61st Street Farmers Market
2025-05-17 09:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | Experimental Station, 6100 S. Blackstone Avenue, Chicago, 60637, United States
61st Street Farmers Market

This year’s market will feature more than 20 vendors of fresh produce, flowers, honey, jam, soaps, hot sauces, meats, tofu, baked goods and more. It will also bring back Link Match, a program launched in 2011 to increase the affordability of fresh foods by matching the value of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) purchases up to $25 per transaction.
Both the market and Link Up are projects of the Experimental Station, a Woodlawn nonprofit that works to build cultural infrastructure and tackle food deserts on the South Side.
For more information, visit experimentalstation.org/market.

Outdoor Season

Saturdays, 9 am – 2 pm | May 17 – October 25, 2025
The entrance is located at the intersection of 61st Street and Dorchester Avenue. The Market vendors are set up on 61st Street and Blackstone Avenue.

We want to thank our generous sponsors, partners, and individual donors who support the work of our Market:
@linkupil
@usdagov
@southsideweekly
@bmo_us
@chicagodcase
@conagrabrands
@ilfarmersmarkets
@fmcorg
@expstation

Hyde Park Garden Fair
2025-05-17 09:00 - 15:00 | Kimbark Plaza, Chicago, IL, 60615, United States
Don’t miss the Hyde Park Garden Fair on Friday, May 16 from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 17 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Kimbark Plaza – 53rd Street and Kimbark Avenue.
Dating back to 1959, the Hyde Park Garden Fair is Chicago’s oldest community garden sale.

The Hyde Park Kenwood Food Pantry
2025-05-17 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-05-24 10:00 - 13:00 | Hyde Park Union Church, 5600 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60637
The Hyde Park Kenwood Food Pantry
The food pantry, located at Hyde Park Union Church, provides nonperishable groceries and limited refrigerated and frozen foods to 500 to 800 people every month on Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm.
We serve the area of 39th – 63rd St., Cottage Grove east to Lake Michigan, and patrons can come twice a month. All will be served on their first visit, regardless of residency. If you are looking for food outside of our service area or hours, you can visit the website of the Greater Chicago Food depository to find additional services.
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Volunteers order food, unload deliveries, pre-pack bags and distribute food. ​If you would like to volunteer, please contact the Church Office or Margy Mitchell, the Food Pantry coordinator.
Time and Location
Every Saturday (including Christmas, New Year’s Day, and July 4th) from 10 am to 1 pm;
Hyde Park Union Church
5600 S. Woodlawn — enter by the side door at 1169 E. 56th St.
Chicago, IL 60637

Learn to Crochet
2025-05-17 10:00 - 13:00 | Fiber Friends Studios, Inc., 1744 E 55th Street, Chicago, 60615
Learn to Crochet
Discover the art of crocheting the classic granny square! No prior experience is necessary—just bring your enthusiasm for this traditional craft.
In this three-hour class, you’ll learn how to hold the yarn and hook and create a simple granny square using the chain 4 method and double crochet. You’ll also understand how to change colors and finish the square. This class is designed to be engaging and enjoyable, making it a family-friendly experience for children (8+) and adults alike!
All materials are provided—enough yarn for two granny squares, a crochet hook, and a darning needle.
Meet your instructor
Karla Ocampo, a talented Latina fiber artist rooted in the Southside of Chicago, brings over two decades of crochet experience to her classes. With a background in fashion, Karla has turned her crochet skills into a unique form of art. As the owner and instructor at Karla Crochets, she creates stunning pieces and shares her passion and expertise with others. To truly appreciate her creativity and dedication, follow her on Instagram @karla_crochets.

Ja' Grill Sunday Brunch
2025-05-17 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-05-24 11:00 - 16:00 | Ja’ Grill, 1510 E. Harper Court, Chicago, IL, 60615, United States
Ja’ Grill Sunday Brunch
Hyde Park’s Ja’ Grill, located at 1510 E. Harper Court, began a new Sunday brunch service on Sunday, January 26.
The weekly Sunday brunch hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with all-you-can-eat options served family-style for $30 per person. Cocktail options include carafes of everyone’s favorite Ja’ Rum Punch, a Ja’ Mimosa, and Ja’ Bloody Mary.
Brunch menu items will rotate periodically, but diners can look forward to Jerk Chicken & Waffles, Ackee & Saltfish, Scrambled Eggs & Jerk Chicken Sausage, and more.
Ja’ Grill owner Tony Coates celebrated the restaurant’s 10th anniversary in August 2024, reflecting to the Hyde Park Herald, “We were well received well beyond what I would imagine. We opened the doors and, I say this without any hesitation, the Hyde Park community really embraced us and that’s why we’re open today.”
Coates commented, “Our regular customers have asked about adding a brunch menu many times, and we’re very excited to try out this new offering. Ja’ Grill is the perfect place to enjoy your Sunday morning and afternoon with our authentic Jamaican cuisine and extensive drink menu.”
Ja’ Grill is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. There’s a Tropical Happy Hour Monday through Thursday from 4-6 p.m. During NFL season fans can enjoy an Extended Happy Hour from 4 p.m. until closing time on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. Don’t miss Wine Down Wednesday with 1/2 price bottles of white, red, and sparkling wines.
Visit the Ja’ Grill website and follow on Instagram for more information about specials and events.

the undercommons : New Work by Brandon Carlton
2025-05-17 13:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-22 13:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-23 13:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-24 13:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-29 13:00 - 17:00 | UChicago Arts Incubator, 301 E. Garfield Boulevard, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States
Arts + Public Life presents the undercommons, the first solo exhibition by painter Brandon Carlton. The exhibition explores the complexities of contemporary Black life through Carlton’s distinct approach to stylized figuration. Drawing influence from Alex Katz, David Hockney, and Jordan Casteel, his work engages with portraiture and spatial composition to evoke intimacy, distance, presence, and longing.
Carlton’s paintings consider the undercommons as a site of fugitive sociality—an ungovernable space where collective life unfolds beyond dominant structures. His figures occupy liminal environments, neither fully contained nor entirely free, reflecting a continuous negotiation of belonging, agency, and historical memory. Inspired by Casteel’s attention to everyday Black life and the layered surfaces of Katz and Hockney, Carlton’s work reimagines the aesthetics of presence, using gesture, color, and space to suggest ways of seeing and being that resist fixed narratives.

Learn to Crochet - Amigurumi
2025-05-17 13:30 - 15:30 | Fiber Friends Studios, Inc., 1744 E 55th Street, Chicago, 60615
Join us on a delightful journey into the world of amigurumi! No prior crochet experience is necessary—just bring your enthusiasm for creating these charming little stuffed creations.
Get ready to have fun in this class as you make an adorable Watermelon Popsicle. You will learn to do single crochet, work into the back loops, and change colors when starting a new row. Additionally, you will pick up beginner embroidery techniques to add detail and personality to your popsicle.
All materials are provided— yarn, poly-fil, safety eyes, patterns, a crochet hook, and a darning needle.
When
Class is two parts, two hours each.
Saturday, May 17 & 24, 1:30 – 3:30

Berlin
2025-05-17 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-05-17 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-05-18 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-05-18 19:30 - 21:30 | Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States
Berlin
Berlin is an unforgettable mosaic of intersecting narratives set amidst the decline of Weimar Germany. This original commission brings Jason Lutes’s exhilarating and acclaimed graphic novel to life.
Fascism is taking hold; revolutionaries are organizing; creatives are trying to capture the ineffable nature of their changing city; and – as everything falls apart – everyone is faced with a choice: abandon Berlin or fight to survive.
Charles Newell (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) directs Mickle Maher’s propulsive adaptation, an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of everyday people trying to survive one of the most remarkable moments in history. Set almost one hundred years ago, Berlin speaks to our current moment, and our future, with undeniable urgency.
Accessible Performances:

May 10, 2025 at 2:00 pm (Touch Tour/Audio Description/ASL Interpretation)

Touch Tour at 12:30 pm

May 11, 2025 at 2:00 pm (Open Captioning)

Artwork by Jason Lutes
Click HERE for tickets.

Six Dollar Tuesdays at ACX Harper Theater
2025-05-20, 2025-05-27 | Harper Theater, 5238 S. Harper Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60615, United States
Six Dollar Tuesdays at ACX Harper Theater
Don’t miss $6 Tuesdays at the ACX Harper Theater in Hyde Park!
Movie tickets are just $6/person and a small soft drink, small popcorn, or hotdog are just $3 each.
Visit the ACX Harper Theater at 5238 S. Harper Avenue. Check showtimes HERE.

Craft Meetup
2025-05-22 18:00 - 20:00, 2025-05-23 18:00 - 20:00 | Fiber Friends Studios, Inc., 1744 E 55th Street, Chicago, 60615
Be a part of a cozy crafting evening at Fiber Friends Studios! Enjoy the warmth of creativity while sipping on delicious hot tea. Join us for a night filled with fun and inspiration! All crafts and level welcome.

All That Jazz Dinner Series - Mesler
2025-05-22 18:00 - 21:00 | Mesler Kitchen | Bar | Lounge, 1411 E. 53rd Street, Chicago, IL, 60615, United States
All That Jazz Dinner Series – Mesler
Join Mesler for a monthly jazz series, All That Jazz, on Thursday evenings from 6-9 p.m. The events are scheduled for the 4th Thursday of each month with the exception of Friday, Feb 14th, and the November and December events are both on the 3rd Thursday due to the holidays. Reservations are required. Cover charge $20 per person (dinner not included). Enjoy the full Mesler menu available for purchase.

Need to Know
Parking is not available on-site, and tickets are non-refundable. Please note that seating durations are limited to 90 minutes.
Set times: 6:45 p.m. – 7:30 & 8 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
There is a $100 food and beverage minimum.

About
Join us for our monthly “All That Jazz” series. Ticket includes seating and access to the event.
Mesler dinner and cocktail menu will be available. Click HERE for tickets.

Thursday, January 23 – Joyce Hurley
Friday, February 14 – Honeywater
Thursday, March 27 – Joyce Hurley
Thursday, April 24 – Tim Gant Project
Thursday, May 22 – Tim Gant Project
Thursday, June 26 – Marqueal Jordan & Amr Fahmy
Thursday, July 24 – Marqueal Jordan & Amr Fahmy
Thursday, August 28 – The Chris Miskel Trio
Thursday, September 25 – The Chris Miskel Trio
Thursday, October 23 – Kiki & Trio
Thursday, November 20 – The Alec Trio
Thursday, December 18 – The Alec Trio

Grossman Ensemble - World Premieres III
2025-05-23 19:30 - 21:30 | Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States
Grossman Ensemble – World Premieres III
Esteemed conductor Tim Weiss returns to lead the Grossman Ensemble for an eagerly anticipated third collaboration. Composers Christopher Stark, whose music The New York Times has called, “fetching and colorful,” former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Elizabeth Ogonek, Paul Novak, a 2023 Barlow Commission recipient whose music has been called “spellbinding” (Washington Post), and “one of the most formidable figures in modern music” (The New Yorker) George Lewis, offer a glimpse into the forefront of contemporary classical music. Followed by an after-party with the artists.

Re-Writing the Declaration
2025-05-23 20:00 - 22:00, 2025-05-24 08:00 - 17:00 | Greenline Performing Arts Center, 329 E. Garfield Boulevard, Chicago, 60637, United States
Re-Writing the Declaration
Catalyzed by the Movement for Black Lives, Re-Writing the Declaration is a devised, participatory play inviting audiences to center Black women, and femmes, nonbinary, and trans folx of color, in order to free us all.
A collage of time and space, a blend of character and self, the characters in Re-Writing the Declaration exist today and yesterday in order to change tomorrow. Believing that the founding fathers and documents never intended to include us, they consider the impacts of that founding on our lives today & realize it’s time to re-write the Declaration of Independence. On this journey, we visit some troubling moments in our collective past, while celebrating Blackness on the path towards freedom.
This devised theatre piece invites you to help shape the story. Your voice will directly influence the narrative through audience participation, making each performance unique and reflective of the people in the room. Together, we’ll craft a Declaration that includes the voices of all people — right when your voice matters most.

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CityStep Presents VOICES
2025-05-24 15:00 - 17:00 | St. Thomas the Apostle School, 5467 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, 60615, United States
CityStep Presents VOICES
CityStep, in conjunction with St. Thomas the Apostle School and Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, presents their Spring Dance Recital. Come and watch incredible performances by both groups.

St. Thomas the Apostle Informational Session
2025-05-28
St. Thomas the Apostle Informational Session
💻 Learn More About STA – Join Our Open Zoom Call! 💙
Thinking about joining the STA family? 💭 Come learn what makes St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School a place where students grow in faith, academics, and community!
👂 Drop in, ask a question, or just listen!Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Time: 10 am-12 pm or 1 pm-3 pm
Hi there,
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: May 28, 2025 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/wBGfCJezTlWaEpX5ZdROqg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
We’re here to connect with you—because choosing the right school matters! 💙 Reach out to sissa@stapostleschool.com with any questions.
#DiscoverSTA #STAPride #FutureRaiderFamilies

Committed Knitters
2025-05-28 11:00 - 15:00 | UChicago Arts Incubator, 301 E. Garfield Boulevard, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States
Committed Knitters
Arts Incubator: flex space (second floor)
Wednesdays 12:00-3:00 pm
Committed Knitters welcomes you to our bi-weekly gatherings at the Arts Incubator Flex Space! Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just picking up needles for the first time, there’s a spot for you. Share ideas, make progress on your projects, and enjoy a cozy, creative time with us!
We’ve got supplies ready for you.
Just drop in—no registration needed!

Book Talk & Podcast Salon: Black. Fat. Femme with DoctorJonPaul
2025-05-28 19:00 - 20:30 | Call & Response Books, 1390 E Hyde Park Blvd., Chicago, 60615
Join us on May 28 at 7 p.m. as we welcome educator, journalist, and academic Dr. Jonathan P. Higgins (also known as DoctorJonPaul) in celebrating their new book, Black. Fat. Femme: Revealing the Power of Visibly Queer Voices in Media and Learning to Love Yourself! DoctorJonPaul will be joined in a podcast salon-style conversation with Anna DeShawn, creator of E3 Radio and The Qube.
In Black. Fat. Femme, DoctorJonPaul delivers an honest and extraordinary new take on how the author, and other Black Fat Femmes like them, have come to find and understand their identity. They explore how standing at the intersection of multiple identities, communities, and causes shapes people and how they see the world; through this book readers get an up-close examination of the importance of meaningful representation and how Black Fat Femmes have been excluded and erased from LGBTQ+ communities and conversations.
All tickets cover the cost of, and include, silent headpones for the listening session as well as light bites and refreshments!
Dr. Jonathan P. Higgins (DoctorJonPaul) is an award-winning educator, professor, national speaker, freelance journalist, thought leader, and media critic who examines the intersections of identity, gender, and race in entertainment. Named the National Black Justice Coalition’s inaugural Emerging Leaders to Watch and Business Equality Magazine’s “Top 40 LGBTQ People Under 40,” their work has been featured on sites like Essence, Ebony, Complex, MTV News, OUT Magazine, BET & Entertainment Weekly. Dr. Higgins is currently the inaugural director of Strategic Media & Advocacy for Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance.
Anna DeShawn is a Chicago-born social entrepreneur, storyteller, and community organizer who builds streaming platforms that center and celebrate BIPOC and QTPOC creatives. She is the founder of E3 Radio, an online radio station playing Queer music and reporting on Queer news with an intersectional lens. She is additionally the co-founder of The Qube, a podcast production company and curated platform for discovering the best mustic and podcasts by BIPOC and QTPOC creatives.
