WICKER PARK — If you're bored this weekend, it's not the neighborhood's fault, with an array of fun and diverse happenings planned for the Wicker Park and Bucktown area.
Here are highlights.
Friday
5:30 p.m. ThinkBike Report-Out Presentation. Find out the results of a two-day workshop focused on making two busy cycling corridors (Wicker Park's Milwaukee Avenue, and Monroe Street Downtown) safer. Chicago Cultural Center, Fifth Floor, 78 E. Washington St.
6 to 10 p.m. Around the Coyote Arts Festival. A three-day festival includes open studios and performances by more than 100 artists at galleries throughout the neighborhood. Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park.
6 p.m. Wicker Mic Open Mic. Entertain the crowd with your best song or funniest joke at the season's final monthly all-ages talent show in the park near the softball field. Or just watch. Sign-up is 5:45 p.m. The park, 1425 N. Damen Ave. in Wicker Park.
7 to 10 p.m. Art Opening: Nw Wrks by George Blaha. Enjoy beer by Three Floyds and wine from Red & White Wine Shop while checking out new works by a Chicago-based artist. Firecat Projects, 2124 N. Damen Ave. in Bucktown.
8 p.m. The Sh--T Show's Star-Spangled September Show. Comic Rasa Gierstikas hosts a free 21-and-over comedy variety show the last Friday of every month. For September's comic talent line up, click here. The Shambles, 2050 W. Division St. in Wicker Park.
Saturday
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Nosh, a weekly artisan food festival, lands in the parking lot of Pritzker School in Wicker Park and offers sandwiches, lobster rolls, tamales, sweets, cold soups and more. Pritzker School, 2009 W. Schiller St. Free.
11 a.m to 8 p.m. Design Harvest on Grand Avenue. Explore an array of furniture and home accessories and enjoy family-friendly activities (through 4 p.m.) such as face painting, scarecrow making, a petting zoo and hay rides, courtesy of Christy Webber Landscapes. Entry is free, but a $5 suggested donation benefits the West Town Chamber of Commerce. Grand Avenue between Damen Avenue and Wood Street in West Town.
12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tale Gate: a Street Festival of Literary Proportions. Nonprofit creative writing and tutoring center 826CHI's festival includes food trucks (La Adelita, La Colombe, Windy City Patty Wagon and Sweet Ride) as well as student readings, writing workshops, demos and musical performances. Tickets are $5 for children ages 8 and over, and $10 for adults. Dean Park at 1344 N. Dean St. in Wicker Park.
12 p.m. Cal Ripken 5K Run/Walk. A new community park will boast a baseball and soccer field, toddler playground, an outdoor movie screen and a dog park behind West Town's Wells High School. Cost to participate in the run is $30. Meet at Stockton Drive, near the Lakefront in Lincoln Park.
Noon to 10 p.m. Around the Coyote Arts Festival, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park.
8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Design Harvest After Party, at Euro Furniture, 2145 W. Grand Ave. in West Town.
Sunday
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wicker Park Farmers Market. Go early for the best picks (like Chef Rick Bayless did last Sunday when he tweeted a video of his "phenomenal haul" from the market), which features several vendors offering fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, flowers and crepes. The market is at 1501 N. Damen Ave.
8:30 a.m. Bike the Ward with Alderman Fioretti. Hop on your bike and tour the 2nd Ward and parts of the future 2nd Ward on the North Side. Fioretti will lead a leisurely, 17-mile ride with a pit stop at Goose Island Brew Pub, where you can sample fall brews. RSVP encouraged here. Fairlife, 1001 W. Adams St.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dose Redux Market. Formerly in the River East Arts Center, an indoor bazaar showcasing fashion and food vendors has permanently relocated. For the inaugural Sunday vendor list, including Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream and Milk Handmade sweaters, click here. The Sunday Dose market runs through Dec. 15 inside of the Chop Shop's 1st Ward events venue at 2033 W. North Ave. in Wicker Park.
11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Design Harvest.
