversary. The ever-popular Fashion Focus Chicago showcases Chicago designers with runway shows, shopping tours, presentations, exhibitions and industry seminars October 1–8. From Millennium Park to our many neighborhoods, this whirlwind event offers a unique look at Chicago’s thriving fashion industry. Start your adventure at our visitor information centers (see page 134) or visit www.cityofchicago.org/Tourism for even more information. Dear Friends: you’re here! Best wishes for an exciting and memorable visit to Chicago. Sincerely, Richard M. Daley Mayor of Chicago pg For a personalized tour contact the Chicago Greeter Program: 312-744-8000, www.chicagogreeter.com ¶ 3 http://www.cityofchicago.org/Tourism http://www.chicagogreeter.com
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