Welcome To Hyde Park

Ja' Grill Sunday Brunch
2025-11-08 11:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-01 11:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | 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.

Neighborhood Toy Story Day at Play Hyde Park
2025-11-08 11:00 - 15:00 | *Play Toys•Books•Gifts, 1502 E. 55th Street, Chicago, IL, 60615, United States
Neighborhood Toy Story Day at Play Hyde Park
Celebrate Neighborhood Toy Store Day at *play Hyde Park on Saturday, November 8 at 1502 E. 55th Street.
11:00 am Story Time
11:00 am / 1:00 pm / 3:00 pm
Calico Critter Meet & Greet
11:00 am session will follow Story Time

University of Chicago Service League Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale
2025-11-08 11:00 - 13:30 | Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, 60637, United States
University of Chicago Service League Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale
Kick off the holiday season with this fabulous bazaar, featuring baked goods, jewelry, handmade items, vintage treasures, a silent auction, and a raffle of gift certificates to local restaurants, stores, and events. You never know what you’ll find or who you’ll see! All proceeds go to our carefully chosen charities, most of which are in or near Hyde Park.

The Hyde Park Kenwood Food Pantry
2025-11-08 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-01 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

Tree Lighting and Cultural Festival
2025-11-08 08:00 - 15:30 | Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, 60637, United States
It’s a sparkling start to your holiday season in Chicago!
Join Griffin MSI’s Tree Lighting & Cultural Festival to kick off the beloved Christmas Around the World and Holiday of Lights exhibit. Take in the spectacle of more than 50 twinkling holiday trees, each decorated to represent a different country, and displays representing international seasonal celebrations of light, like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali and more.
We’ll flip the switch on our four-story Grand Tree at 11 a.m. with Santa Larry, the first Black Santa to spread holiday cheer at the Mall of America. Join us for this day-long festival to enjoy:

A countdown to the lighting of the Grand Tree
Live performances from local cultural organizations
Seasonal samplings from Stan’s Donuts
Unique gifts available in the Holiday Shop

This event is included in General Admission on November 8.

Game Day at Ja' Grill
2025-11-08, 2025-11-01 | Ja’ Grill, 1510 E. Harper Court, Chicago, IL, 60615, United States
Game Day at Ja’ Grill
There’s a ton of NCAA football games this Saturday, and Ja’ Grill in Harper Court is the place to be for all-day wing and beer specials.
Visit Ja’ Grill at 1510 E. Harper Court in Hyde Park.
Check out the game schedule HERE.

ISAC Lecture: Morag Kersel
2025-11-05 19:00 - 21:00 | ISAC Museum, 1155 E 58th St, Chicago, 60637
Jordan, like many nations, faces a persistent and complex problem of looting driven by the demand for cultural artifacts. The illicit excavation and trade of illegal antiquities from Jordan is fueled by a network of looters, intermediaries, and collectors who often acquire objects without scrutinizing their origin stories or the legality of their acquisition. Regardless of robust efforts by local communities, the Ministry of Culture, the Department of Antiquities, and various cultural heritage NGOs, the destruction of archaeological landscapes continues unabated. Sites are pillaged, invaluable historical data is lost, and local communities are increasingly alienated from their own heritage. An integrated approach to assessing the issue of looting includes archaeological evidence, archival documents, ethnographic interviews, and pedestrian and aerial surveys using unpiloted aerial vehicles (drones), provides valuable lessons regarding looting, loss, and landscape at a series of Early Bronze Age sites (3600–2000 BCE) along the Dead Sea Plain in Jordan. This is an examination of how archaeological material goes from the ground to the consumer (individual and institutional), the various pathways artifacts take, the laws and policies in place which facilitate or hinder the movement, and the consequences of demand for archaeological objects.
Morag M. Kersel is an archaeologist who works in the Eastern Mediterranean in the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age periods. Morag is professor of anthropology and former director of the Museum Studies Minor at DePaul University. She earned a PhD in Archaeology from the University of Cambridge. She also holds a Master of Historic Preservation (with Distinction) from the University of Georgia, a Master of Arts in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Classical Studies from Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada. In addition to participating in archaeological excavations and surveys in Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, and Turkey, Morag is interested in the relationship between cultural heritage law, archaeological sites and objects, the antiquities trade, and local interaction with heritage. She also works on the public display and interpretation of archaeological artifacts in institutional spaces. She has published a number of articles and is the co-author (with Christina Luke) U.S. Cultural Diplomacy and Archaeology: Soft Power, Hard Heritage (2013), co-editor (with M.T. Rutz ) of Archaeologies of Text: Archaeology, Technology, and Ethics (2014) and co-editor (with N.J. Brodie and J. Rasmussen) of Variant Scholarship. Ancient Texts in Modern Contexts (2023).

Six Dollar Tuesdays at ACX Harper Theater
2025-11-04, 2025-10-28 | 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.

Raven Chacon - American Ledger No. 3
2025-11-02 15:00 - 16:00 | Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States
Raven Chacon – American Ledger No. 3
Raven Chacon, a Diné composer and sound artist, conjures sonic landscapes that pulse with history, resistance, and a responsiveness to place. His work—whether as a soloist, collaborator, or with the collective Postcommodity—weaves noise, chamber music, and Indigenous storytelling into something visceral and unshakable. A Pulitzer Prize winner and mentor to young Native composers, Chacon’s music hums with the echoes of the land and the tension of the present, challenging ears and expectations alike. Originally commissioned by the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, who co-present this performance, Chacon’s American Ledger No. 3 is scored for two women’s choirs and dedicated to journalist, activist, and Chicagoan Ida B. Wells. The piece is a powerful addition to the artist’s ongoing American Ledger series and is staged in Chicago for the first time.
This program is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Special Event Info

This is a free, outdoor event. The performance will be presented rain or shine! Please dress for the weather and check our website for important updates regarding location changes due to inclement weather. Standing room with limited accessible seating available.

South Side Pie Challenge 2025
2025-11-01 14:00 - 17:00 | Ray Elementary School, 5631 S. Kimbark Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States
South Side Pie Challenge 2025
Bakers and Pie Fans, after two pandemic editions of the South Side Pie Challenge – the Virtual Pie Challenge in Spring of 2020 and Pie It Forward in Fall of 2020, plus the outdoor Pie Challenge in 2021, and 2023, our biggest fundraising year ever for local hunger causes – WE ARE BACK AGAIN!
This year, we look forward to seeing you for the Pie Challenge at Ray Elementary School at 5631 S. Kimbark Avenue in Hyde Park.
Join us as we celebrate the art of baking and eating pie! We will again be raising money for the Hyde Park/Kenwood Hunger Programs! We will again be holding one of the city’s longest-running juried amateur pie-baking events! And, we will again come together as a community to support both our neighbors and our beautiful South Side!
Are you ready to compete again with your friends and neighbors for pie ascendancy? Are you ready to fundraise for hunger relief?
Instructions for bakers on November 1: please deliver TWO IDENTICAL PIES in disposable pie pans to the Ray Elementary School, 5631 S. Kimbark Ave, between the hours of 9:00 am and 10:30 am.
**** Due to health and safety concerns, pies with MERINGUE topping can’t be accepted, please top with Whipped Cream instead.
All pies will be sold to the public at $5 per slice between 2 pm – 5 pm.

Nando's Weekday Lunchtime Specials
2025-10-31 10:30 - 14:00, 2025-10-30 10:30 - 14:00, 2025-10-29 10:30 - 14:00, 2025-10-28 10:30 - 14:00, 2025-10-27 10:30 - 14:00 | Nando’s PERi-PERi, 1447 E. 53rd Street, Chicago, 60615, United States
Nando’s Weekday Lunchtime Specials
The Hyde Park Nando’s (1447 E. 53rd Street) is offering weekday lunchtime specials through Friday, October 31:
• Valid Monday-Friday until 2 p.m.
• Valid for dine-in or take-out with the Nando’s app
• Specials range from $9.99 to $13.99 with beverage

Click HERE for more information.

Learn to Crochet - Granny Square
2025-10-30 18:00 - 21:00 | Fiber Friends Studios, Inc., 1744 E 55th Street, Chicago, 60615
Learn to Crochet – Granny Square
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 (7+) and adults alike!
Level: Beginner. No prior experience needed.
Pre-requisites: None
Included in class: 3 balls of Happy Yarn (47 yds / 20g), a 5mm crochet hook, and a darning needle.

Nathaniel Mary Quinn and Gregory Huebner: The Hand That Guides Exhibition Opening Reception
2025-10-30 18:00 - 20:00 | Arts + Public Life, 301 East Garfield Blvd, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States
Nathaniel Mary Quinn and Gregory Huebner: The Hand That Guides Exhibition Opening Reception
This exhibition marks the first joint presentation of Nathaniel Mary Quinn and his former mentor Gregory Huebner, two artists whose practices are bound by the transformative power of guidance, reflection, and human connection.
Renowned for his emotionally charged, collage-like portraits, Quinn presents a new series of paintings on linen created specifically for this occasion. These works meditate on the “guiding hands” that have shaped his life and artistic path—mentors, loved ones, and inner voices—while opening a broader conversation about the universal role of mentorship in shaping creative journeys.
Alongside Quinn’s new work, the exhibition features Huebner’s Ritual series (2015–ongoing), a body of abstract paintings that channel his lifelong exploration of the unseen. Layering color, energy, and gesture, Huebner seeks balance amid chaos, grounding his work in decades of philosophical inquiry and spiritual study.
Together, their works resonate across generations, offering two distinct yet interconnected visions of art as a practice of searching—whether for selfhood, for spirit, or for the possibility of transformation.
This exhibition is curated by Anastasia Karpova Tinari with assistance from Sheridan Tucker Anderson
About the Artists
Nathaniel Mary Quinn (b. 1977) creates hybrid, fractured portraits and figures on paper and linen canvas using black charcoal, gouache, soft pastel, oil pastel, paint stick, and oil paint. His works are replete with art historical references to Cubism, Surrealism, Francis Bacon, and others. Yet, his process is also very personal, drawing from his memories, experiences, traumas, and family history growing up in Chicago’s Robert Taylor Homes. Nathaniel Mary Quinn balances the beautiful with the grotesque, the sinister with the benevolent, capturing the complexity of human emotion in a way that is individual and representative of the human condition.
Almine Rech Gallery and Gagosian Gallery represent Nathaniel Mary Quinn worldwide.
Nathaniel Mary Quinn has exhibited at galleries and institutions internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include Gagosian, New York and Paris; Almine Rech, London, England; Half Gallery, New York; Luce Gallery, Torino, Italy; M + B Gallery, Los Angeles; Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago; Bunker 259 Gallery, Brooklyn; Pace Gallery, London, England; and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, Wisconsin. Numerous group exhibitions have featured his work, including at The Bronx Museum of Art, Albertz Benda, New York, Satori Gallery, New York, Susan-Inglett Gallery, New York, and in A Process Series | Here He Come: Black Jesus, curated by Jessamyn Fiore at Rawson Projects, New York. Multiple publications have reviewed his work and studio practice, including the New York Times, The Independent (London), Cultured Magazine, The Brooklyn Rail, Family Style, AFROPUNK, the Chicago Reader, The Daily News, Huffington Post, and The New Yorker. He is the recipient of the Lorraine Hansberry Artistic, Performance, and Fine Arts Award and a two-time National Arts Club Prize winner. Considerable public institutions, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Sheldon Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, carry his work in their permanent collections. Nathaniel Mary Quinn, a native of Chicago, received his BFA from Wabash College and his MFA from New York University. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Gregory Huebner is Professor of Art Emeritus at Wabash College. He received his BA in Art in 1971 from St. Benedict’s College in Atchison, KS, and his MFA in 1973 from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. He taught at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, for 37 years (1974–2011), serving as Chair of the Department for 23 years and holding the rank of Full Professor of Art since 1990.
Huebner has had 32 solo exhibitions and been featured in 85 group and juried exhibitions, receiving several awards for his paintings. His work is represented in 33 public collections and over 90 private collections, including Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at Notre Dame University, Indiana State Museum Collection, Greater Lafayette Museum of Art Collection, Deloitte & Touche Collection, IU Health Collection, and others . He currently resides in Indianapolis, IN, where he is an artist-in-residence with Virtusa Corporation. His series—including Amplexo, Litany, Vision Quest, Passage, Silence, Centering, Jazz, Transition, and Ritual—were the subject of a major retrospective at Wabash College in 2024, highlighting fifty years of artistic production.
All APL programs are free and open to the public. To help us continue to provide these programs and build a hub for arts & culture on the South Side, we appreciate donations of all sizes. Your support sustains the rich ecosystem of artists that make the Arts Block so vibrant. To make a donation, please visit our giving page.

The Hand That Guides: Conversation with Nathaniel Mary Quinn and Anasatasia Karpova Tinari
2025-10-30 17:00 - 18:00 | Arts + Public Life, 301 East Garfield Blvd, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States
The Hand That Guides: Conversation with Nathaniel Mary Quinn and Anasatasia Karpova Tinari
Join artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn and exhibition curator Anasatasia Karpova Tinari for a conversation exploring The Hand That Guides, a powerful exhibition that pairs Quinn with his former mentor, Gregory Huebner. Together, their work highlights the transformative role of mentorship, reflection, and human connection in shaping creative practice.
Quinn, celebrated for his emotionally charged, collage-like portraits, debuts a new series of paintings on linen meditating on the “guiding hands” that have influenced his artistic journey. Alongside, Huebner presents his ongoing Ritual series, abstract paintings rooted in decades of philosophical and spiritual study.
This dialogue takes place just before the exhibition opening celebration. Guests are invited to continue the evening by walking to the Arts Incubator to experience the exhibition firsthand.
All APL programs are free and open to the public. To help us continue to provide these programs and build a hub for arts & culture on the South Side, we appreciate donations of all sizes. Your support sustains the rich ecosystem of artists that make the Arts Block so vibrant. To make a donation, please visit our giving page.

TSR Workshops: Light Work A Community Guide to Solar Power & Resistance
2025-10-29 17:00 - 18:00 | The Silver Room
Join us at The Silver Room to learn about solar power and resistance in our Light Work: A Community Guide to Solar Power and Resilience

Solar technology doesn’t have to be complicated or corporate! Together, we’ll learn how to design and assemble a portable solar generator – an off-grid power system that can keep phones charged, lights on, and even fridges running for outdoor use or during emergency power outages.
Session 1: Focuses on identifying all of the necessary components of an energy system and how they are assembled.
Session 2: Expands upon the first session by focusing on performing the necessary calculations to design your own system from scratch
Born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, Keyante is a solar energy system installer by trade. He got his start in the industry as a participant of the Chicago Urban League’s Solar Installation Program. As a Trades instructor, Keyante’s goal is to provide participants with enough knowledge and skills to be competitive candidates in the industry. When not instructing, Keyante runs a startup called Daze of Autonomy, installing Microgrid energy systems for landowners. With rising energy costs, ever present climate changes and increasing cyber attacks on critical infrastructure, Keyante believes decentralized energy infrastructure provides security and resilience our communities.

Committed Knitters
2025-10-29 11:00 - 15:00 | UChicago Arts Incubator, 301 E. Garfield Boulevard, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States
Committed Knitters
Committed Knitters meets bi-weekly at the Arts Incubator Flex Space for a cozy, creative gathering open to all skill levels.
Committed Knitters invites you to our bi-weekly gatherings at the Arts Incubator Flex Space. Whether you’re a longtime knitter or picking up needles for the very first time, you’re welcome here. Come spend time in community, exchange ideas, and make steady progress on your projects in a relaxed, creative setting.
Supplies are provided—just bring yourself.
Drop in anytime.
Registration is not required, but encouraged to receive email updates and reminders about the other dates in this series.

Silver Room Workshops: Art Direction 101: Live Album Cover Creation
2025-10-28 17:00 - 19:00 | The Silver Room
Learn how to create stunning live album covers at our Silverroom Workshop: Art Direction 101!
Have you ever wanted to make a visually stunning album cover, but never knew where to start? Dive into the process in this live workshop with Art Director Justin Lindberg. We’ll be doing live photography, editing, and digital designing of an album cover for a local Chicago artist. Best design may even get a chance to become an artist’s next cover. Bring your preferred design/editing software, creative mind and good vibes. Camera is provided, but feel free to bring your own! This workshop is free with a suggested $5 donation that can be made via Eventbrite or in person.
Justin Lindberg is an Art Director and multi-disciplinary artist from Chicago’s West Side. He’s led the Art Direction for brands like Beats by Dre, Jack Daniel’s, the Chicago Cubs, and currently sits as the co-founder of Vision Dealer Studios, providing full visual creative services to help push independent artists and creatives.

Cappella Pratensis
2025-10-26 15:00 - 17:00 | Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637, United States
Cappella Pratensis
Cappella Pratensis transforms Renaissance polyphony from dusty manuscript to living sound. One of the world’s only ensembles to sing directly from historical notation, their collective voice brings 15th- and 16th-century music to life with an immersive, historically informed approach. Their performances blend scholarship with artistry, incorporating improvisation, liturgical reconstructions, and collaborations with actors, digital animators, and dancers. Their latest projects continue to push boundaries, proving that centuries-old music can still surprise, move, and resonate.
With this programme, the Gramophone Award-winning ensemble Cappella Pratensis presents Guillaume Dufay’s sumptuous Missa Ecce ancilla Domini framed within the ritual context of the Missa Aurea, or Golden Mass, as celebrated in the fifteenth century. The performance includes a semi-staged liturgical drama in which the roles of Gabriel and Mary are played by members of the ensemble, inspired by some of the more colorful descriptions of the medieval period. Evoking the sights and sounds of medieval music, the eight singers of Cappella Pratensis perform huddled around a single choirbook, conjuring an intense and intimate soundworld.

Wood You Be My Pumpkin? Sinners Edition
2025-10-26 13:00 - 16:00 | Strugglebeard Bakery, 5221 S. Harper Court, Chicago, IL, 60615, United States
Wooden pumpkins + BYOB + sweet treats + friends = the perfect spooky day party. Will we see you there?

Pumpkins in the Park
2025-10-26 13:00 - 16:00 | Nichols Park, Chicago, IL, 60615, United States
Pumpkins in the Park
Sunday, October 26
1-4 p.m.
South End of Nichols Park
Halloween Family Fun
• Pumpking Decorating
• Day of the Dead Crafts (with United Credit Union)
• Music Magic Time (with Coffy & Yankini)
• Halloween Stories & Book Giveaway (with Bookish Chicago)
• Disc Golf Games (with Hyde Park Disc Golf)
• Fun Photo Backdrops (costumes encouraged)

Learn to Knit: Cowl
2025-10-26 13:00 - 16:00 | Fiber Friends Studios, Inc., 1744 E 55th Street, Chicago, 60615
Learn to Knit: Cowl
Learn the basics of knitting – how to do the knit stitch, cast on, and cast off – while knitting a cozy, simple cowl for fall and winter.
Level: Beginner. No prior experience needed.
Pre-requisites: Ages 18+.
Included in class: One skein of West Yorkshire Spinners (WYS) Retreat Twist Chunky, size 10 knitting needle, and darning needle.

Costume Parade
2025-10-26 11:00 - 12:00 | *Play Toys•Books•Gifts, 1502 E. 55th Street, Chicago, IL, 60615, United States
Costume Parade
*Play Hyde Park is hosting a children’s costume parade on Sunday, October 26 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. at 1502 E. 55th Street in the Hyde Park Shopping Center Courtyard.
Prizes for the most creative DIY costume!
Open to all ages!
Free parking in the Hyde Park Shopping Center parking lot.
