The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 40

D4 The Pantagraph Thursday, July 3, 2003 www.pantagraph.com GOICALENDAR 2398. OUT AND ABOUT ffi 111 The Taste of Chicago food fair For The PantaqraphILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY draw thousands of people to the Windy City each year during the first week of. July. V-' THIS WEEKEND (JULY 3-6) Bloominqton-Normal Fairview Park Fourth of July Celebration Games, activities and fireworks at dusk; 9 a.m.-dusk July Fairview Park in Normal. Free.

I Flrefall at the Fairgrounds First Assembly of God-sponsored family event with children's games, contests, entertainment, fireworks at dusk; 4 p.m.-dusk July Interstate Center grounds, 111. 9 west of Bloomington. Free. (309) 862-1045. Miller Park Fourth of July Festivities Sky Concert Activities, games, fireworks at dusk; 5 p.m.-dusk July Miller Park, Bloomington.

Free. (309)434-2260. I Downtown Bloomington Farmers' Market Locally grown fruits vegetables, honey, herbs, cut flowers, perennials, crafts, weekly bake sale sponsored by local organizations; a.m. through September; 100 block West Jefferson Street on downtown Bloomington square (rain location: Market Street parking garage). (309) 829-9599.

Central Illinois I Fireworks Train Rides on vintage train to view fireworks, 7:30 p.m. July 3, Old Wabash Depot downtown in Monticello. (800) 952-3396. I Morton Fourth of July Activities, fireworks at dusk; July VFWHall, Morton. Free.

I Roanoke Fourth of July -Activities, fireworks at dusk; July 3: Jumbo Park, Roanoke. Free. I Monticello Main Street Farmer's Market 3-6 p.m. July 3-Oct. State Street between Livingston and Center streets, in front of Allerton Library, Monticello.

(217) 762-3661. AMA Sports Dirt Track Grand Championship Youth and amateur motorcycle flat racing events, July 3-7, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield. 614856-1900. Arabian Horse Show July 3-6, Illinois State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Springfield. Free.

(309) 434-7974, I Hopedale Sesquicentennlal Celebration Flea market, carnival rides, entertainment contests, parade (10 a.m. car show, food, fireworks (dusk noon-9 p.m. July 3, 7:30 a.m.-dusk July Hopedale Park in Hopedale. Free. Streator's 4th: America's Best Week-long July 4 celebration, with entertainment, carnival, games, fireworks, more; July 3-6; downtown and various locations.

Free. 1 28th Annual Quilt Celebration Exhibits and competition, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. July 3-July 20, Rock-ome Gardens, Areola. $5. (217) 268-4106.

I Celebrate Freedom Parade (10 a.m.), fireworks at dusk; July Don Harden Field, Bellflower. Free. I Champaign County Freedom Celebration Parade and fireworks, July 4, of I Memorial Stadium and vicinity, Champaign. Chenoa Fourth of July Celebration Parade, flea market, day-long events, fireworks at dusk; July downtown Chenoa and Chenoa City Park. Free.

I Clinton July 4 Fireworks -Quaker derby at 6 p.m., fireworks at dusk; July Weldon Springs State Recreation Area, Clinton. Free. (217)935-2644. I Decatur Fourth of July Celebration Entertainment and fireworks, 10 a.m.-dusk July 4, Nelson Park at lakefront, Decatur. Free.

I Deer Creek Fourth of July Celebration Tail-gate party and fireworks, July 4, open fields on northeast side of Deer Creek. Free. I Downs Fourth of July Celebration Fireworks and special activities, July 4, Dooley Park in Downs. Free. Eureka Independence Day Parade Parade at 10 a.m.

in downtown Eureka, fireworks at dusk at Lake Eureka Park; July 4. Free. Farmer City Fourth of July Chicken dinner at 6 p.m., fireworks at dusk; July Farmer City Fairgrounds, Farmer City. I Heyworth Fourth of July -Day-long activities, fireworks at dusk; July Centennial Park, Heyworth. Free.

I LeRoy Freedom Fest Fireworks and entertainment; 10 a.m.-dusk July Center Street downtown and L.A. McKean Memorial Field, LeRoy. Free. I Lincoln July 4th Celebration Games, contests, music, food, fireworks at dusk; all day July Lincoln Park District at 1400 Primm Road, Lincoln. Free.

(217) 732-8770. I Mackinaw Fireworks Dusk July 4, Brock Lake, west of Mackinaw off Dl. 9. Free. Mahomet Freedom Fest 2003 Games, entertainment, fireworks set to music; 3-10 p.m.

July 4 (rain date, July 5); Lake of Pantagraph file photo Shirley Jones and Robert Preston will light up the screen in "The Music Man" this weekend at the Normal Theater. Mate tisewnere Taste of Chlcaqo Food fair with 70-plus restaurant booths and multiple entertainment stages, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. June July 3-6; Grant Park in downtown Chicago. Free admission. (312) 744-3370.

Navy Pier July 4th Celebration Fireworks, two entertainment stages, more; 10 a.m.-mid-night July Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand, Chicago. (312) 595-PIER. THIS WEEK (JULY 7-9) Central Illinois Fisher Community Fair Hnrco R-15! fair- grounds at Fisher. (217) 897-1437.

Downs Villaqe Market Produce, flowers and crafts; 4-7 p.m. July south end of downtown 4294. I LaSalle County 4-H Show Jr. Fair July 9-13, fairgrounds at Ottawa. (815) 433-0371.

Marshall-Putnam County Fair July 9-13, fairgrounds in Henry. I Western Horse Show July 9-19, Illinois State Fairgrounds Coliseum. Free. (217) 782-1524. NEXT WEEKEND (JULY 10-13) BEYOND Bloomington-Normal Bloomington Cultural DIs- trlct Historic Tours 60-minute guided tour of former Scottish Rite Temple, 11 a.m.

July 12, Bloomington Center for the Per- forming Arts, 110 E. Mulberry Bloomington. Free. (309) 434-2787. I Twin City Cruisers Cruise Night "T-Bird and T-Bucket Night," with displays, oldies music, door prizes, more; p.m.

July 12; K's Merchandise parking lot, Veterans Parkway and Clearwater Drive, Bloomington. Free. (309) 827-8281. I Sugar Creek Arts Festival -Juried art fair, food, live entertainment, more; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. July 12, lla.m.-5 p.m.

July 13; downtown Normal. Free. (309) 829-0011. Central Illinois Balloon Fest 2003 Mass hot air balloon ascensions and related events, July 11-12, W.H. Som-mer Park, Peoria.

I Cornell Days Dances, 7-10 p.m. July 11; breakfast, games, entertainment, 7 a.m.-lO p.m. July 12; church service, lunch, talent show and games, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. July 13; South Park and various downtown locations, Cornell. (309) Latham Firefighters 54th Annual Ice Cream Social Antique tractor and car show, food, games, entertainment, more; 9 a.m.

-9 p.m. July 12; Latham Fire-house in downtown Latham. Free. Patton Cabin Open House -Herb garden, games, hands-on activities, soldier reenactment, re- freshments, crafts demonstrations, more; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 12, Aug.

Patton Cabin Home Historic Site, Lexington. Free. (309) 365-8531. I Scents of July Historic Home Garden Walk Tours of seven gardens, four homes and historic Lamon House, with entertainment, art show, garden tent, more; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. July 12; Lin- coin Park Historic District in Danville.

Advance, $12; day of walk, $15. (217)442-2922. I Summer Festival at New Salem Reenactment of typical Illinois summer day in early 1830s, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. July 12-13, New Salem State Historic Site, Petersburg. Free.

(217) 632-4000. Heart of Illinois Fair Nightly grandstand shows, exhibits, carnival midway, food, livestock events, more; 10 a.m.-midnight July 12-13 and 19, 4 p.m.-midnight July 14-18; Exposition Gardens, Northmoor Road, Peoria. Adults, $5 before 4 p.m., $7 after; children, under 6, free. (309) 691-6332. Grandstand shows: Phil Vassar, 8 p.m.

July 11, $10; TBA, 8 p.m. July 12, $10; Wade Dooley Showband and Review, 7 p.m. July 13, free; Missy Vail, 8 p.m. July 16, free; DoubleDrive, 8 p.m. July 17, Trick Pony 8 p.m.

July 18, $10; TBA, 8 p.m. July 19, $10. Second Sunday Artisan Se ries oaimnie ouigieion aemon-strating rug-hooking techniques, 1-4 p.m. July 13, Early American Museum in Lake of the Woods Park, Mahomet. Free.

(217) 586-2612. mtWM THIS WEEKEND (JULY 3-6 Bloomington-Normal I Franklin Park Concert Series Free Community Concert Band performance, preceded by ice cream social; 7 p.m. July Franklin Park, Bloomington. (309) 434-2260. MORE CALENDAR, NEXT PAGE Sold my stuff.

The parties begin today and continue all Friday in Hopedale Park, complete with parade (10 a.m.), carnival and fireworks. Best-tasting Fourth annual week-long gustatory of Chicago, climaxes with the weekend in downtown Grant the menu: edibles from more the city's most popular restaurants, big-name concerts and holiday by a day fireworks tonight. no one has to miss the rockets' at the second big pyrotechnics July 4 itself, via Navy Pier's Independence Day party, starting at continuing through midnight. time you'll have in the framing sometimes. fireworks displays are a dime a weekend throughout the land, can you name that will be the skyline of a capital city capitol dome in the foreground? downtown Springfield the only think of at the moment the Street Celebration from 5 p.m.

to Friday will precede the bombs in air with live bands, food, other goodies. Note: there is charge. of great framing annual river-front fete, Fair will use the Gateway Arch, no striking centerpiece of its pyrotechnic displays each night of (Friday through Sunday). of gunpowder and H20 the area displays that will feature explosions over bodies of water include: Clinton's Friday night display at Springs State Recreational Area Friday night display over in Nelson Park Mahomet's Friday night display at Lake of Park Peoria's Friday night over the Illinois River downtown and those aforementioned displays Chicago (via Lake Michigan) Louis (via the muddy By Dan Craft ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR In case you hadn't heard, 'tis the weekend for the red, white, blue. With no shortage of Fourth of July events to choose from, we've decided to single out some of the more unusual offerings for your patriotic inspection, both in Pantagraphland and beyond.

In fact, we've narrowed it all down to the very best of the unusual offerings, including: Best 3-for-1 deal As darkness falls Friday night, go west young man, woman, child and otherwise. Specifically, go west of Bloomington-Normal until you can see the entire perimeter of the Twin Cities. Then wait for the fireworks, times three, at either end and in between: via Fairview Park, in Normal; via the Interstate Center in Bloomington; and via Miller Park in Bloomington. Sometimes less is not more. Best means to an end Head over to Monticello in Piatt County for the most unusual transportation being offered to a patriotic fete this weekend.

The occasion is the annual Fireworks Train, which, off-holiday, is the Monticello Railroad Museum's famously restored vintage train. Starting tonight, the locomotive and its cars will be decked out in red, white and blue as it transports riders from the Old Wabash Depot downtown to view Monticello's fireworks display outside of town. Riders can view the pyrotechnics either on the train or off it. Tickets are $5 to $8 and must be reserved by calling the museum at (800) 952-3396, Best non-pyrotechnic fireworks If the thought of fireworks in the sky somehow bores you, then consider mak-ing'a day of it Friday at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, where the explosive action will be literally grounded: via the AMA Sports Dirt Track Grand Championship in the fair grandstand and the Arabian Horse Show in the fairgrounds' Coliseum. Both weekend-long events open today, and you don't have to wait until dusk for the action to start.

Best fireworks on a screen There's no more perfect Fourth of July movie musical than Meredith Willson's "The Music Man." Hence, there's no more perfect way to spend the holiday inside than at a showing of the original 1962 edition with Robert Preston as Prof. Harold Hill and Shirley Jones as Marian the librarian. The ail-American setting would be enough to qualify this as perfect July 4th fare, but the story's time frame is keyed to the big birthday celebration, complete with fireworks, bar-bershoppers and an ice cream social in the park. The Normal Theater in downtown Normal has exclusive theatrical rights to the movie this weekend, meaning it won't be screening in a theater anywhere else in the country. It opens tonight and continues through Sunday Show time is 7 p.m., except for Friday, when it starts at 6:30 p.m., all the better ensure that the audience will be out in time to see the fireworks off-screen.

Best two-cake deal If you like double the birthday-bang, head over to Hopedale, where not only will America's big day be feted with small-town gusto, but also the small town's own birthday as in sesquicen-tennial celebration. i i IL3LJ I Capital Street Celebration Fourth of July street fest, with live bands, food, drinks, fireworks, more; 5 p.m.-midnight July 4-5; downtown Springfield at 4th 5th streets. (217) 528-7300. I Atlanta Independence Day Celebration Games, food, band concert, fireworks at dusk, more; 4 p.m.-dusk July Atlanta Park and Atlanta Baseball Field. Free.

(217)648-5077. Heyworth's All-Wheels Show 2003 Cars, cycles, antique tractors, entertainment, music, magic, more; 1 p.m. July U.S. 136 near Huck's, Heyworth. Free.

(309) 473-3932. 1 1845 Independence Day -1840s-style Independence Day Celebration, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. July 5, Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site in Lerna. Free. Melvln Old School Park Fundraiser Festival of games and entertainment, all day July 5, down HAT PDTP1? CAT 17 Friday, July 4th Chicago's orgy, Taste holiday Park.

On than 70 of free beating the at dusk Hence, red glare display on big 10 a.m. and Best dome It's all While dozen this how many framed by with a In one we can Capital midnight bursting drinks and an admission Speaking St. Louis' St. Louis, less, as the epic the fair Best mix Among Weldon Decatur's Lake Decatur the Woods display in and St. town area and park, Melvin.

Free. I Prairie Air Show Air Force Thunderbirds and other aerial performers, ground displays, entertainment, more; July 5-6; 'Peoria Regional Airport in Peoria. Adults, $8 advance and $10 at gate; ages 6-12, $5 advance and $7 at gate. (309) 663-7632. DeWitt County 4-H Fair -July 5-6, DeWitt County Fairgrounds, Clinton.

(217) 935-5764. I Freedom Shoot-Out 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament 8 a.m.-6 p.m. July 6, Chenoa City Park in Chenoa. (815)945-3741. Ford County Fair July 6-12, fairgrounds at Melvin.

(217) 388- the Woods Park, Mahomet. General, 5 and under, free. (217) 586-3360. I McLean Fourth of July Day-long activities, fireworks at dusk; July ball field, McLean. Free.

I Metamora Fourth of July Celebration God Country concert and events, July 4, Metamora Park bandstand, downtown Metamora. Free. I Mlddletown Fourth of July Celebration Food, music fireworks; 4 p.m.-dusk July New Holland-Middletown School grounds, Middletown. Free. (217) 445-2745.

I Mlnonk Fourth of July -Games, entertainment and fireworks at dusk; July Sutton's Park, Minonk. Free. Mount Pulaski Fourth of July Celebration Garage sales, flea market, band concert, fireworks; all day July downtown square, Mount Pulaski. Free. (217) 792-5419.

I Paxton Old-Fashioned July 4th Celebration and Car Show Games, car show and fireworks at dusk, all day July 4, Pells Park in Paxton. Free. (309) 379-2409. I Peoria Independence Day Celebration Fireworks set to music, food, family fun, more; 5-11 p.m. July downtown riverfront, Eeoria.

Free. (309) 637-3700. Pontlac 4th of July Celebration Fireworks at dusk, July 4, Elks Lodge grounds in Pontiac. Free. (815)844-5131.

I Sibley Fireworks Dusk July 4, Sibley Lake, Sibley Free. I Towanda July 4th Celebration Parade (10 a.m.), flea market, food, games, fireworks at dusk; all day July downtown Towanda. Washington Fireworks Dusk July 4, West Lake at West Lake subdivision, Washington. Free. '0 tGESCSdll THE PANTAGRAPH CLASSIFIED fiGJDHfiE" Sold my stuff.

820.2020 Plenty to See and Choose From: Fruits Vegetables Pottery Herbs 'Flowers Paintings. Art And 'Quilts. Every Saturday June 7th Oct. 11th 6:45 to 11:00 a.m. Free Parking Downtown on the Square m4JOWii' Veterans Parkway Everything The will be 12 off Goodwill Store Placed an ad.

Ft. Jesse Road in Normal.