There’s no better way to spend your Saturday than basking in beer samples & treats… for FIVE hours.

Next Saturday, January 21^st from 2-7 pm the Chicago “Brew Ho Ho” event is going down. For just $20 at the door you get 10 beer sample tickets & 5 treat tickets and a sample of Angel’s Envy bourbon.

Everyone’s invited but you must RSVP@brewhoho.com at which time you’ll receive an email confirmation with the location of the event.

Chef Won Kim (Marketing Event Chef At Whole Foods Lincoln Park and Private Chef) is the man behind the mystery and has been for the past “Brew Ha Ha” and “Brew Hey Hey” events that showcase local home brewers. This is the ONLY event in Chicago to showcase home brewing and the idea behind this fun event series is to experience one-of-a-kind beers from up-and-coming brewers with baked treats from yours truly, Chef Won Kim.

Here’s the list of featured brewers that you’re taste buds will be gushing over:

Brutally Honest Brewing, Powell Brewhouse, Big Dicks Brewing, Soma Ale Works, Corazon, Rockwell Brewing, New Oberpfalz and Second Story Brewing

So it’s safe to say that I know where I’ll be next Saturday & I suggest you meet me there.

-Amanda Rivera

I moved to Illinois from New Jersey a month ago with big plans of starting my young life in Chicago. Almost every day a Chi-town veteran asks me one question, why Chi? You would think that having been so close to New York City I would get sucked into its gravitational pull, but no, I found asweet escape from those filthy streets. Coming from the NYC area few peoplerealize how delightfully overrated NYC truly is. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking my tri-state, but I certainly had a few clear reasons to leave the city that never sleeps for its Midwestern equivalent. Here are my top ten reasons to move to Chicago!

#10 Super Speedy Service – I ordered a sandwich for lunch today and as soon as she handed me my receipt the chef handed me my sandwich. Nice.

#9 Gorgeous and safe parks – No doubt you’ll find a park that fits your recreational needs in the largest park district in the US!

#8 Travelling with the Chicago Grid System – It’s impossible to get lost when the street signs tell you how far you are from your destination. Who needs a GPS when you’ve got the grid?

#7 Reasonable rent – Seriously I pay $550 a month and have a gorgeous room, gigantic closet and excellent roommates. This must be heaven.

#6 Swimming in Lake Michigan! – Clear water, hot beach bods, endless sunshine and waves

#5 Beautiful and clean streets with an amazingly clear skyline – With everything that Chicago has to offer I’m not surprised that it looks like a Winter Wonderland in January and a Shore side Metropolis in July.

#4 The food will make your taste buds dance – There’s no need to be fearful of where your fish came from or how long the veggies have been out. Food here is fresh and delicious, from subs to soups to brie sandwiches, you’re pallet will thank you.

#3 Summer festivals – What beats Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago, Chicago Air & Water show, Chicago Jazz and World Music Festival?

#2 Endless labyrinth of night activities – Besides bar/club hopping, crazy last minute suggestions from friends will lead you to a verysuccessful night

#1 Reason to move to Chicago: The amazing Midwesterners who always seem to have time for a conversation – This is an excellent way to find out what’s going on around the city and make cool new friends.

Having never been to Chicago prior to now I had no idea what to expect of the city, but what I found was something I wasn’t willing to let go of any time soon. Chicago is a gorgeous, clean, whimsical town full of quality entertainment and class A people. Why would you ever leave?

-Wanjiku Kairu

Take a night out of the week to go out with your family and friends to see this special Christmas tradition! This holiday season is the 28^th anniversary with the Music Box!  It all started in 1983, when an operator in Chicago shows two old holiday movies in Christmas Eve. People came out to watch these vintage movies and sing Christmas carols during their intermissions.

By this being able to keep going 27 years later you know many people have made this their favorite family holiday tradition! If you haven’t ever experienced it you should definitely make it a priority this year. When you enter the Music Box Theatre you’re greeted with a jolly hello from Santa Claus.  He even leads you in Christmas carols to classic Christmas songs. If you happen to not know the words to the carols being sung, no worries, lyrics are projected on the theatre’s screen.

The movies that are being played are White Christmas and It’s A Wonderful Life. You can see either one or stay for both! You can check out the single and double feature prices here http://bit.ly/rycwjC. Reserve your tickets today- you don’t want to miss out on this holiday event!

-Rhea Drougas

It’s absolutely no secret that I adore all things Irish (have you seen me on the streets between March 16th-18th, I’m a blissful mess) and all things Christmas (I may or may not tear up at the sight of a lit Christmas tree).  So when I stumbled upon Irish Christmas in America, I had to take some deep breaths, remind myself I’m not 8 years old anymore and dove right into finding out more about this fantastic fusion!

Oisin Mac Diarmada is the mastermind behind this insanely popular tour – he hails from the award-winning Irish group, Teada. Irish Christmas in America is comprised of top Irish musicians, singers and dancers and features Lumiere, one of the most talked about vocal groups to come out of the emerald isle as of late.

Not only is the show family friendly but it’s taking place at Old Town School of Folk Music, a wonderful, whimsical performing arts school, actually they’re the biggest independent community arts school in the country and they’re right here in Chicago. On December 14th if you’re in the mood for Irish ballads, Christmas carols, fine fiddle action and some serious Irish dancing, click here: http://irishchristmasinamerica.com/,  pick up a couple tickets and hit me up, I’ll be the one in the front row clutching my Irish family ancestry tree and singing along at the top of my lungs.

-KatieRose Cronin

Watch out, IMAX.  Chicago’s winter skyline is about to become a giant movie screen. On Friday, December 9, The Art Institute of Chicago, supported by the Graham Foundation for Advance Studies in the Fine Arts, will beam Andy Warhol’s celebrated conceptual film “Empire” onto the top 12 stories of the Aon Center to mark the opening of the museum’s new photography exhibition, Light Years: Conceptual Art and the Photograph 1964-1977.

Shot in one, continuous take over the course of a single evening in 1964, Warhol’s silent footage of the Empire State Building observes the famed structure over a period of several hours from dusk to nightfall and finally, darkness.  Our city’s screening will mark the film’s first large-scale, outdoor presentation in the United States.

While the film will be viewable from Millennium Park, the Evening Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago are offering an indoor option. A special viewing party in the panoramic Modern Wing, entitled “Unveiled: Empire,” will give guests a front-row seat from which to consider one of Warhol’s landmark experimental pieces, all while enjoying hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine, and music from one of Chicago’s hippest DJs.  Attendees will also get a special sneak preview of the museums new “Light Years” exhibit before it opens to the public.

The event will take place on Friday, December 9 from 8:00-11:00 PM in the Nichols Trustees Suite, located on the second floor of the Art Institute’s Modern Wing. The cost, which includes food and drinks, is $60 for Evening Associates members and $70 for non-members.

Tickets are limited, and those interested in attending can sign up here. Additional information is available at the Evening Associates’ information line (312-443-3710) or by contacting Jaime Norwood (jnorwood@artic.edu)

“Unveiled: Empire” is just one of many cool cultural events put on by the Evening Associates throughout the year. The group’s mission is to bring Chicago’s young professional community into an active, participatory relationship with the Art Institute of Chicago in order to promote an understanding and appreciation of the arts. Evening Associates members enjoy exclusive museum gatherings, gallery walks and other unique “after-five” events throughout Chicago, taking advantage of the city’s vibrant art and social scene.  More information is available at www.eveningassociates.com.

We hope you can make it! – Sean Mogle

Grab your holiday sweaters, candy canes and…party cups? Corn Productions, the producers of one-act plays, music monologues, and comedy sketches would like to wish you a Happy Holly-daze by inviting you to a drinking game performance. From December 8th-30th they will be “sharing all of their favorite holiday stories, songs, and beverages with you.” Each sketch is a drinking game, giving you the chance to celebrate the season in style. It is BYOB so you can bring anything from eggnog to bottled beer – whatever gets you into the holiday spirit(s).

Happy Holly-daze – A Drinking Game Performance runs Thursdays through Saturdays, December 8th – December 30^th (no show December 24^th) 8pm at Cornservatory, 4210 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago. Ticket price is $6 on Thursdays and $12 on Fridays and Saturdays and can be purchased online at www.cornservatory.org or reservations can be made at 773.650.1331.

- Evan Jones

Highwood might be a small city in the North Shore, but what we lack in size, we certainly have in heart. Take our second annual Great Pumpkin Fest into consideration to get an idea of what I mean.

Last year, our first attempt at breaking the Guinness World Record for most jack-o-lanterns lit in one location at the First Annual Great Pumpkin Fest went belly up due to inclement weather and major rains. However, we came close and this Saturday, October 22, we’ll go for the record again- this time lighting jack-o-lanterns simultaneously with previous world record holders, Keene, New Hampshire. Did I mention there will be 32,000 of them!?

Fun fact: Whether Highwood bests Keene and breaks the Boston record, one thing is certain: The city will hold the record for grinning jack-o’-lantern per capita. Keene, with 22,000-plus residents, is four times the size of Highwood. Boston proper – 617,600 – is almost 124 times as big.

Our Fest begins tomorrow, October 19 and runs through Saturday night. Fun for the whole family we’ll have a 5k run, pumpkin land regatta, parade, trick or treating, costume contest, rides, a petting zoo and more. We have plenty of parking to accommodate City folk so make your way up to the best kept secret of the North Shore!

For more info visit www.highwoodpumpkinfest.com!

- Tali Hylen, guest blogger

As one of the headlining shows during Fashion Focus Chicago, Conscious Living TV presents Vert Couture. This runway show is ready to wow the crowd and make fashionistas fall in love with the fashions of 2012. This Thursday, October 20^th, prepare to get your green on with this 3^rd annual event. Vert Couture is unlike any other fashion show out there- it focuses on Chicago’s sustainable fair trade fashion movement and the runway takes place on one of the largest green roofs in the Unites States! It was created by Michael and Bianca Alexander, founders of Conscious Planet Media, an Emmy award-winning green television, video and film productions company. Billy is on the host committee and thrilled to be a part of this earth-friendly evening of fashion.

You can attend this event and see the featured looks of spring and summer 2012 collections from Chicago’s most talented designers. What’s so different about these designer fabrics is that they are using renewable fabrics and vintage materials. The pieces that are being shown are the “best in luxury eco-haute couture” and feature designs from Brenda Abdullah, Richard Dayhoff, Dollparts, Heart, Victoria Larkin, Lauren Lein, Rosina-Mae, Silk Utopia and more.

This carbon-neutral event is taking place under the tents of Millennium Park and benefits Keep Chicago Beautiful – an environmental nonproft that offers governmental, corporate and community education programs to help beautify Chicagoland. Definitely get a move on purchasing tickets to Vert Couture, VIP tickets are $95 and General Admission is just $35 – get your tickets and more info at www.VertCouture.com.

- Rhea Drougas

Keeping up with the latest fashion could really be a full-time job! Styles come and go with the seasons and beauty trends never really last. I’m a jeans and a tshirt kind of guy, but if I had to say there is one thing that never goes out of style, it would be quality time with friends and loved ones.

So ladies, grab your gal pals and head out to Shecky’s Girls Night Out, this coming Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct 4 & 5! Come out to the Great Hall at Union Station for an evening of cocktails, fall fashions and relaxing spa treatments! And I hear there is a killer goodie bag – it’s a win-win event!

Click here for details: http://www.sheckys.com/events/6489/girls-night-out-chicago-fall-2011/ and definitely check in on my Facebook and Twitter as I’ll be giving away tickets to the event this week!

Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood and his wife, Sarah, are holding the 6^th Annual Kerry Wood Strike Zone Celebrity Bowling Tournament. Over the years with this fundraiser, they have raised over 2 million dollars for children in and around the Chicagoland area!

There will be 24 corporate-sponsored teams along with a celebrity captain on each one. This event takes place on September 18^th at 10Pin and is hosted by Eric & Kathy of 101.9fm THE MIX. If you want to get involved with this fundraiser you can! There is a silent auction taking place right NOW and closes at 10pm on Saturday, September 17^th.  Online bidders will be represented by proxy at the event and notified about their winning bids. Definitely go take a look at what’s available- there are autographed baseballs, tickets to Saturday Night Live, and so much more!

The Wood Family Foundation is really dedicated to raising funds for children’s charities and causes, and overall just improving their lives. Take a look at what they do here www.WoodFamilyFoundation.org and for more information on the Celebrity Bowling Tournament!

- Rhea Drougas