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Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Bring the entire family for Christmas belly laughs to the “Q Brothers Christmas Carol” at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre November 20-December 30, and stay at the nearby and affordable Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside!

If you don’t know about the Q Brothers, they take classic texts and turn them into hip-hop parodies, with four actors playing all the parts! Charles Dickens would have loved it! This writer’s teen daughter saw the Q. Brothers “The Bombity of Errors” (“The Comedy of Errors”) and laughed so hard she had a sore throat for days!

The Q Brothers—creators of “Othello: The Remix” and “Funk It Up About Nothin’”—turn up the volume on Charles Dickens’ classic tale, mixing everything from reggae, dancehall and dubstep to epic rock ballads. Brighten your festivities with some cheeky spirit and a whole lot of heart—complete with visits from a Jamaican Jacob Marley and that youngest of Cratchits, Lil’ Tim. The Q Brothers are joined by DJ Super Nova as the ghosts of Hip-hop Past, Present and Future lead Scrooge on a journey of rhythm, rhyme and redemption.

 “A wildly engaging hip-hop take on Dickens’ classic.” The Chicago Sun Times

“For all its irreverence – and there is plenty of that – the spirit of Dickens shines through with the wattage of the star of Bethlehem or, if you prefer, a pagan Yule log burning bright.” Theatre Mania

The Chicago Shakespeare Theatre is located at Navy Pier, 600 East Grand Avenue in Chicago. For tickets and more information, go online to https://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_ and_events/qbrothers?showbuytix=true&perfno=14452 and follow the prompts.

Make your Q Brothers Christmas Carol experience more enjoyable by staying at the Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside. Chicago Lake Shore offers free shuttle bus service to and from the Loop area and is close to bus and train services.

Fitzgerald’s Night Club

Bring your girlfriend to Fitzgerald’s Night Club to see Robbie Lee Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis in concert October 9 and stay at the nearby and affordable Best Wester Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside!

“Wild! Wild! Wild!,” the new collaboration between Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks and rock-and-roll royalty Linda Gail Lewis, gleefully lives up to its title. It’s Americana music that’s as butt-shakin’ as Beale Street, deep-rooted as the Grand Ole Opry, and hip as a trip to The Strip.

Subversive as it is reverential, the album jumps the genre tracks of nitty-gritty rock-and-roll, country-and-western, rockabilly, jump swing, and gospel, landing in a strange slice of spacetime—call it 1954—when all these were One (and Linda was 7).

Robbie Fulks, the record’s producer, is “one of the most observant and wry songwriters of the past two decades” (Rolling Stone). His most recent record, “Upland Stories,” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album and the song “Alabama at Night,” was nominated for a Grammy for Best American Roots Song. Ground-zero Louisiana-born rocker Linda Gail Lewis is the younger sister and frequent performing partner of Jerry Lee Lewis, whose piano innovations she carries forward. Her present-at-the-creation cred buoys the record while Robbie—who sings, plays, leads the band, writes most of the songs, and arranges the others—provides an anchoring sensibility, one that savors old sounds but sidesteps nostalgia. Their two talents have fashioned a record that’s urgent, honest, and fun. Remember fun?

Fitzgerald Night Club is located at 6615 Roosevelt Road in Berwyn. For tickets to see Robbie Fulks and Linda Gail Lewis, go online to https://www.ticketweb.com/venue/fitzgerald-s-berwyn-il/32814?pl= and follow the prompts.

Make your Robbie Lee Fulks and Linda Gail Lewis experience even more enjoyable by staying at the Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside. The hotel offers free shuttle service to and from O’Hare Airport in Chicago, affordable, comfortable rooms, a breakfast bar and restaurant and much more. The hotel is pet friendly and offers AAA rates.

Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook

Come to the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook to see “Little Shop of Horrors” through October 28 and stay at the nearby and affordable Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside!

Remember the Roger Corman 1960 cult movie classic The Little Shop of Horrors? Then came the 1982 Off Broadway musical which ran for five years. Then came the Fran Oz 1986 film musical starring the legendary Rick Moranis (SCTV), Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia and Steve Martin, with cameos from Jim Belushi, Christopher Guest, Bill Murray and John Candy. Little Shop of Horrors plays somewhere in the world each and every night of the year, particularly at high schools.

Seymour Krelborn and the idealistic Audrey work at a flower shop owned by the evil Mr. Mushnik. Seymour brings in a giant Venus flytrap named Audrey which has a taste for human flesh. Seymour feeds the plant with his own blood, but Audrey wants more. She reveals she can talk and she chows down on local baddies, to the satisfaction of all. It’s all in good fun, and your older kids will love it!

The Drury Lane Theatre is located at 100 Drury Lane in Oak Brook Terrace. https://www.ticketmaster.com/search?tm_link=tm_homeA_header_search&user_input=drury+lane+presents+little+shop+of+horrors&q=drury+lane+presents+little+shop+of+horrors and follow the prompts.

Make your Little Shop of Horrors at Drury Lane Theatre experience even more enjoyable by staying at the Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside. The hotel offers free shuttle service to and from O’Hare Airport in Chicago, affordable, comfortable rooms, a breakfast bar and restaurant and much more. The hotel is pet friendly and offers AAA rates.

Chicago Theatre

Bring your wonder-filled friends to see astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson at the Chicago Theatre October 18, and stay at the nearby and affordable Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside!

Neil DeGrasse Tyson began giving lectures on astronomy at the age of 15! He credits a summons to meet the world-renowned physicist Carl Sagan at the age of 17, as the start of his career as a science communicator. Tyson got his PhD ins astrophysics from Columbia University.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson is also a born entertainer, taking the most abstract of subjects and explaining them so lay persons can understand. Tyson is, of course, black. He has commented: “My life experience tells me, when you don’t find blacks in the sciences, when you don’t find women in the sciences, I know these forces are real and I had to survive them in order to get where I am today. So, before we start talking about genetic differences, you gotta come up with a system where there’s equal opportunity. Then we can start having that conversation.”

The Chicago Theatre is located at 175 North State Street in the heart of the Loop. For tickets to see Neil deGrasse Tyson, go online to https://www1.ticketmaster.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-chicago-illinois-10-18-2018/event/07005492C69D70DF?camefrom=CFC_MSG and follow the prompts.

Make your Neil DeGrasse Tyson mind-blowing experience even more enjoyable by staying at the Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside. The hotel offers free shuttle service to and from O’Hare Airport in Chicago, affordable, comfortable rooms, a breakfast bar and restaurant and much more. The hotel is pet friendly and offers AAA rates.

Chicago International Film Festival

Come to the Chicago International Film Festival October 12-26 and stay at the nearby and affordable Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside!

The Chicago International Film Festival is North America’s oldest competitive film festival. The Festival’s in-person tributes have honored such international luminaries as François Truffaut, Orson Welles, Sophia Loren, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Satyajit Ray, Howard Hawks, George Cukor, Spike Lee, Lucino Visconti, Faye Dunaway, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Sidney Poitier, Patrice Chéreau, Ron Howard, J.A. Bayona, Viola Davis, Bruce Dern, and Kevin Kline.

Two of this year’s most highly anticipated films, “The Hate U Give” (directed by George Tillman, Jr.) and “Widows” (directed by Steve McQueen), will receive gala presentation screenings during the 54th Chicago International Film Festival.

“The Hate U Give” tells the story of Starr Carter, a young woman who is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. “Widows.” The film is a blistering, modern-day thriller set against the backdrop of crime, passion and corruption, telling the story of four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities.

The Chicago International Film Festival is located at AMC River East, 322 E. Illinois St. For tickets and a full schedule of films, go online to http://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/product-category/event-tickets/ and follow the prompts.

Make your Chicago International Film Festival experience even more enjoyable by staying at the Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside. The hotel offers free shuttle service to and from O’Hare Airport in Chicago, affordable, comfortable rooms, a breakfast bar and restaurant and much more. The hotel is pet friendly and offers AAA rates.

Chicago’s United Center

Bring the family to Chicago’s United Center to see Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour October 26-27 and stay at the nearby and affordable Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside!

All the old rockers are saying farewell—say it isn’t so—but Elton John is one of the most iconic music acts in history. You’ll never sit down for this show, and you’ll sing yourself hoarse! “Bernie and the Jets,” “Rocket Man, “Philadelphia Freedom,” “Can You Fell the Love Tonight”: the hits just poured out of the pop star. Look for guest musicians to talk onstage and joint the bnd—it’s happened several times on the tour!

Reginald Kenneth Dwight aka Elton Hercules John first met his writing partner Bernie Taupin in 1967. They collaborated on 30 albums, selling over 300 million albums, with over 40 Top Ten hits! Their first job as to writ songs for the pop sensation Lulu. John ended up on Broadway with “The Lion King,” “Aida,” and “Billy Elliot the Musical.”

Elton John won five Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award, and he was honored at the 2004 Kennedy Center Awards. He was inducted into the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Elton John ranks 49^th on the 100 Influential Musicians of the Rock and Roll Era list.

The United Center, “the house that Jordon built,” is located at 1901 West Madison Street in Chicago. For tickets and schedules to see Elton John, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, go online to http://www.unitedcenter.com/events/2018/10/26/elton-john/ and follow the prompts.

Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside, just minutes away from the Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, offers free shuttle service to and from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The hotel offers affordable, comfortable rooms, a breakfast bar and restaurant and much more. The hotel is pet friendly and offers AAA rates.

Brookfield Zoo’s Boo

Bring the family to world famous Brookfield Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo October 13-14, 20-21 and 27-28, and stay at the nearby and affordable Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside!

Boo at the Zoo, a not-so-scary Halloween event, has something for every ghost and goblin in the family. Aside from the special activities, your loved ones can visit your favorite animal friends.

Enjoy the Candy Stations, the Haunted Hayride, the Creepy Cowboy Carousel, the Crazed Maize Corn Maze, decorate a Spookie Cookie, the Giant Pumpkin Carver, the Pumpkin Smasher (every hour on the hour), the Bat Zoo Chat at the Australia House, the Wolf Zoo Chat – at Wolf Woods, the Bird Eating Spider Zoo Chat at the Hamill Family Play Zoo, the Wolf Zoo Chat at the Hamill Family Play Zoo, the Bird-Eating Zoo Chat at the Swamp, the Large Snake Zoo Chat at Feathers and Scales, the Bat Zoo Chat at the Hamill Family Play Zoo, the daily Costume Parade (Starts in front of Discovery Center, ends on the West Mall), the Pumpkins to the Animals events, and the Costume Contest!

The Brookfield Zoo is located at 8400 31^st Street in Brookfield. For a schedule of events and tickets to Boo at the Zoo, go online to https://www.czs.org/boo and follow the prompts. The Chicago Zoological Society offers free admission to Brookfield Zoo to all active, reservist, and retired members of the military. Qualified personnel who present a valid ID at one of the zoo’s admission booths will be admitted free of charge.

Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside, just minutes away from the Brookfield Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo, offers free shuttle service to and from O’Hare Airport in Chicago. The hotel offers affordable, comfortable rooms, a breakfast bar and restaurant and much more. The hotel is pet friendly and offers AAA rates.

Chicago Theatre

Come to the Chicago Theatre to see the outrageous and outraged comic Lewis Black October 6 and stay at the nearby and affordable Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside!

Lewis Black brings his national rant to the Chicago Theatre. He’s fun, he’s outspoken, he’s smart, and he is very funny.

Lewis Black got his start as a playwright, writing hundreds of one act plays which were produced in New York in the 80s. He would do stand-up comedy as an opening for his plays. He developed his man on the verge of a nervous breakdown in that time. Black did his first Comedy Central special in 1998. In 2004, he hit the big time with his HBO special “Black on Broadway.” He won a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for his album “The Carnegie Hall Performance.”

Lewis Black has appeared on “Law and Order,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and he played Norbert the Elf in the animated holiday show “The Happy Elf.” He has been on numerous UFO shows.

The Chicago Theatre is located at 175 North State Street in the heart of the Loop. For tickets to see Lewis Black, go online to https://chicago-theatre.boxofficeticket.center/the-chicago-theatre-lewis-black-tickets?msclkid=d7b1af5a2f3513ec78e4f43fd8b9b032&utm_ source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm and follow the prompts.

Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside, just minutes away from the Lewis Black concert at the Chicago Theatre, offers free shuttle service to and from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The hotel offers affordable, comfortable rooms, a breakfast bar and restaurant and much more. The hotel is pet friendly and offers AAA rates.

Oak Park

Bring the family to OaktoberFest in beautiful Oak Park September 14-15 and stay at the nearby and affordable Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside!

OaktoberFest will feature lots of live music, craft beer, a kid’s root beer garden, and local food! The Kids’ Root Beer Garden from 12-5PM Saturday on Marion Street offers kids the chance to participate in artistic, educational and hands-on activities. The Root Beer Garden features zucchini races, ninja obstacle course, root beer floats, games and activities sponsored by local organizations!

Music: Charley Crockett (related to Davy Crockett), Dos Santos, Cordovas, the wonderful Shamika Coleman, DeRobert and the Half Truths, Nora Jane Struthers, and the Congregation! Participating restaurants: Sushi House, Sugar Fixe, Puree’s Pizza and Pasta, Q BBQ, Cozy Corner, Gem Restaurant, Jerusalem Café, Khyber Pass, Luo’s Peking House, Mancini’s Italian Bistro, Subarito, Wells Street Popcorn, and Wild Onion Tied House!

Craft Beer: Revolution Chicago Pilsner, Leinenkugel Original, Two Fools Dry Apple, Two Fools Rose Cider, Kinslahger Chicago common Style, Kinslahger Promotional Pilsner, Wild Onion Radio Free Bohemian Pilsner, and Blue Moon Belgium White. Craft wines to be announced!

The Oak Park OaktoberFest is located at Marion Street and North Boulevard south of Lake, at the Harlem Green Line and Metra stations. Admission is free. The craft beer and wine sales are cash only.

Best Western Plus Chicago Hotel at Hillside, just minutes away from the Oak Park  OaktoberFest, offers free shuttle service to and from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The hotel offers affordable, comfortable rooms, a breakfast bar and restaurant and much more. The hotel is pet friendly and offers AAA rates.