Actual Fun

3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11

Kids Helping Kids 9/11 Charity Lemon-Aid

Buy lemonade, popcorn or baked goods from kids at lemonade stand in River Forest and help a local charity. Front yard of house at 731 Bonnie Brae.

6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11

Meet the artist

Meet Oak Park painter Janice Elkins, the artist known as the grande dame of

Thursday, Sept. 11

Wine dinner

Visiting vineyard owner John Bargetto of Bargetto Winery presents six wines with six courses, dessert and dessert wine. $75. Call 771-8466 for reservations and details. Whole Cellars Wine, 410 Circle Ave., Forest Park. www.wholecellarswine.com

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12

Meet the artist

Meet Forest Park artist Juliette Herwitt while sipping wine at the opening reception for her Nightscapes paintings and book. At HouseRed, 7403 Madison, Forest Park. 771-7733.

8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12

Escanaba at a savings

Check out Big Betty Baloo and the Upper Peninsula gang for $20. Escanaba in Love is Jeff Daniels’ prequel to his hit comedy about a Michigan town and its hunters. Circle Theatre, 7300 Madison, Forest Park. 771-0700, www.circle-theatre.org

Starting at 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12

American roots music

Luke Sayers, the singer and songwriter who’s been called one of the best-kept secrets on the folk-rock scene, opens for Austin, Texas-favorite Bruce Robison and multi-instrumentalist powerhouse Guy Forsyth. $15. FitzGerald’s Nightclub,

Noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13

RibFest

One of the 25 competitors has made Emeril’s shortlist and boasts a recipe on the Food Network site. Does he rate in Forest Park? Judging is at 5 p.m., but get to the picnic grove early for music and samples. 7824 Madison, Forest Park

12:30 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13

Plant swap at the conservatory
Meet other local gardeners and trade cuttings at Oak Park Conservatory’s annual plant exchange. Drop off your garden perennials between 10 a.m. and noon. Make sure you wrap your plants individually or have them in a pot; if you can, labeled by type and color. You’ll also get the chance to trade your houseplants from some unusual plants the conservatory has. Oak Park Conservatory, 615 Garfield. 386-4700

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13

Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet concert

Just back from playing Beijing during the Olympics, a banjo-playing, singer-songwriter and her bandmates will perform their signature fusion of bluegrass with Chinese melodies. Lund Auditorium, in the Performing Arts Center at Dominican University, 7900 W. Division, River Forest. Tickets are $27 and $34. Call the box office at 488-5000 or go to www.dom.edu/pac.

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14

Jazz with champage brunch

$21.95, Hemmingway’s Bistro,

Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14

One spot to watch the Bears vs. the Panthers

$5 Bloody Marys at Avenue Ale House,

3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14

Second-last Sunday to see Love in the Middle Ages

Village Players’ new musical Love in the Middle Ages is about dating for boomers. $25; $20 for 65 and older and 18 and younger. Village Players’ Performing Arts Center, 1010 W. Madison, Oak Park. 866-764-1010. www.village-players.org