Festival Season is finally here!  From food trucks to mobile brew-pubs to art fairs and more, there’s a lot of fun to be had this spring!  We’re excited to share this lineup of awesome events in our great state of Illinois over the next two months.

There’s so much to see and do, we recommend planning ahead and making a weekend out of it with your friends and family.  Or perhaps you’d like to snag a ticket and secure plans for a fun-filled week for Spring Break and Memorial Day Weekend? No matter what your plans are, there’s lots of excitement in store!  Check it out and feel free to suggest a festival to us in a comment on our social media.

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Just a few hours north of our Classic Auto Group dealerships in Waukegan, is the great city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee is the most populous city in Wisconsin, and one of the 25 largest cities in the entire United States.  Incorporated in 1846, this city has also historically been a very bustling and vital international seaport for North America.  The worst of Milwaukee winter is over, with January being its coldest month, and the weather is warming up for plenty of outdoor activities and sunshine!  Thanks to Lake Michigan’s “lake effect” weather, summers are a little cooler here with July reaching an all-time high of 75-80 max.  It’s the perfect city to explore for walking tours and sightseeing trips.

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Our Classic Auto Group Decoder is back in business with another installment of our Automotive Terminology lessons.  We’re here to decode and demystify the jargon, vocabulary, and terms so you can feel confident when going in for service appointments or shopping for a new ride.  Today we’re covering the vital appliance you can’t live without for the summer months: The Air Conditioner.

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The Chicago Poetry Center began in the 1970s with readings at the Museum of Contemporary art, and has since grown over the last 40+ years into extensive programming all around the city.  They’ve also forged a 20+ year partnership with the Chicago Public Schools to bring creative writing and poetry workshops and special events to children in schools around the city.  Since April is National Poetry Month, we thought it only fitting to highlight some of the work they’ve been doing over the years, and we’d like to encourage you to stop by to learn more about their mission, how to donate or volunteer, and other ways you can support their venture.

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Today is International Children’s Book Day!  Children’s literature is a vital part of a child’s well-rounded development.  It provides a young child with an opportunity to engage with written word and artistic illustrations, builds empathy and emotional intelligence, expands their horizons for multicultural and multiethnic experiences, and helps foster creativity and imagination!  Picture books help increase reading comprehension, improve language and communication skills, and engage with life lessons in an accessible way.

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April is National Poetry Month, so we thought we would start off by highlighting some wonderful poetry collections you can pack for your next vacation for some creative reading!  We’ve also rounded up our picks for some of the fantastic local events in the area for Poetry Readings and Open Mic Nights to keep you inspired.

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Today is National Crayon Day, so why not check out these colourful facts about one of the world’s greatest and most accessible art supplies, plus today is also the birthday of the Crayola brand!

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National Take a Walk in the Park day comes around every year on March 30th!  Celebrated a week after the Spring Equinox, it’s a great opportunity to explore local parks and trails and experience the great outdoors.  After spending a few months indoors hiding from the snow, sleet, and ice, this is the perfect time to reconnect with nature!  Did you know that there are dozens of parks, trails, and preserves right in your own neighbourhood?  We’ve got a great list of suggested destinations to explore with your friends and family, and many of them are even pet friendly!  So grab your hiking boots, your water bottles, and your cameras and let’s enjoy a walk in the park together.

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Since March is Women’s History Month, we thought it would be fun to share our choices for awesome women in the automotive industry on YouTube!  These leading ladies are winning on and off the road thanks to their love of all things cars, expert racing skills, and genuine gearhead chops.

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“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts […]”
William Shakespeare’s As You Like It

Today is World Theatre Day!  Today we’re highlighting our picks for best places you can visit to support the arts, catch some local theatre, take a class to boost your confidence, or become a patron of the arts with a donation.

Supporting the arts by way of membership or volunteering at your local theatre or performing arts venue is a great way to give back to the area, support youth education, improve the local economy, and create a vibrant arts community.  Check out our suggestions and feel free to let us know your personal faves in a comment on our social media!  We’d love to hear from you and include your suggestions in a future post.

Local Theatre Arts Classes and Workshops

The Jack Benny Center is right here in Waukegan and has lots of creative ways for you to express yourself and enjoy the dramatic arts.  They function as a social hub for social gatherings, private parties, and meetings, as well as offering a host of creative lessons in music, art, dance, drama, crafting and so much more.  Hone your acting chops with one of their workshops, or stop by a local art show and get to know local creatives.  The possibilities are endless!

Improv Playhouse Theater in Libertyville has excellent classes for all ages, but they especially shine with their youth workshops.  It’s great for individual classes or even camp sessions for kids during spring and summer break!

Standing Ovation Theatre Academy is a nonprofit venue in Gurnee specializing in musical theatre, vocal techniques, and performance arts.  It’s the perfect place for children and teens looking for their moment in the spotlight!

Rootz Dance and Theatre School in Northbrook offers a wide variety of creative programming including Yoga, Dance, Theatre, Music, Art and so much more.  If your child is interested in pursuing a creative pastime, this is the place for it!  They’ll have plenty of fun activities to choose from, and can even dabble in fitness classes and the sciences.  When coupled with art and music, children’s knowledge of math and science is said to improve immensely!

Local Performing Arts Venues

If you’re looking to support local community theatre and professionally organized plays, musicals, foreign and independent cinema, and stand up comedy then you can book a ticket or two, or even a group visit, to one of these wonderful venues:

• Genesee Theatre in Waukegan
• The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire
• Catlow Arts Center in Barrington
• James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts in Grayslake
• Groton Communtiy Center in Lake Forest
• CenterStage in Lake Forest in Gorton Community Center
• Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake
• Adler Arts Center in Libertyville
• Lake County Symphony Orchestra in Zion
• The Lake County Folk Club in Grayslake
• Three Brothers Theatre in Waukegan
• North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie

Did you know that our great state of Illinoois was and still is home to many great Playwrights in America?  With your support of the local performing arts centers, patronage at dramatic arts and music classes, and The Arts in our local schools, you may even be fostering the creative minds of our future who one day may top this list!  Check out some of these notable names of local arts fame:

• Sam Shepard was from Fort Sheridan
• Lorraine Hansberry is from Chicago
• David Alan Mamet is from Chicago
• Adam Rapp is from Chicago

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