Neighborhoods of the World at Navy Pier

Navy Pier is honoring some of the many different ethnic communities of Chicago with events every Sunday that honor these parts of the world. Every Sunday through April 3, enjoy a taste of cultural flair with an afternoon of music, dance, costumes, authentic cuisine and local vendors selling folk arts from the regions.



Here's the schedule starting with this Sunday's event:

February 27, 2011
Kick-Off to St. Patrick's Day Celebrations
Chicago Neighborhoods: Beverly, Mount Greenwood
Performances by Trinity Irish Dancers, Joe Cullen, Irish Music School of Chicago, and Anish.

March 6, 2011
Celebrate Poland
Chicago Neighborhoods: Jefferson Park, Harwood Heights, Avondale
Performances by Lechici Dancers, Soloists from the Lira Singers, Lajkonic Dancers, Academy of Music of the Paderewski Symphony Orchestra, and The Polish Highlanders.

March 13, 2011
Bell'Italia
Chicago Neighborhood: Little Italy
Midwest Premiere performance by La Rossignol (from Castelleone, Italy), plus Alfonso Ponticelli & Swing Gitan, and more.

March 20, 2011
Celebrate Mexico
Chicago Neighborhoods: Pilsen, Little Village
Performances by Mexican Dance Ensemble, Tarima Son, and more.

March 27, 2011
A Greek Journey in the Windy City
Chicago Neighborhood: Greektown
Performances by the Orpheus Hellenic Folklore Society and the Chicago Hellenic Choir.

April 3, 2011
GermanChicagoNow
Chicago Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Performances by Pieptone!, Paloma Band, Amazonen, Fanfaren Corps of Chicago,
BGTV D'Lustigen Holzhacker Buam, Egerlander Tanzgruppe, and Amazing Mike.

Chicago Toy & Game Fair this weekend - get ready for serious fun!

This weekend is the Chicago Toy & Game Fair, where parents and kids can preview and play with the latest toys and games from more than 100 exhibitors at the country’s largest public toy & game fair! Experts from companies such as Hasbro, Out-of-the-Box, Razor and more can tell you about the trends and holiday best buys.

The show is the largest of its kind that's open to the public, so Chicago families have a really special, local opportunity. Fairgoers will be able to meet legendary and up-and-coming toy and game inventors, including Leslie Scott, inventor of Jenga; Bruce Lund, inventor of TMX Elmo and founder of River Forest-based Lund and Company Invention, Tim Walsh, board game inventor, author and filmmaker; and Richard Gill, who made Pictionary and Trivial Pursuit household names.

A Star Wars Breakfast with the legendary 501st Legion: Vader’s Fist; a Mascot Madness toy drive, Monopoly Tournaments, chess tournaments in the Renaissance Knights Pavilion, the latest Eurogames from Essen, Germany and a free Illinois Accredited Educator Conference for teachers are just a few of the many fair events planned.

The fair hours are 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Children under three are admitted free; Scouts in uniform, military, teachers and librarians are also admitted free!

For more information, visit www.chitag.com.

And for a $2 coupon, visit
www.chicagokids.com/specials/chitag.html.

Kids Day America and Mayfest

The summer street fests are underway, and this weekend's Mayfest in Chicago's Lakeview area is starting off by featuring "Kids Day America" that your whole family can enjoy. From 10am - 1pm, before the regular Mayfest activities begin, you can bring the kids out for a fair that will be fun and will also educate and teach kids about health and safety.

Your family can enjoy free food, fun, face painting, balloons and prizes, and you can also take part in free health screenings and safety demonstrations. There's also a "Kids Day America Healthy Habit Contest" that your kids can enter.

After the family fest, your whole family can enjoy the rest of Mayfest with great food and live music going on all day.

On Sunday morning at Mayfest, it's the Mayfest Pet Parade. I checked this out last year, and it was was fun celebration with dogs everywhere! Pet owners and their pets took turns on the big stage, vying for titles such as "Best Looking," "Largest," "Owner Look-a-Like" and more. There's even a "Pet Trick" feature that your kids will love!

The festivities take place around the intersection of Ashland (1600W) and Barry (3100N).