Arts District Businesses Present 'What's Blooming' Festival This Weekend

There's been a few new businesses blooming in the Oak Park Arts District lately, and this weekend you can enjoy the district at the "What's Blooming" festival.

The Arts District, located around Harrison Street, will have live performances, artist demonstrations, an art fair and lots more this weekend, May 17-18. 

Friday night will feature many special events at participating businesses, and on Saturday there will be more going on along Harrison, including dancing, music, food vendors, carnival rides and more. 

For more details go to the What's Blooming page on the Arts District website, and see featured events below:

Harrison Works presents the Beatles-inspired art of Sandra Ragan. Opening night is 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. May 17. On Saturday, the gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Other Beatles-inspired works will be presented by Charlie Krebs and gallery owner, Liz Gaylord. 

Art Gecko, your family can be a part of the art by designing a Petite Parade Float! Petite Parade floats take their cue from the generations-old, New Orleans grade-school tradition of decorating shoeboxes to look like Mardi Gras floats. Your float theme must be family friendly. The base of the float should be roughly the size of a shoebox and someone must be available to pull your float through the parade scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

Dancing Krow Studio & Third Friday Gallery is joined by art students from Concordia University on Friday evening. The students will display paintings, drawings and photographs alongside the Third Friday Gallery artists. 

Eastgate Cafe has new flavors and music are on the menu. Friday night listen to Scattin' in Tongues while you dine and Saturday morning enjoy Brian McDermott and Jazz Jam Sessions with your breakfast. 

Pamela Penney Textile Arts has a free felting demo from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Parveneh Designs and Baba Yaga Creations will be featured artists. 

Gallery PINK features "Surface Pleasures" by artist Susan Sensemann. The show closes Saturday with a 3 p.m. discussion featuring the artist. 

Three Queens Organic will be giving out samples of the shop's organic maple syrup. Taste Amber, Dark and Very Dark syrups both Friday evening and Saturday. 

Bead In Hand will have a $5 all-ages drop-in workshop from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and noon to 5 p.m. You and your family can make either a wind chime using recycled CDs and old keys or a jangle bracelet with memory wire, rubber tubing, beads and bells. 

Majamas is having a sidewalk sale starting Thursday. Save up to 75 percent on select women's and baby clothing through regular shop hours, Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Buzz Cafe serves a prix fixe dinner starting at 7 p.m. Friday. From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. join host Al DeGenova for Jazz/R&B vocalist and musician Sarah MarieYoung and performance poet extraordinaire Charlie Rossiter. 

INTUIT Dance hosts a full line up of classes. Stop in and check out TAP class from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, the Teen Performance Company and Junior Company will be rehearsing from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside the studio. Outside the studio, Flamenco and Belly Dancers from INTUIT's World Dance Division will be putting on a show.

Val's Halla presents Oak Park musicologist David Patterson's lecture Friday evening “Beethoven -- God or Monster? Frank Lloyd Wright versus John Cage. Wright and Cage, equally extreme in their opinions, frequently used Beethoven to prove their own points, and neither one had a problem with twisting the real image of Beethoven into any shape that might help their cause. 

Awaken Your Spirit will have music and refreshments in a serene setting from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, enjoy free five-minute chair massages from noon to 7 p.m. Free hugs, too! 3

Calypso Moon Studio and Taleblazers present a Playful Exhibit by Sallie Wolf: "The Art You (I) Didn't Mean to Make". An adult reception is Friday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.mm Saturday brings, "Gameboard Maps! Maps of Animal Territories & Other Curiosities" plus a preview of Taleblazers summer camps: "Manga Mania" & "My Story, My Song". Kids can dabble in manga-making and create their own record-label.

To learn more about the Oak Park Arts District, visit its booth where resources and information about district galleries and businesses will be available from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be Arts Camp information there, as well, and teacher demonstrations throughout the day.