The Let It Shine drive-through light show is open through this weekend in Aurora, Northbrook and Schaumburg.
Festivals
Winter Fest at Winter Lights: 4:30-6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7, at Oak Brook Park District Central Park West, 1450 Forest Gate Road, Oak Brook. Outdoor event featuring firepits, s’mores kits and music. Plus, enjoy the Winter Lights at Central Park. All children will receive a glow item. Register online. $5 for residents, $7 for nonresidents. obparks.org.
Winterland: Daily through Feb. 20 at Gallagher Way, 3635 N. Clark St., Chicago. Includes ice skating on an 8,000-square-foot ice rink, curling and skating lessons, ice bumper cars and more. gallagherway.com.
Frosty Fest: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, at the Bittersweet Golf Club, 875 Almond Road, Gurnee. Activities include crafting, sledding and snow play (weather permitting), s’mores, hot cocoa, festive winter games and more. Bring your own sled. Free. gurneeparkdistrict.com.
Volo Bog Winterfest: 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, at Volo Bog State Natural Area, 28478 Brandenburg Road, Ingleside. Indoor events include live music by the Ivy Ford Band; photo contest awards at 1:45, 2:35 and 3:45 p.m.; and winter nature crafts. Outdoor events (weather permitting) include bog tours at 11 a.m. and 1, 1:30 and 2:15 p.m.; a snow-sculpting contest; cross-country skiing; snowshoeing; and hiking. Suggested donation is $10 for adults and free for children. Masks required. friendsofvolobog.org.
Northern Illinois Sports Show: Noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 13-14; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 16, at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E. Peterson Road, Grayslake. Features contests and giveaways, seminars, and over 150 regional and national exhibitors. Attractions include a trout pond; the Team Fishing Circuit; the Hawg Trough, a 5,000-gallon tank where professional anglers demonstrate fish-catching techniques; and the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. ilsportsshow.com.
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Light Shows
Let It Shine Lightshow: 4:30-11 p.m. daily through Sunday, Jan. 9, at Northbrook Court, 1515 Lake-Cook Road, Northbrook; Fox Valley Mall, 195 Fox Valley Center Drive, Aurora; and Wintrust Field, 1999 S. Springinsguth Road, Schaumburg. A drive-through wonderland of light displays synchronized to holiday classics. Online ticket purchase required. $29.99 per vehicle weekdays, $39.99 weekends, $20 add-on for Fast Pass. shinelightshow.com.
Winter Lights: 4:30-9:30 p.m. daily through Sunday, Jan. 9, at Central Park, Jorie Boulevard and Forest Gate Road, Oak Brook. A free half-mile illuminated walk along paved pathways. The path will be closed during inclement weather. obparks.org/winterlights.
Holiday in the Park Lights Drive-Thru Experience: 5-9 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Jan. 7-9, at Six Flags Great America, 1 Great America Parkway, Gurnee. See more than 3 million holiday lights during the drive-through light show. Tickets start at $17.99 per person; free for members and season pass holders. Reservations are required. For tickets, visit sixflags.com/greatamerica.
Winterlights at the Fabyan Japanese Garden: 5-7 p.m. Fridays, Jan. 7-28, at Fabyan Japanese Garden, 1925 S. Batavia Ave., Geneva. Stroll through an evening light display that highlights the historic garden. $5; free for kids younger than 5. PPFV.org/winterlights.
Events
Hershey Chocolate Program: 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, at the Glen Ellyn History Center, 800 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn. Hear the behind-the-scenes story of the Hershey Candy Company, as told by historian Laura Keyes, and enjoy refreshments that include cookies and assorted Hershey chocolates, as well as coffee and tea. $5 per person. A Zoom link will be available at the website. To use Zoom, call (630) 469-1867. gehs.org.
Book and author event: 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie. Hear the true story of how researching family history exposed an official government-level Holocaust cover-up as author Silvia Foti presents her book, “The Nazi’s Granddaughter: How I Discovered My Grandfather Was A War Criminal.” $5 for nonmembers, free for members. The program is offered on-site or virtual. Reservations are required. ihm.ec/events.
Concerts
University of Chicago Presents concert series: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7, in the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., Chicago. Features recorder virtuoso Tabea Debus with Anna Steinhoff, viola da gamba, and Paul Morton, theorbo and lute, who will explore the phenomenon of earworms and how tunes and dances wormed their way into many aspects of music-making in 17th- and 18th-century Europe. Tickets: $40, $20 for those under 35, $10 for students; FLEX pass available. chicagopresents.uchicago.edu.
Pop-up Concert Sundays: 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, at the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, 1220 Kensington Road, Oak Brook. In collaboration with the museum’s Faust exhibit, musicians from the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra will present live concerts with a variety of music from classical to modern, including a brief discussion about the music. Jan. 9 will feature a trombone and tuba quartet. General museum admission: $5-$10. Register at lizzadromuseum.org.
On Stage
“The Nutcracker” by IYDT: 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7, and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, at the Gorton Community Center, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest. Rescheduled dates for Illinois Youth Dance Theatre’s production of “The Nutcracker.” Tickets for the performance originally scheduled for Dec. 17 will be applied to the Jan. 7 performance; tickets for the 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 18 performances will be applied to the 1 and 5 p.m. performances, respectively, on Jan. 9. For details, email info@ildanceconservatory.com. iydt.org.
Blue Man Group: 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7; 2, 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8; and 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, at the Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halsted, Chicago. A dynamic combination of art, music, comedy and technology that encourages audiences to reconnect with their inner child in order to see the world through a new perspective. $49-$89. blueman.com.
Exhibits
National Civil Rights Museum Virtual Tour: Virtually at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12. Hosted by the Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire. Explore the museum located at the former Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Museum Educator Ryan Jones shares highlights of the exhibits and collections. Sign up at VAPLD.info/calendar or call (224) 543-1485.
