This document provides information on various free community events happening in Chicago during the month of October, including open streets events, festivals celebrating food and art, dance demonstrations, book readings, and more. It also lists Halloween-related activities hosted by the Chicago Park District throughout the month.

1. Save the Dates…
Sunday, Oct 9 – See Yaresi run the Chicago Marathon!
Saturday, Oct 22 – “Spooktacular Halloween Party” at Mercy Home
Open Streets on State Street
Saturday, Oct 1 (10:00 am to 3:00 pm)
State Street, from Lake to Van Buren; Chicago; IL 312-427-3325
Cost: Free
Historic State Street opens for pedestrians to play, walk, bike and enjoy healthy recreation for five hours in
the heart of the Loop, car-free. Free activities include a mobile skate park, a 500-square-foot movable
Imagination Playground, break-dancing demos and more. For more information visit:
OpenStreetsOnStateStreet.org Assets Built: #7 Community Values Youth (Talk about how great it is that the city
open the streets so everyone could play for a day); #28 Integrity (Invite them to be respectful of others on the street) &
#32 Planning and Decision Making (Encourage them to play out how they would like to interact in the space, so they
have enough time for all they want to do)
Cultivate Chicago
Saturday, Oct 1 (11:00 am to 7:00 pm)
Lincoln Park
2045 Lincoln Park West; Chicago; IL 312-742-7726
Cost: Free
Chipotle Mexican Grill host a one-day festival celebrating food, music and ideas and featuring live music, art
and food made with the freshest ingredients possible. A Kids Learning Area helps children get a better
understanding of where food comes from farm to table. For more information visit:
www.chicagoparkdistrict.com Assets Built: #17 Creative Activities (Exploring the creativity of others can lead to
personal creativity discussions) & #34 Cultural Competence (Explore different types of food)
Kanani’s Hula Dance Steps Demo
Saturday, Oct 1 & Sunday, Oct 2 (10:00 am to 1:00 pm)
American Girl Place
Cost: Free
Celebrate Kanani by learning about the traditional Hawaiian art of hula dance. Expert facilitators perform a
hula, then show girls how to do some of the movements.
For more information: www.americangirl.com Assets Built: #17 Creative Activities (Exploring the creativity of
others can lead to personal creativity discussions) & #34 Cultural Competence (Explore the dances of another culture)
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2. If I Die In Juarez – Book Reading
Wednesday, Oct 5 (6:30 pm)
National Museum of Mexican Art
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1852 W. 19 Street; Chicago; IL
Cost: Free
Join author Stella Pope Duarte who will share a reading and dialogue centered on her novel, If I Die in
Juarez. The unforgettable tale of three young protagonists on the streets of the “city of murdered women.” It
is a pledge for the liberation of women world-wide. For more information call: 312-738-1503 Assets Built:
#34 Cultural Competence (Explore how other people live) & #40 Positive View of Personal Future (Have a
conversation about the choices people make and what they think their life might be like in the future)
Anderson Arts Weekend
Friday, Oct 14, 6 pm & Saturday, Oct 15 -Sunday, Oct 16 (11:00 am to 6:00 pm)
Andersonville: Ravenswood and Magnolia & Victoria and Ainslee Streets; Chicago
Cost: Free
Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood will celebrate its vibrant art scene by showcasing the work of visual
and performance artists. The highlight is a self-guided art walk featuring work from visual artists, shown
throughout the neighborhood in galleries, restaurants, retail stores and other traditional and non-traditional
art spaces. The walk will include a wide variety of painters, sculptors, photographers, and more, ranging
from emerging artists to Chicago favorites. Plus, shows and events throughout the weekend.
For more information: www.andersonville.org Assets Built: #17 Creative Activities (Exploring the creativity of
others can lead to personal creativity discussions) & #37 Personal Power (Include your mentee in the discussion of
activities to help them know that they can create whatever life they would like)
The Urban Arts Expo
Saturday, Oct 15 (11:00 am to 6:00 pm)
Charles Hayes Center
4859 S. Wabash; Chicago; IL
Cost: Free
The expo is a free event created to expose Chicago’s best writers, dancers, and artists. There will be
informative workshops, open mic poetry, singing and dancing performances. Admission is free!! See you
there!! Steel Waters author/poet Reggie Legend will be on hand selling and signing books.
For more information: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=256859797688438 Assets Built: #17
Creative Activities (Exploring the creativity of others can lead to personal creativity discussions) & #39 Sense of
Purpose (Ask your mentee about what they would like to do or be when they grow up)
Day of the Dead Program
Saturday, Oct 15 (2:00 pm)
Albany Park; 5150 N. Kimball; Chicago; IL
Cost: Free
Learn about the culture and symbols of the Day of the Dead holiday with local artist Bernadette Foch. Skulls
are not grim to the Mexican people; they are a reminder of the spirit of a loved one. So come design a skull
of your own. Family program for children ages 5 and older.
Assets Built: #17 Creative Activities (Exploring the creative of another culture and try it out for yourself) & #34 Cultural
Competence (Explore the celebrations of another culture)
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3. Unique Book Binding – Narae Kim
Saturday, Oct 22 (1:00 pm)
Albany Park; 5150 N. Kimball; Chicago; IL
Cost: Free
Explore the world of book binding with book artist Narae Kim who has created unique book bindings in over
two hundred styles including pop-up, fan, blind and flag books. This family event includes choosing and
editing pictures of Polish musical instruments and binding them with aesthetic design to make your own
Polish music book. Assets Built: #17 Creative Activities (Exploring the creativity of others can lead to personal
creativity discussions) & #34 Cultural Competence (Explore Polish music)
Wycinanki Polish Folk Art Paper Cutting
Saturday, Oct 22 (1:30 pm)
West Belmont Library Branch; 3104 N. Narragansett; Chicago; IL
Cost: Free
Learn the art of 'Wycinanki' (pronounced Vee-chee-non-kee), Polish paper cutting with artist, Krystyna
Jaroc. Traditionally done throughout rural Poland, this detailed and intricate art form can be displayed in
both formal and contemporary home décor. Assets Built: #17 Creative Activities (Exploring the creativity of others
can lead to personal creativity discussions) & #34 Cultural Competence (Explore Polish music)
Make a Difference Day
Saturday, Oct 22
In Your Community
Cost: Free
National day of doing good. Join the 3 million volunteers who will rally to make a difference in their
communities this year on USA WEEKEND's Make A Difference Day. How do I get started?
Look around your community. Are people hungry, homeless or ill? Are parks or schools dirty or neglected?
No matter where you live, there's a need nearby. And on Make A Difference Day, millions of Americans are
expected to roll up their sleeves to help others. You can act alone or enlist your friends, family and co-
workers. Thousands of people across the community can band together.
For more information: http://www.usaweekend.com/section/MDDAY. Assets Built: #8 Youth As
Resources (Work with your mentee to develop a project to do on this day. This helps them understand that they are
able to make a difference just as they are); #9 Service to Others (Service to others helps not only those part of the
project focus but also those who are giving the service) & #17 Creative Activities (Invite them to use their creativity in
order to come up with a unique idea)
Family Festival: Diwali
Saturday, Oct 29 (10:30 am to 3:00 pm)
Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan; Chicago; IL
Cost: Free
Join us for a celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Create a work of art inspired by Indian
traditions at activity stations. Dance workshops led by Kalapriya Dance at 11 a.m., 1 and 2 p.m.
For more information: www.artinstituteofchicago.org. #34 Cultural Competence (Explore the celebrations of
the Hindu people) & #40 Positive View of Personal Future (The light festival invites us to look within to see the
possibilities within us.)
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4. Fall Fireworks at Navy Pier
Saturdays in Oct (9:00 pm)
Navy Pier
600 E. Grand Ave; Chicago; IL
Cost: Free
Gather at Lake Michigan to view displays of fireworks, produced by the award-winning Melrose
Pyrotechnics, accompanied by musical soundtracks.
For more information: www.navypier.com. Assets Built: #3 Other Adult Relationships (Spending time with
your mentee helps them to know they are valued by adults outside of their family) & #37 Personal Power (Give the
mentee the power to make decisions about the events in which they participate.)
Chicago Park District Halloween Activities
Month of October
Multiple Chicago Locations
Cost: Free
Halloween festivities include fun for the entire family with great pumpkin patches, haunted houses (and not
so haunted houses), parties and much more. At the Chicago Park District's pumpkin patches, you can pick
your personal favorite from a field filled with pumpkins of all sizes, and many of our pumpkin patches offer
some of the following activities: pony rides, pumpkin decorating, petting zoos, photo stationsand treats.
Activities are designed to appeal to all ages. Have a fun Halloween in the parks! For a detailed list:
http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/events.results/object_id/79fca7d9-1b30-
4f9f-ad61-cd55c5855d1e.cf. Assets Built: #21 Achievement Motivation (Invite your mentee to design an awesome
pumpkin) & #32 Planning and Decision Making (Working with your mentee, go through the list and decide which of the
events you would like to attend and look to see if you have the time to do all of them.)
Model Railroad Garden: Landmarks of America
Month of October (10 am to 5 pm)
Chicago Botanic Garden
1000 Lake Cook Road; Glencoe; IL
Cost: $5.00; $3:00 kids up to 12
Garden-scale trains traverse bridges and miniature scenes of American landmarks, with gardens planted to
scale. For more information: www.chicagobotanic.org
Assets Built: #14 Adult Role Models (Spending time with your mentee helps build developmental assets) & #32
Planning and Decision Making (Invite your mentee to take responsibility for figuring out how you are going to get to
Glencoe)
Secret Places of Emily Oak
Month of October (Mon-Fri 8 am to 5 pm; Sat 8 am to 4 pm & Sun 10 am to 4 pm)
Emily Oaks Nature Center
4650 Brummel St; Skokie; IL 847-677-7001
Cost: $2.00/pack
Follow the journal and map of an adventurer who has spent a lot of time at the Emily Oaks Nature Center.
Find out the secret of the Blooming Palace, Fall Skeleton, Chipmunk Crossing and Reflection Beach.
For more information: www.skokieparks.org
Assets Built: #17 Creative Activities (Creative activities are not just art based, it also includes creative thinking and
exploring) & #30 Responsibility (Engage your mentee in a conversation regarding our responsibility in taking care of
the earth)
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