This weekend’s newspaper column from The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …
As we enter April, Chicago is in full bloom
The WISCH LIST
March 31, 2012
Earlier this week, a friend of mine said he’s tired of March.
Let’s proceed into April.
Come Sunday, the calendar will grant his wishes as we flip the page to April 1 and thus enter the first full month of spring for 2012.
Considering that another friend said this week that springtime in Chicago is better than springtime in most other places, I thought I’d give you a variety of reasons to visit over the next few weeks as the Windy City as reaches full bloom.
Cubs and White Sox home openers
April 5 & April 8
At 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, the Cubs will begin their 136th season of baseball in Chicago, and they’ll be doing so at 1800s prices.
Well, not really, but you’d be shocked at how cheap Cubs tickets – not long ago the hottest item in the city – are selling online right now.
Quite remarkably, scads of bleacher tickets for the Cubs’ season opener vs. the Milwaukee Brewers were still available for at cubs.com as of late this week. Meanwhile, at stubhub.com, tickets for mid-week April games at Wrigley are selling for as low as $2.
Yes, two bucks.
Meanwhile, on the South Side of town, at 1:10 p.m. on Friday, April 13, the White Sox will hold their home opener at U.S. Cellular Field on against the powerhouse Detroit Tigers.
Tickets are still available for that game at whitesox.com and at stubhub.com other April Sox games are selling for as low as $4 – twice as much as the cheapest Cubs ticket.
That’s certainly something new.
Skating in the Sky
Through April 8
For those who want to look at a springtime Chicago while still pretending its winter have one week left to do so via “Skating in the Sky” at the John Hancock Center on Michigan Avenue, where the flowers boxes are beginning to bloom.
Through April 8, visitors to the skyscraper’s 94th floor observatory can skate on the synthetic indoor rink offering sweeping views of the city and Lake Michigan from more than 1,000 feet above street level.
The venue, billed as the “highest skating rink in the world,” offers 25-minute skating session for $5, on top Hancock’s general $15 admission for ages 12 and up and $10 for ages 3 to 11. Skate rental is available for $1.
For hours and additional information, visit jhochicago.com.
Chicago Golden Gloves
April 11-14
Since 1923, the Windy City has hosted the Chicago Golden Gloves boxing tournament with the intent of instilling discipline and self-respect among impressionable youth.
During that time, the event has crowned champions such as Cassius Clay, Joe Louis and Sonny Liston, as well as former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett, Baltimore Ravens’ safety Tommy Zbikowski and Michael Flatley.
Yes, the “Lord of the Dance.”
This year’s Golden Gloves Championships are held at Gordon Tech College Prep, located at 3533 N. California Ave. For more information, visit chicagogoldengloves.com.
Chicago International Movies and Music Festival
April 14-17
Promoting itself as “where movies and music meet,” the fourth annual CIMMfest is a four-day showcase of films, concerts, Q&A’s and a variety of other performances that “show just what movies and music mean to each other.”
Held at a variety of theaters, bars, galleries and other venues in Chicago’s eclectic Wicker Park and Logan Square neighborhoods, the festival shows films by day and features live music at night. The films come from countries across the map and range from documentaries to fiction and more. The musical performances are inspired by film or feature visual accompaniment.
For more information and a full lineup of events, visit cimmfest.org.