Spring Comes to Chicago

This month we turn our clocks ahead an hour and the calendar says we will have our first day of Spring. While Chicago weather may not yet feel like Spring, we can imagine the warm sunshine is just around the corner by visiting one of the area’s Spring Flower Shows and beginning to plan for our gardens. March weather won’t get in the way of Chicagoans and visitors celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with parades, parties, lots of beer and of course seeing the Chicago River dyed a bright Kelly green.

This month Chicago also enjoys the opening of The Field Museum’s newest exhibit, Mammoths and Mastadons: Titans of the Ice Age. You won’t want to miss the life-sized recreations of these huge animals and an actual frozen baby woolly mammoth named Lyuba.

Chicago Flower and Garden Show, Navy Pier, March 6-14
The Chicago Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier will feature 27 separate Feature Gardens, each with its unique theme, Tablescapes for special entertaining designs, the Garden Gourmet culinary demonstrations with 36 top Chicago chefs participating this year, a variety of Educational Seminars, Potting Parties, a Kids’ Activity Garden where your children can play and learn, a Horticulture Competition and, of course, an enormous Market Place for purchasing all sorts of plants and supplies. Hours are 10:00am – 8:00pm Monday through Saturday ($15 admission) and 10:00am – 6:00pm on Sunday ($17 admission). Admission for kids ages 4-12 is $5 every day. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online.

Chicago Park District Spring Flower Show, running through May 9
Both the Lincoln Park Conservatory and the Garfield Park Conservatory are currently holding their Spring Flower Shows, featuring over 3,000 blooms. These shows are offered free to the public. A special event will be held at the Garfield Park Conservatory on March 26, when the conservatory will host Fleurotica 2010, a unique fashion show featuring clothing and accessories all made from plants, flowers and leaves. This fundraising event will begin at 6:30pm and will include a silent auction and raffle. The cost is $100 for the Reception and $175 for the Reception and Runway Show. Dinner, beverages and valet parking are included. Proceeds will benefit the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance.

Lily Lecture, Chicago Botanic Garden, March 14 – 2:00pm
The Chicago Botanic Garden will present the Wisconsin-Illinois Lily Society Lily Lecture entitled “Put Glam in Your Garden with Lilies”. The Society’s president will describe a variety of lilies and explain techniques for growing lilies. You can also purchase lily bulbs at this event.

Annual Spring Egg-Stravaganza, Soldier Field, March 27
We realize this isn’t a flower show, but it inspires the feeling of Spring so we’re including it here. The Chicago Park District expects about 4,000 to attend the 7th edition of this event, which is held at Soldier Field and includes a brunch from 8:30-10:30am and, for children under 10 years, a “candy-grab” event. There will also be face painting, a balloon artist, and a Radio Disney Show. The brunch is $17.50 for adults and $12.00 for children under 10 years (free under 3 years) and reservations are required. The candy-grab is free.

For many other March events, see our Chicago Events Calendar.

In 2010, Chicago’s tribute to St. Patrick begins on March 13 at 10:45am, when the Plumbers Union, Local 130, dyes the Chicago River a magnificent shade of green. You can only truly experience this transformation in person, though this video of the dyeing of the Chicago River will give you an idea of how this feat is accomplished and what’s in store for you.

Once the river becomes this brilliant green, we are ready for Chicago’s traditional St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Beginning at 12:00 noon, the parade will head north on Columbus Drive, from Balbo to Monroe. The parade features lots of bagpipe groups, marching bands, floats, Irish dancers and, of course, politicians. Unfortunately, the South Side Irish Parade which, for the past 31 years, took place in the Beverly/Morgan Park area, is now part of the history books. Apparently due to the uncontrollable size of the event, the parade has been cancelled, though many other traditional festivities will continue with the 10-day South Side Irish Parade Family Fest. The Beverly Arts Center will host the Chicago Irish Film Festival from March 5-10. On March 13, you can enjoy a day of family fun, with arts and crafts for the kids, children’s films, a soda bread contest, live entertainment and Irish food and drink. The Beverly Arts Center is located at the far south side of Chicago at 2407 W. 111th Street.

The Northwest Side Irish will be hosting its Northwest Irish Parade on Sunday, March 14, beginning at 11:00am. This parade runs from Raven Street (at Neola Avenue) to Northwest Highway (at Harlem Avenue). After the parade, the Official Northwest Side After Party will be held at Moretti’s restaurant, located at 6727 N. Olmsted.

Shoreline Sightseeing Cruises will be featuring two St. Patrick's Day Chicago River Cruises on March 13, one before the downtown parade (10:00-11:30am) and one after (2:00-3:30pm). These special cruises include an Irish buffet, cash bar, and Irish-themed historic information. Shoreline cruises depart from Ogden Slip at Navy Pier.

These are just a sampling of the St. Pat’s happenings in Chicago. Throughout the city, you’ll find green beer flowing from the taps, corned beef and cabbage specials, and a boisterous good time happening everywhere. We couldn’t possibly list them all, but we’ll mention a few Irish venues. Abbey Pub and Restaurant will hold its St. Patrick's Day Irish Festival and 1:00pm on both March 13 and March 17. Fadó Irish Pub hosts a week-long St. Patrick’s celebration March 12-17. Emerald Loop will feature special festivities on March 13 starting at 7:00am and on March 17 starting at 10:00am. Erin Go Bragh!

Introducing…Lyuba!

March 5 is a very special day in Chicago this year. The Field Museum is opening its newest exhibit, Mammoths and Mastadons: Titans of the Ice Age. This 7,500 foot exhibition includes life-sized recreations of mammoths and mastadons, as well as actual bones and fossils from this prehistoric time. The star attraction is Lyuba, an actual baby woolly mammoth that was frozen in Siberia for an estimated 40,000 years and discovered by reindeer herders in 2007.

You may have seen the documentary about her on National Geographic and learned that she died when she was about one month old, most likely of suffocation, and presumably frozen immediately thereafter, allowing for the near-perfect preservation of her body. Check out National Geographic’s website that includes an in-depth article about the Lyuba discovery and a series of interesting videos of the evaluation and testing of Lyuba.

Mammoths are an extinct species closely related to the elephant. Your kids will know the woolly mammoth from the Ice Age movies – the lovable Manny, voiced by Ray Romano, and Ellie, the woolly mammoth who thought she was a possum, voiced by Queen Latifah. Mastadons are another large, tusked animal with an elephant-like appearance. The exhibit includes other creatures of the time, such as the short-faced bear and saber-toothed tiger.

This exhibit will be featured at the Field Museum through September 6. Thereafter, the entire exhibit will travel to ten other museums in the following four years. The Field Museum is located within Chicago’s Museum Campus, near Soldier Field. Visit their website for general museum information, such as hours, admission, parking, etc. You can also purchase museum tickets online.

Chicago Highlights is a publication of Chicago Traveler. For more issues, see the Chicago Highlights Archive. See the Chicago Event Calendar for other local events.