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After thousands of votes were cast during the month of March, the wait is finally over. On April 30, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Bureau of Tourism (DCEO/IBOT) revealed the official Seven Wonders of Illinois and the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette was chosen as the winner for the Chicagoland region. "The Seven Wonders of Illinois program was not only an exciting contest for our communities to rally around their favorite destinations, but it's going to continue spreading the word about all our unique offerings across the state. These innovative tourism programs are bringing visitors from near and far, expanding our economy and helping create more good jobs," Gov. Blagojevich said. Stay tuned for upcoming coverage of this exciting win for Chicago's North Shore.
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 Skokie Theatre Music Foundation
7924 N. Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
The Skokie Theatre, a reconverted movie house, is becoming a hub for jazz recording and broadcast! A new nationally syndicated radio program featuring international artists will be taped there, for distribution on public radio. Dutch pianist Amina Figarova's Septet will perform May 3; American pianist Denny Zeitlin will play a rare solo concert May 12; Austrian trombonist Paul Zauner will perform on June 23, and French bass clarinetist Denis Colin will play on June 25. All of these performances, and others, will be recorded for national distribution by WDUQ 90.5 radio in Pittsburgh. For more information and ticket prices, please call 847-677-7761 or visit www.skokietheatre.com.
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May 4-6
Ten Thousand Villages
719 Main Street, Evanston
Ten Thousand Villages is proud to celebrate ten exciting and fulfilling years of sustainable job creation in the developing world. From creating nearly 175 jobs in 1997, the fair trade store has doubled in size and quadrupled in sales to become the second most successful Ten Thousand Villages store in the entire nation! To commemorate this milestone and the accomplishments of impoverished artisans in more than 30 countries around the world, Ten Thousand Villages will be hosting a variety of programs from May 4 through May 6 including two presentations by master storyteller Doug Dirks, a sidewalk parade with prizes, and more! For more information, please call 847-733-8258 or visit www.evanston.tenthousandvillages.com.
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Sunday, May 13 - noon to 5 pm
Evanston History Center
255 Greenwood, Evanston
The Evanston History Center (formerly known as the Evanston Historical Society) will be hosting its 32nd annual Mother's Day House Walk on Sunday afternoon, May 13 from noon to 5 pm., rain or shine! Six incredible private residences in Evanston's Ridge Historic District will be open for public viewing in what has become an annual and much anticipated tradition in Evanston. The national landmark, Charles Gates Dawes House, will also be open for tours and refreshments that day. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 on Mother's Day. Children 12 and over require a ticket. For more information, please call 847-475-3410 or visit www.evanstonhistorical.org.
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Model Railroad Opens, Summer Chef Series Begins and a Wine Festival!
1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe
The Model Railroad Garden opens May 12 and features brand new attractions and a new design layout. The enchanting Model Railroad Garden is an all-time favorite featuring model trains, miniature representations of America's best-loved landmarks and small-scale gardens. New this year, are replicas of several of Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous buildings.
Opening May 26 (every Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 and 2:30), the very popular Great Chef Series brings noted chefs who prepare a variety of recipes with garden-fresh ingredients. Demonstrations are free and take place in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden's open-air amphitheater. On Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3, the Wine Festival returns! Sample hundreds of wines from around the world and enjoy seminars and demonstrations from local wine experts as well as sample food selections from Chicago's finest restaurants and caterers, while listening to live entertainment by top local talent. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. For more information about any of the above, please call 847-835-5440 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org.
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Morton's The Steakhouse
699 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook
Stop by one of the North Shore's most popular restaurants and enjoy some coffee with your fellow partners at this month's CNSCVB networking event, which takes place at Morton's The Steak House. The breakfast gathering, which runs from 8:00 to 9:30 am on Thursday, May 17th, is a wonderful way for partners to meet one another, share ideas and learn more about the visitor-boosting efforts of Chicago's North Shore Convention & Visitors Bureau. The networking event is open to all CNSCVB partners and there is no charge to attend, but you must RSVP by Monday, May 14th to Jennifer Williams (CNSCVB Manager of Membership and Advertising) at 847-763-0011 x 22 or e-mail her at jwilliams@cnscvb.com. We look forward to seeing you!
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May 19 & 20 ~ 11 am to 7pm
Oakton Park
4701 West Oakton Street, Skokie
Since its inception in 1991, the Skokie Festival of Cultures has become one of the premier ethnic festivals in Illinois, attracting more than 300,000 visitors and dozens of cultures, all representing Skokie's tremendous diversity. Referred to by many as a "Tour of the World," people of all ages will enjoy two days of ethnic folk music and dance, a wide range of food, unique arts and crafts, international children's games, a merchandise bazaar, and dozens of booths and displays featuring over 30 different cultures including Turkish, French, Swedish, Cuban, Chinese, Israeli and more! For more information, please call 847-674-1500 x 2180 or visit www.skokieculturefest.org.
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 Friday-Sunday, April 20-22
May 19 ~ Noon to 3:30 pm
Wagner Farm
1510 Wagner Road, Glenview
Springtime is a time of new beginnings! Gather your family and friends and head on over to "Springtime on the Farm" at Glenview's Wagner Farm, an 18.6 acre genuine American farm that has been reserved for the educational and recreational enjoyment. During the "Springtime on the Farm" event, attendees will be able to visit with the livestock, decorate a pot and fill it with a plant, work the fields with the farmers, help with spring cleaning chores, take a hayride tour of the farm, and enjoy springtime snacks and beverages. Admission is $5 per person (not recommended for children under 2 1/2 years of age). For more information call 847-657-1506 or visit www.glenviewparks.org.
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 Friday and Saturday, April 27 & 28 - 8:00 p.m.
May 19 & 20 ~ 10 am to 5 pm
The Grove
1421 Milwaukee Avenue, Glenview
Don't miss The Grove's Plant & Garden Sale featuring hundreds of flowers and plants, garden accessories, crafts, antiques and refreshments. Co-sponsored by The Grove Heritage Association and the Glenview Park District, admission is free. The Grove, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, is on the National Registry of Historic Places. It was the home of visionary horticulturist and educator Dr. John Kennicott, who brought his family from New Orleans to settle on this land in 1836. For more information about this and other events, please call 847-299-6096 or visit www.glenviewparks.org.
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Cahn Auditorium - Main Stage
600 Emerson Street (at Sheridan Road), Evanston
Since 1980, Light Opera Works has been producing musical theater from a variety of world traditions. Its 27th Anniversary Season is no exception with three highly entertaining productions on the schedule. The first of these shows is Cole Porter's Broadway sensation, Kiss Me Kate (June 1-10), which was the biggest hit of Porter's entire career! Next up is Bitter Sweet, Noel Coward's romantic operetta (August 18-26), which tells the story of a proper upper-class English maiden who escapes an arranged marriage and elopes with her music teacher. The final production of the season is the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, Oklahoma! (December 22-31). One of America's best-loved musicals, Oklahoma! tells the heartwarming story of the courtship between two pretty farm girls and their cowboy suitors. For more information and ticket prices, please call 847-869-6300 or visit www.lightoperaworks.org.
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5300 W. Touhy Ave., Skokie
Last month, Governor Rod Blagojevich and Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias joined Lakhani Hospitality in the Grand Opening celebration of the brand new Skokie Banquet & Conference Center. The evening's hosts, Mansoorali and Shamim Lakhani (founders of Lakhani Hospitality) welcomed over 500 people to the ribbon cutting ceremony, which marked the official opening of the North Shore's most spectacular venue for corporate meetings and special events. The Skokie Banquet & Conference Center and the adjacent Holiday Inn Chicago North Shore are both owned by Lakhani Hospitality. Since its ground breaking in 2006, over $10 million has been spent in the creation and building of the Skokie Banquet & Conference Center. The elegant, state-of-the-art facility not only features 15,000 square feet of meeting space, but also boasts a 12,000 square foot ballroom, the largest on Chicago's North Shore! For more information, please call 847-679-8900 or visit www.skokieconference.com.
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May through October
Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park
McCormick Blvd. between Touhy & Dempster
The Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park announces a new series of guided tours that are free and open to the public. One Sunday each month, from May through October (weather permitting), trained volunteer docents will lead informal and informative walking tours in the park. People of all ages are invited to learn about the park's 70+ large-scale contemporary sculptures and the creative entities and forces behind them. Attendees will also learn about the history of the Sculpture Park. Tours begin promptly at 1 pm and are approximately one hour in length. Each tour covers one section of the park. Tour dates are 5/27, 6/24, 7/22, 8/26, 9/30 and 10/28. For more information, please call 847-679-4265 or visit www.sculpturepark.org.
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9599 Skokie Blvd., Skokie
On April 18, the all-new DoubleTree Hotel & Conference Center Chicago-North Shore celebrated their grand re-opening with a ribbon cutting and tree dedication ceremony, which marked completion of a multi-million dollar redevelopment. Skokie dignitaries were joined by leaders from the surrounding communities of Wilmette, Evanston, Morton Grove and Lincolnwood in the event which culminated in lunch that was highlighted by a before-and-after video of the property's transformation. The 369-room property offers 22,000 square feet of completely redesigned meeting space, a kosher kitchen, the Monaco Ballroom with a skyline view of downtown Chicago, an indoor-outdoor swimming pool and fitness center, and more. For more information, call 847-679-7000 or visit www.chicagonorthshore.doubletree.com.
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Last month, Caryn Shulman (the CNSCVB's Tourism Marketing Manager) traveled to Anaheim, CA to represent the Bureau at International Pow Wow 2007 (the premier travel industry business show and the largest generator of travel to the U.S.A.) In just three days of intensive pre-scheduled, computer-generated business appointments, more than 1,000 U.S travel organizations from every region of the country, and close to 1,500 International and Domestic Buyers from more than 70 countries, conducted business negotiations with one-on-one appointments with tour operators. Caryn found the show extremely successful as the Bureau continues to showcase the attractions of the North Shore and promote our communities to Chicago-bound visitors.
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Last month, the CNSCVB exhibited at HSMAI's Affordable Meetings Mid-America, which took place at Chicago's Navy Pier. Kimberly Wright, the Bureau's Director of Sales, manned the booth and met with hundreds of perspective clients including association planners, independent planners, trade show managers, and conference managers, all of whom were looking for locations for their upcoming meetings, conventions, trade shows and events. She was very pleased with the contacts she made and the number of qualified business leads.
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4927 Oakton St., Skokie
Serving residents of Skokie and Chicagoland since its opening in August 2005, Pam Panya owner of Tub Tim Thai has quickly gained a devoted following. Featuring many regional dishes previously offered only in Thailand as well as the usual Thai fare--Pad Thai, Tom Yum soup, beef salad, etc. This family-owned restaurant in downtown Skokie exudes charm. "Tub Tim" means a ruby in Thai and it is truly that, a glorious gem however, the restaurant is, in fact, in honor of the chef's mother, a woman whose cooking is beloved and respected in her homeland, a woman whose cooking brings together people from her community and temple to share and rejoice. For more information, call 847-675-THAI or visit www.tubtimthai.com.
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The following businesses have recently joined Chicago's North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau as Preferred Partners. Please help us build a bigger and stronger Bureau by letting us know of any businesses or industry contacts who you believe would benefit from becoming one of our Preferred Partners. Please contact Jennifer Williams, CNSCVB Sales Manager at jwilliams@cnscvb.com or call 847-763-0011 x 22 with any questions.
Toys et Cetera
711 Main St.
Evanston
Nancy Stanek
847-475-7172
Oil & Vinegar
82 Old Orchard Center F82
Skokie
Debbie Gokhan
847-763-1446
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Lois & Company
2014 Central St.
Evanston
Lois Combs
847-869-0222
Turin Bicycle
1027 Davis St.
Evanston
Chris Mailing
847-864-7660
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Please send us your events as well as any news and photos we can use to keep our North Shore visitors and community informed. Send your submissions to gspeckman@cnscvb.com.
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