Things To Do This Weekend June 17-19, 2022
By: Nick Borowitz 06/16/2022
Concerts, car shows, festivals, farmers markets and celebrating history. The things to do this weekend of June 17-19 showcase the historical significance of the communities and what makes them unique.Ravinia Festival is well underway and will be putting musical legends that have had an impact on Black history front and center as well.
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Read on to find an experience or a few to keep you busy this weekend. You get the opportunity to learn something new about the Lake County community along the way.
1. Ramsey Lewis, Common and the Chicago Sinfonietta Orchestra at Ravinia Festival
Celebrate lyrical history and musical exploration when you experience the concerts of rapper Common, jazz musician Ramsey Lewis and the Chicago Sinfonietta as they perform “Let Freedom Ring!” at Ravinia Festival on Saturday and Sunday. Lyrical wordsmith Common will be belting out some of his most popular rhythms and musical compositions. Joining Common is genre-bending band Black Violin, a classical-meets-hip hop duo that occupies a lane of their own in concerts and composition style. On Juneteenth Sunday, jazz-legend and genre-defining artist Ramsey Lewis will be performing one of his last shows and is accompanied by different performers throughout his evening time slot. Attendees can delight in artists like Kurt Elling, Marquis Hill, Lizz Wright, Bobby Lewis with the J.W James A.M.E. Church Choir and members of Urban Knights popping in to provide an extra diddy to the soothing melodies of jazz and R&B that Lewis is known for. Visit Ravinia.org for tickets, additional performances, set times and more festival information. Ravinia Festival runs select days through September 18.
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Saturday-Sunday, June 18-19; Chicago Sinfonietta on Saturday: 1 p.m. Common on Saturday: 7:30 p.m., Ramsey Lewis on Sunday: 7 p.m. Admission: $15-$100. Ravinia Festival, 200 Ravinia Park Rd., Highland Park.
2. Libertyville Days Festival
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Beer, family, music, friends and food with carnival rides thrown in for good measure, all for a good cause complemented by free admission. That is what festivalgoers can expect at Libertyville Days throughout the weekend. The village’s downtown area features a beer tent that includes bloody mary’s served by Lake County Libation Trail-partner Mickey Finn’s Brewery, a variety of family-friendly activities and vendor shopping, different musical performances spanning different genres, a bevy of cuisine choices and unique entertainment on each day of the festival. The arts and crafts fair starts at noon on Friday at Cook Park and runs through the day in tandem with musical performances in the park and at the mainstage. The Libertyville Days parade will be held on Saturday morning and runs through the afternoon. The Fireman’s Rib Cookoff on Saturday is sponsored by Mickey Finn’s Brewery and will be held in the beer garden at noon. Sunday will be full of musical performances including Ivy Ford, Six Speed Tranny and more, as well as a root beer-making demonstration with participation. For more information about Libertyville Days, visit the website at LibCivicCenter.org.
Friday-Sunday, June 17-19; Fri.: noon-midnight., Sat.: 10 a.m.-midnight., Sun.: noon-6 p.m. Free admission. Additional activities, food and merchandise may cost extra. Various locations in downtown Libertyville.
3. Nostalgia Days in Zion
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Pull the car covers off and grease the motorcycle chains because Nostalgia Days in downtown Zion is officially back. The automotive showcase on Saturday is packed full of classic American vehicles including trucks, cars and motorcycles. The annual Nostalgia Cruize begins later in the day running from Sheridan Road and ending at 31st Street. Attendance is free, and vendors from the local Zion and the Lake County community offer all varieties of foods, merchandise and souvenirs. Live performances by the Lake County Symphony Orchestra and Boys and Toys Band will keep you dancing while you take in the sights, aromas and sounds of automotive history. Radio stations WLIP-AM 1050, WIIL-FM 95.1 (95 WIIL ROCK) and WXLC-FM 102.3 (102.3 XLC) will be on site playing tunes and keeping listeners in the know for the day. Family activities include the ”Touch A Truck” showcase, games, contests, music and a free showing of DreamWorks animated film “How to Train Your Dragon 2” outside the Zion Hotel Dome to wrap up the festivities. For the full list of events and schedule of the day, visit the festival website at NostalgiaDays.com.
Saturday, June 18; Car Show: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Nostalgia Cruize: 4:15-6 p.m., Movie Showing: 9:30 p.m. Free admission. Additional activities, food and merchandise may cost extra. Various locations in downtown Zion.
4. ArtWauk and Juneteenth Journey in Waukegan
Experience Waukegan through two different lenses on Saturday, as the City of Progress, hosts the Lake County Juneteenth Journey by day and the monthly festival, ArtWauk in the evening. Both events let you soak in and support the local community by making local artists known and celebrating the Black history of the city and the county. The Juneteenth Journey is a bus tour of historic African American sites that begins at the Waukegan History Museum. The tour visits different establishments throughout the city educating visitors about each location and the historical significance. The free admission bus trip runs about two hours. In the evening, ArtWauk kicks off at 5 p.m. The Waukegan Arts Council expo switches themes monthly, and is free to the public. Galleries, shops, eateries, and more businesses participate which offers the opportunity to purchase locally made goods and support both local businesses and artisans. Go to WaukeganHistorical.org, to sign up for the bus tour. Visit ArtWauk.com for additional information on ArtWauk.
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Saturday, June 18; Bus Tour: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., ArtWauk: 5-9 p.m. Both free admission. Juneteenth at Waukegan History Museum, 1917 N. Sheridan Rd., Waukegan. ArtWauk, various locations in downtown Waukegan.
5. Gurnee Farmers Market
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Find an abundance of farm fresh produce, homemade goods, dairy items, baked goods and other artisan fares at the Gurnee Farmers Market. The market is held Sunday in the mornings during the summer season and is hosted at Riverside Plaza Shopping Center in Gurnee. The community produce section also is hosting live music. There will be free child safety seat inspections by the Gurnee Police Department each weekend. Admission is free and the farmers market will occupy the northern portion of the parking lot with vendor and customer parking using the rest of the lot. The Gurnee Farmers Market runs Sundays through September 4.
Sunday, June 19; 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Free admission. Additional activities, food and merchandise may cost extra. Riverside Plaza Shopping Center, 401 N. Riverside Dr., Gurnee.
To plan your own weekend fun, click here. For information about the summer festival season, click here.
