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Soccer is the world’s most popular sport. It is played all over the world in city’s streets, fields and even beaches. The popularity of the sport will most likely never vain around the world, as America still tries to play catch-up on this phenomena. The country is slowly catching up to the rest of the world and over the weekend was just an example of how great it can be, as 2010 Chicago Beach Soccer Festival took place on Montrose Beach.
The festival is exactly what it says it is: a beach soccer festival for boys and girls, young and old. Going into the festival I was not quite sure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised when I arrived there. First off, I noticed the amount of cars that were parked in and around the parking lot. Once over the small hill it was a very different view – 12 soccer fields full of men and women playing beach soccer.
My first impressions were very positive. The fields were marked in a professional manner and one could distinguish the referees from players from a far. The sponsors’ tents were surrounding the field on the entire west side of the beach and even the beach/playing pitch seemed in decent condition, not even 24 hours after some awful weather went through the Chicago-land area.
The tents featured included both of Chicago’s pro soccer teams – Fire and Red Stars alongside numerous other health and fitness companies. On Saturday the Red Stars included its midfield star and England International – Karen Carney for an autograph session, while Sunday was reserved for the Chicago Fire mascot Sparky to mingle with the crowd.
The fields were completely full of non-stop action and the whole mood of the festival seemed to be upbeat. People playing looked like they were having fun and even those in the stands (on Montrose Beach there are rocks lined along the beach in form of stands) were enjoying themselves.
The event organizers were very pleased with the turn-out, in particular following the awful weather on Friday night, which flooded part of the beach causing the event to be postponed for a couple of hours. Around 11 a.m. on Saturday the festival began its schedule and the rest went on as planned.
Alfonso Mitchell, a Delegate-at-Large for Illinois State Soccer Association, was in charge of the whole festival and shared some thoughts on the festival.
“Considering the weather last night I am extremely pleased with how things have turned out,” said Mitchell.
“Lots of teams came out and that’s why we have 12 fields set up here, but I hope we can have even more next year.”
Mitchell also added that the participants are mainly out Illinois, although there were some from the neighboring states of Indiana, Wisconsin and even Michigan. The goal is to attract the great players and teams from all over the U.S. like California and Florida but it’s still a process that is growing, continued Mitchell.
“We have a great relationship with the Chicago Park District and one of my goals for the future is to use up all of the Montrose Beach for even more soccer fields, as well as more entertainment options such as Reggae bands or even some Samba.”
Mitchell continued by saying he hopes the event will continue to grow in the near future by adding new sponsors and he hopes to include more teams, free shirts and even prize money for the winners.
“You come here and play the beautiful game while enjoying the amazing scenery of a Chicago beach on a gorgeous summer day, what could be better?” said a smiling Mitchell.
For photos from this event please click on our Facebook page.
Navy Pier is one of those places most Chicagoans only visit when friends and family are in town — When you want to show off the city and you need something tourist-y to do with your relatives. This summer, don’t put Navy Pier on the back burner. There are plenty of things to do even when you don’t need to entertain out-of-town guests (but it’s great for that too).
Navy Pier is home to the 15-story high Ferris Wheel, which is a staple for dates and a great way to shake-up a night out with friends. The Shakespare Theatre is a fantastic place to enjoy classic plays. Check the theater’s calendar for your favorites and treat yourself to a special experience. Now through August 29th, see the Emperor’s New Clothes — a silly classic tale for the whole family. Or see all the best 3D movies at the IMAX movie theater. The 60×80 foot screen makes both 2D and 3D movies come to life. Right now you can enjoy the Twilight Saga Eclipse in 3D, the Hubble 3D experience, and Inception in 3D.
For a more relaxing evening or daytime activity, take a cruise. There are many sightseeing cruises to choose from which are fun even for Chicago experts who think they’ve seen it all. Cruises occur on a day by day schedule and include architectural themes, skyline themes, historical themes, Chicago movie themes and even cruises specifically for dinning and enjoying the fireworks displays.
Speaking of fireworks — Wednesday and Saturday nights at 9:30pm enjoy spectacular displays from the pier. Watch the show while synchronized music fills the background from B96, Fresh FM and Jack FM.
For an equally sparkling experience don’t miss Cirque Shanghai’s Cloud 9. Now through September 6th, the Chinese performers amaze audiences with their acrobatics. It’s a great way to spice up a weekend when you’re tired of going out to the same bars, restaurants, music venues, and movie theaters.
August 24th – 29th you cannot miss the Tall Ships Chicago event. Over 20 historic ships from the U.S., Europe, and Canada will arrive at Navy Pier for a mile-long display. As a celebration of the history of Chicago and Navy Pier, the event will be a breathtaking experience. It all begins with a parade of ships across Lake Michigan as they enter Navy Pier. There will also be activities including: ship tours, sailing adventures, arts and crafts booths, entertainment, and fireworks displays every night.
And for when the relatives are in town, check out the Navy Pier All Day Fun Package. The package includes one Cirque Shanghai Gold Circle Ticket, one Ferris Wheel Voucher, one Shoreline Sightseeing Skyline Lake Tour Voucher, and one RIVA Restaurant Coupon Voucher for 20% off food purchase. All for the surprisingly cheap price of $35.75 — It’ll make every tourist and Chicagoan happy.
Navy Pier’s slogan “Go A Little Overboard” is quite fitting for a place with so much to indulge in. So next time, either when you’re entertaining guests or looking for a little entertainment yourself, check out Navy Pier and all it has to offer.
This Saturday and Sunday is the 27th annual Taste of Lincoln Avenue. This exciting and very popular street festival features more than 40 musical acts on five stages, an art fair, food vendors, and a kids’ activities area.
Musical entertainment includes: local pop, rock, blues, and local cover bands. Headliners this year are Soul Asylum, The Freddy Jones Band, soul/R&B legend Otis Clay, and Australian harmonica/didgeridoo player Harper.
Over at the art fair area local artists will showcase their works along with sale items. Browse everything from paintings and sculptures to jewelry and accessories. There will also be a shaded wine garden for wine enthusiasts. While you are shopping or listening to the live musical acts you can sample food from local restaurants. Food and beverage vendors will have booths along the event.
The Kids’ Carnival is open everyday from noon to 6pm on Altgeld between Lincoln and Halsted. There will be live children’s entertainment, inflatable playthings, a petting zoo, and pony rides. A face painter, magician, and puppeteer will make special appearances as well.
There is a $7 suggested daytime donation and a $10 suggested evening donation. Proceeds benefit the Wrightwood Neighbors Association which makes grants to charitable and educational organizations serving the local community.
The Taste of Lincoln Avenue is a great weekend event for the whole family.
Last weekend was the 42nd annual Sheffield Garden Walk, a festival in Lincoln Park which celebrates everything summer has to offer. Live entertainment included bands from the Chicago area as well as special guests. There were many local food vendors to choose from including: Bacino’s Pizza, The Abbey Pub & Restaurant, Quang Noodle, Starfruit, Robinson’s Ribs, and Sal’s Deli. The event was sponsored by Blue Moon beer, 93 WXRT, the Home Depot, Treasure Island grocery store, and many others.
photo by Hanna Pageau
There was something for everyone at the Garden Walk event. For music lovers, live entertainment in the parking-lot behind the St. Vincent DePaul Church was a hit. Many of the bands drew large crowds, especially the headliners in the evening. For history and architecture enthusiasts there were guided architectural tours. The tours wove around the beautiful and often historical homes in the area, covering the different styles of architecture that the neighborhood embraces. There were also signs on various gardens for self-guided garden tours. It was an exciting experience to be able to enjoy some of the otherwise-private, beautiful gardens in the area.
photo by Hanna Pageau
For children, there was a “Kids’ Corner” on Kenmore, though it was more like a whole block than a corner. There was a face painting station, a petting zoo with sheep and goats, pony rides, a mini roller-coaster and Ferris wheel, and a moon jump. There was also an activity area where kids could do craft projects to take home as a keepsake. The kids even had their own live entertainment — there were story readings from the public library, a few firemen came to visit, and some children even performed music themselves.
photo by Hanna Pageau
There were people all over Sheffield, Webster, Kenmore, and Fremont enjoying the beautiful weather. But the fun didn’t stop there, just farther up on Webster and Halsted (and even down to Armitage) was the Lincoln Park Sidewalk Sale. Stores along these streets had sale items out on the sidewalk along their store-fronts as well as special deals inside. It was a rather eventful weekend in Lincoln Park — definitely something not to miss next year.
photo by Hanna Pageau
The humid air was stifling when I entered the Near West Side’s Union Park for the sixth annual Pitchfork Music Festival on Saturday. The blistering mid-July heat, combined with the crowd of 18,000 within a few city blocks, led festival organizers to take the stage before 2:30 p.m. act Delorean and urge attendees to stay hydrated and watch out for each other.
Though sirens did blare within the festival gates a few times, coming to aid those who had fallen victim to the unfortunate weather circumstances, on the whole festival-goers’ behavior was a reflection of the festival’s vibe itself: smart, forward-thinking, and humane, as bottles of water passed out in the front row reached the very middle of crowds where scorching sun and body heat reached their apex.
Many could forget, as unassuming indie music fans, that the heat notoriously takes its toll most not on attendees, but on performers. Moving rapidly, rocking to the beat furiously, elevated ten feet up under the sun’s rays and stage lights, and often times in garb far more conservative than bikini-clad attendees, several performers made note of the weather, but in some way or another acknowledged that “the show must go on.”
And oh, did it go on! Delorean, a Spanish quartet of summery alternative dance music, opened my day with energetic Animal Collective-esque samples and breezy melodies. I particularly enjoyed the classic drum and bass foghorn sample used in their opening bit, which was layered and textured with several diferent musical pieces. I discovered quite soon that this intricate layering is the trademark of the group, who broke through only this year with album Subiza after nine years in the underground. My eyes stayed on the keyboardist, Unai Lazcano, who threw his whole body into each track–take note, all you veteran bands lacking stage presence and enthusiasm. One thing that was left to be desired, however, was vocal quality; bassist and lead singer Ekhi Lopetegi nailed the cheery lyrics well, but at times his pitch and volume distracted me from the impeccable instrumentals in the background. Nonetheless, I heard other attendees raving about the early afternoon show well into the evening, and I bet that Pitchfork goers who hadn’t heard of Delorean before yesterday consider themselves fans now.
Following Delorean, I headed toward the Balance Stage for a good spot for L.A. modern funk extraordinare Dam-Funk. Signed to Stones Throw Records, he brought the progressive back to funk with his double-album, Toeachizown, released in 2009. Though I was a fan of that work, I was disappointed by his live show–though he made sure to layer each element of his show with long delays and spaced-out sound, his performance still felt more like cheesy karaoke rather than forward-thinking grooves. Perhaps it was the vocals, which seemed far too loud and crooning for fans, or maybe it was the dumbed-down instrumentation that sounded significantly lower and simplified than on record. No matter the cause, I was disappointed by what I expected to be my top show of the day, and left after four tracks to catch Raekwon back at the Aluminum Stage.
I arrived to the biggest crowd I had seen thus far, apparently transfixed by the large Wu-Tang Clan symbol adorning the DJ’s laptop. My first trip to Pitchfork two years ago also led me to see Raekwon, but that time he was accompanid by fellow Clan member Ghostface Killah. Apparently it didn’t mean much to Raekwon, who felt no need to hog the spotlight and brought a large entourage of supporting rappers and friends on stage with him, for a set of what he promised to be old favorites and throwback tracks. What he wasn’t anticipating, however, were recurring technical difficulties that left his DJ’s instrumental backing sputtering and skipping partway through every song he started. Visually agitated, Raekwon assured fans that he would freestyle acapella if it came down to it, and did his best to make it through fan favorites “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ to F*** With”. Still, the crowd full of hip-hop fans in a festival with only a few such names was left hanging after the error left them with empty silences for minutes on end, and it was a disappointing problem for the veteran MC’s numerous supporters.
The heat began to get to me after a solid four hours of bouncing from set to set, so I took the next few to peruse the unexpectedly varied and large selection of food, craft and art vendors lining several central areas of the park. I discovered hidden gems like Chicago dance vinyl warehouse Groove Distribution, exquisite porcelain jewelry from independent designer Sofia Masri, and vintage-inspired brass and gold pieces from Austin-based Ornamental Things. Also offered were dozens of music posters in various creative permutations, and several food vendors ranging from soy ice cream by Temptation to deep dish pizza by Chicago favorite Connie’s. Also present was a water fountain station that I witnessed tally up a line of nearly 150–could have used a few more spigots, to say the least.
After resting up, I headed towards the Connector Stage to get a good spot for Panda Bear, the elusive founding member of Animal Collective who notoriously avoids performing solo due to his stage fright. Perhaps this stage fright is due to an apparent disconnect between the unusual, soundscape musical perspective of Panda and the outside universe; while at times textured spotlessly and fitting echoing guitar and synths seamlessly into the mood of the summer evening, his mumbles and occasional yelps with minimalist bell ringing and drum patterns still came off unapproachable. He gets extra points for the well-coordinated trippy visuals, but lost me before his set to get a good spot in the already massive crowd awaiting LCD Soundsystem.
And as the sun set on Union Park and all of the near 20,000 attendees gathered around the main stage, James Murphy led LCD Soundsystem under an enormous disco ball for their first Pitchfork appearance. A darling of the indie music scene since the self-titled album was released five years ago, it was surprising that he had never graced the stage until 2010–but the performance made up for lost time. The setlist covered both new releases from 2010’s This is Happening and older fan favorites like “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House” and “All My Friends”. In lieu of Murphy’s recent announcement that the group will retire after this tour–after three nearly universally acclaimed albums and attracting dance-happy fans across the globe–his spot-on vocals and energetic band backing were a bittersweet farewell as the group closed out Saturday night at Pitchfork.
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