That is theme of this year’s 4th of July festivities in Evanston, IL. This is the 87th year that the Evanston Fourth of July Association has been in charge, and boy, do they have it down!

The parade, which begins at 2pm, is a fourth of July staple for all Evanstonians. With over 140 entrants, this is more than a parade - it’s an event. In fact, it has become so popular that people start setting up chairs along side the road  three days before the parade even occurs. The procession begins at Central Park Avenue East on Central Street and ends at Ashland Avenue.

The festivities don’t stop with the parade. At 7:30 head to Clark Street beach to hear the Palatine Concert Band perform on the lakefront as pre-firework entertainment. Enjoy the live music until 9 and wait just 15 minutes for fireworks to light up the sky, capping off the evening in true 4th of July fashion.

Every year Evanston’s 4th of July festivities top those of the prior year - so don’t miss what they have in store for 2008!

More information here>>

This 35-year-old fest is making it’s way back to Evanston this weekend. The Custer Street Fair is a culmination of 350 artists and craftspeople who come from across the nation to sell paintings, ceramics, jewelry, antiques, and much, much more. They are joined by 150 businesses and commercial exhibitors who partake in a traditional sidewalk sale.

If arts and crafts aren’t your thing, over 30 food vendors will be there to give you a scrumptious variety of international foods that you do not want to miss!

If you still need convincing, the live entertainment should help sway you. The stages will feature some of Chicagoland’s jazz legends, the Native American Dance Troupe, the Rich Maisel & Terre Cohen Orchestra and plenty more incredibly talented acts. So come on out on Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22 between 10am and 9pm to the Custer Fair, and spend the day appreciating the arts with your family and friends.

For more information on this event, click here.

the American Cancer Society’s signature event, is a fun-filled overnight experience designed to bring together those who have been touched by cancer. It’s a time and place where people come to celebrate those who have survived cancer, remember those we’ve lost, and fight back against a disease that touches too many lives. Relay participants help raise money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society in its lifesaving mission to eliminate cancer as a major health issue. During Relay For Life ® events, teams of people gather at schools, fairgrounds, or parks and take turns walking or running laps. The events are held overnight to represent the fact that cancer never sleeps. Sign up today to become a part of the Relay For Life® effort in your community, and you too can fight back against cancer. The event will start at 6:00pm on Saturday, May 31st and will go through the night ending at 6:00am on Sunday, June 1st. Participants will meet at Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Avenue.

Click here for more information or to sign up as a participant, or call (847)-328-5147.

This Saturday May 17th and Sunday May 18th, the Evanston Garden Council will be sponsoring their annual garden show in Independence Park. If you are looking to buy or if you are simply an admirer, the Evanston Garden Fair is not something to miss.

It will feature a variety of plants and flowers from a variety of Chicago gardeners. Get first hand knowledge on how to care for them from the people who know them best. Along with the plants, there will be garden care and garden accessory vendors located throughout the fair. There will also be food, if you work up an appetite smelling all the delicious fragrances floating through the fair.

Click here to view a map for this event.

This Saturday May 17th starts another full summer of Evanston’s popular Farmer’s Market. For those of you who have been to other Farmer’s Markets, this one, stocked with over thirty vendors, does not disappoint. For those who have not, there you’ll find the freshest fruits, vegetables, meats, cheese, flowers and bakery goods that the Midwest has to offer.

The kick-off this Saturday will take place from 7:30 a.m. till 1 p.m. and will have special activities from 8 a.m. until noon. With face painting, sailboat rigging lessons, and live music, this farmer’s market is not just a place to shop, it’s an event. Bring your friends, bring your family and don’t forget to take advantage of the free parking in the Maple Avenue Parking Garage.

If you can’t, however, make it this Saturday, do not worry. The Evanston Farmer’s Market will be back every Saturday for the rest of the summer.

Click here to view a map for this event.