Hot, sticky and sweaty pretty much describes a typical August day in Chicago.   The airconditioner is broken, the kids are bored, the backyard is steamy, where can you get relief?  Pack your swimsuites and head over to the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park.  It's the coolest spot in Millennium Park.  Here you'll see kids of all ages keeping cool in the mists and sprays of the delightful Crown Fountain.  Giant faces smile down and occasionally spit fountains of water on people taking advantage of free, cool, refreshing entertainment.  This is one place where people are not only allowed, but encouraged to play in a public fountain.   If you don't feel like getting wet, it's a great place to people watch as mothers chase toddlers, kids play, and people of all ages keep cool on a hot summer's day.   If you want to be cool, head to Crown Fountain!   

  On Sundays,  take a few minutes to stop and smell the flowers with a free 20 minute guided walk through Lurie Garden in Millenium Park.   Learn about the art and architecture in the park and about the design of Lurie Garden and how you can apply it to your home garden.

Take a stroll in the park with a Master Gardner from the University of Illinois extension Master Gardner program who will  serve as a volunteer guide through the landscape of Lurie Garden.  These tours take place from 10:00AM until 3:00PM beginning at the south end of the Lurie Garden boardwalk.  Volunteer guides will be available every Sunday until September 20th.  What a great way to spend a Sunday in the park!

Be one of the first in your neighborhood to see the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago.  On Saturday, May16, 2009 The Art Institute is hosting an extravaganza to celebrate the opening of the new Modern Wing and you're invited.  The festivities begin at 9:00am with a dedication ceremony with Modern Wing architect Renzo Piano.  A ribbon cutting ceremony will follow to officially open the building to the public.  From 11:00am until 5:00pm there will be live music and family activities throughout the galleries and along Monroe Street.  To top this off admission to the entire museum is free from May 16 until May 22.

The Modern Wing is a 264,000 square foot building that wil house the museum's Modern European painting and sculpture, contemporary art, architecture and design, and photography collections.  This $283 million addition makes this museum the second largest art museum in the United States.  Now that's impressive!

Bring your family down to the Art Institute of Chicago and be part of this historical celebration.

Although this event is a bit north of Chicago, in Highland Park, it's easy to get to and a great opportunity to experience the work and meet over 35 professional artists,  and 25 talented art students, all in one place.  On Tuesday, April 28 from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM as part of the Focus on the Arts Program,  Highland Park Highschool invites the public to view works and presentations by a variety of artists including Cat Chow, Lara Miller, David Gista, and Matthew Lew.  Art mediums will include fashion design, photography, ceramics, painting, mixed media, sculpture, performance art and more.   Highland Park Highschool is easily accessible from Chicago either by car (a 20 minute drive) or by Chicago METRA.  Get off at the Highland Park stop and walk two blocks north on St. John.  Don't miss this chance to soak in the art of so many talented local and national artists at once!  The only cost to you is transportation.