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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Chicago. Written by Monica Eng, Justin Kaufmann and Carrie Shepherd.

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A guide to fun things to do in Chicago this weekend.

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The Savannah Bananas bring their quirky, playful style of baseball to Wrigley Field for the first time this weekend. Plus, secondhand shoppers have plenty to sift through at two different upcycle and vintage markets.

⚾️ Banana Ball World Tour brings the Savannah Bananas to Wrigley Field for the first time. If you can't get a ticket to the game, they'll broadcast on the team's YouTube channel and ESPN2. |  Friday, 7pm; Saturday 4pm; Sunday 3pm | Details

🍌 Savannah Bananas–themed menu with banana-inspired cocktails, desserts and food specials. | Mordecai | $12-$32 | Thursday-Sunday | Details

🎵 Gospel Music Festival celebrates the genre with its annual free fest. | Jay Pritzker Pavilion | Friday, 4-9pm and Saturday, noon-9pm | Details

🎭 "Dream Devis: The Death and Life Of" presents an existentialist romp through time, history and pop culture. | 1700 Theater at Steppenwolf | $33 | Through Sunday | Details

💪 Free barre3 classes all day. | barre3 West Loop | Free | Friday, 6:30am-5:15pm | Details

💃🏼 Karol G brings her Tropitour to town. | Soldier Field | $172+ | Friday and Saturday, 7pm | Details

🍹 Toro is offering a complimentary cocktail with any purchase of $25 or more for diners who show their Karol G ticket. | Toro | $25 | Friday-Saturday | Details

🎸 Third Man Hardware and Reverb are hosting a pop-up at Reverb HQ with a live Q&A with bassist Dominic Davis and demos of a new Third Man pedal. | Reverb HQ | Free | Friday, 2-5pm | Details

🏌️‍♀️ Nine & Wine at Crane's Landing Golf Club combines golf with wine tastings at each hole. | Crane's Landing Golf Club (Lincolnshire Marriott Resort) | $70 | Friday, 5pm | Details

🎉 The 23rd annual Chicago Disability Pride Parade celebrates during Disability Pride Month. | Free | Dearborn Pkwy. from Harold Washington Library to Daley Plaza | Saturday, 11am | Details

🦎 The Lizard y El Sol play offers free outdoor performances for children up to age 5. The one-hour performances are primarily in Spanish with a hands-on workshop following each show. | Portage Park | Free | Saturday, 9:30am and 11:30am | Details

🧘‍♀️ Rise & Pulse features Pure Barre leading a low-impact, full-body class on the terrace with skyline views. | Cindy's | $34 | Saturday, 8am | Details

🎴 The Pokémon Trade Day & Mini Expo gathers vendors and collectors for card trading and games. | Chicago Athletic Association | Saturday, 11am-5pm | Details

🎤 Six One Five Collective will perform. | RiverEdge Park | $22 | Saturday, 8pm | Details

🍔 Super Burger Time lets guests crown the best burger in town. Contenders include Cash's Kitchen, Chicago Secret Burger, Bar Berria, Jem's Smashburger and more. | Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar | $55 | Saturday, 3-6pm | Details

🎋 Ikebana Walking Exhibition offers an outdoor walking tour of Japanese flower arrangements in Lakeview. | Free | Southport Corridor | Saturday and Sunday, noon-4pm | Details

♻️ Trashy Summer Market is a free festival featuring 30 upcycling artists, workshops and live music. | Hairpin Arts Center | Free | Sunday, 10am-4pm | Details

🏃 Dignity Dash: Thriving Through The Finish Line 5K to raise funds for BSA's Dignity Suite to provide identity-affirming resources. | AIDS Garden Chicago | Sunday, 8am-noon | Details

🛍️ Andersonville Vintage Market features antiques, home décor, jewelry, clothing, vinyl and other finds from over 40 local vendors. | St. Gregory parking lot | $5 donation requested | Sunday, 11am-5pm | Details

🦁 "13 Portraits" exhibition explores the deeper consciousness of animals through portraiture. Artist Elizabeth Wilson will be on hand to answer questions at a public reception. | Free | Leslie Wolfe Gallery | Sunday, 2-4pm; exhibition runs through Aug. 2 | Details

🎸 WhiteWolfSonicPrincess, The Handcuffs, Scott & Odie perform. | $23-$33 | Space | Tuesday, 6pm | Details

Weekender: Savannah Bananas at Wrigley, Super Burgers and more

Here's what's happening in Chicago this weekend.

A baseball batter in a bright yellow uniform swings mid-air as the ball approaches; a colorful crowd roars in the stands while yellow-clad teammates and a pink-vested umpire watch.

Bananas Brandon Stilts Sherman in 2023 at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton, Massachusetts. Photo: Stuart Cahill/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

The Savannah Bananas bring their quirky, playful style of baseball to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Wrigley Field" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/01/cubs-wrigley-field-ricketts-cubby-bear-small-cheval-2016-rooftops" data-vars-content-id="61936651-e879-4061-b810-f7fd1e8407ca" data-vars-headline="Weekender: Savannah Bananas at Wrigley, Super Burgers and more" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/01/cubs-wrigley-field-ricketts-cubby-bear-small-cheval-2016-rooftops" target="_self">Wrigley Field</a> for the first time this weekend. Plus, secondhand shoppers have plenty to sift through at two different upcycle and vintage markets.<ul><li>We&#x27;ve got your weekend itinerary ahead.</li></ul>

Things to Do

Food and Drink

Culture

Raw leafy greens are off the table for many Chicagoans as the country deals with a Cyclosporiasis outbreak. 

Why it matters: An Axios Chicago poll found that nearly half of respondents are avoiding lettuce while public health officials investigate.

Catch up quick: Federal investigators are trying to determine the source of the outbreak that has sickened thousands nationwide. Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce last week after it emerged as a possible source, though the FDA continues to investigate and has not finalized the source of the outbreak.  

CDC reported more than 11,500 cases of Cyclosporiasis since May 1, with 4,173 laboratory-confirmed domestic cases and more than 7,400 cases not yet confirmed by a lab.

By the numbers: Respondents to Axios' poll said:

49% are avoiding raw leafy greens for now

29% are more selective about where lettuce is sourced

7% are throwing caution to the wind and eating as usual

"While I've generally been avoiding raw greens and veggies, I caved the other day and added lettuce to my Potbelly sandwich. I've been worrying about it ever since!" Kris A. answered in our poll about avoiding leafy greens.

"I've had digestive issues since I was a teenager, so there's no point looking for trouble." — Mimi S. 

"I'm eating peeled cucumbers to replace lettuce. Better safe than sorry." —Suzanne O.

Being more selective and avoiding bagged salads

"I don't trust RFK Jr. and the CDC. Better to be safe. I made a dish calling for spinach and I used frozen instead of fresh, for example," — Barb M. 

"We eat a lot of salads at home, and trust the greens from 80 Acres sold at Mariano's. 80 Acres grows all their greens hydroponically in their own greenhouses and seals and ships them directly to grocers." — Kyle H.

"I keep trying to remember not to eat bagged lettuce. But I've been tripped up at a delicious catered taco bar at work more than once! I'm still ok so far." — Katie C.

"I believe the lettuce in the stores is safe. If it wasn't, I'm sure they would pull it from their shelves." — Ron K. 

"It really is a small amount of affected people. Summer is BLT season and I don't want to miss that!" — Bryan M.

Zoom out: The outbreak is happening as the U.S. grapples with the worst year on record for the intestinal illness, which is caused by a parasite transmitted through food or water contaminated with human feces.

What to do: While skipping greens may be easy for some, others are craving salads and other fresh veggies. The FDA has detailed measures to take to clean food and keep your body safe.

Chicagoans rethink leafy greens amid outbreak

Axios Chicago asked readers how they're responding to the Cyclosporiasis outbreak.

Illustration of a head of lettuce with a sick expression on it

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

Raw leafy greens are off the table for many Chicagoans as the country deals with a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Cyclosporiasis outbreak" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/20/cyclospora-outbreak-diarrhea-infection-wash-food" data-vars-content-id="66521808-ea5d-47c6-82f5-269974471337" data-vars-headline="Chicagoans rethink leafy greens amid outbreak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/20/cyclospora-outbreak-diarrhea-infection-wash-food" target="_self">Cyclosporiasis outbreak</a>. Why it matters: An <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios Chicago poll" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/07/21/cyclospora-outbreak-fda-taylor-farms-lettuce-summer-illinois-vegetables" data-vars-content-id="66521808-ea5d-47c6-82f5-269974471337" data-vars-headline="Chicagoans rethink leafy greens amid outbreak" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/07/21/cyclospora-outbreak-fda-taylor-farms-lettuce-summer-illinois-vegetables" target="_self">Axios Chicago poll</a> found that nearly half of respondents are avoiding lettuce while public health officials investigate.

Health

News

Environment

A Gold Coast condo building long known as the "phantom building" is getting new life after sitting mostly vacant for decades.  

Why it matters: Historic buildings in Chicago's highly sought-after neighborhoods, especially vacant ones, often succumb to the wrecking ball to make way for single-family homes. But the 45,000-sq. ft. residential building called The Dearborn has managed to avoid that fate and is starting a new chapter. 

The big picture: Chicago developers Altitude Capital Partners closed on the property at 1447 N. Dearborn Pkwy. in March for $10 million. 

Altitude's Brian Dohman tells Axios most of the eight condos have been sold and expects residents to move in this fall.

Catch up quick: Once a 50-room long-term-stay hotel, Chicago developer John Brown purchased the brick and limestone courtyard building in 1990, according to Crain's.

Under his ownership, Brown later converted it into condos and renovated the building in fits and spurts, with it sitting mostly vacant during those years, often piquing the interest of neighbors and dog walkers.

State of play: Altitude became interested in The Dearborn after Brown died in 2024.

The developers, along with their real estate and design partner, Shanna Collective, saw a rare opportunity for an infrastructure-sound building in a prime location.

What they're saying: "A lot of times buildings like this sit and they're not properly cared for, and they can break down. This building was heated. It was fully enclosed. This building was fully cared for," Dohman says, referring to the previous owner's commitment to it.

Plus, "It's limited supply in a great neighborhood. Several of our buyers are from out of state. Chicago is a good value even at these price points."

By the numbers: Those price points? Listing prices range from $2.5 to $4 million.

Zoom in: Despite the upscale reputation of the Gold Coast, like many major cities, the last few years have been about building back after the pandemic. Dohman says buyers see the progress.

"Despite always being a pretty good neighborhood, it's continued to improve and brings a lot of amenities with the development that's going on around here on the commercial side."

Chicago's "phantom building" gets new life

After sitting mostly vacant for decades, the restored Gold Coast building welcomes residents this fall.

Brick residential complex with large windows. A navy sign reads "The Dearborn" advertising eight full-floor luxury residences. Iron fence, stone spheres, and curved balconies with a high-rise behind.

A <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Gold Coast " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/15/1954-photo-gold-coast-adolphs-agostinos-carmines-rush-street" data-vars-content-id="a9762bb1-3f14-4064-9157-6c99e067e0de" data-vars-headline="Chicago&#x27;s &quot;phantom building&quot; gets new life" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/15/1954-photo-gold-coast-adolphs-agostinos-carmines-rush-street" target="_self">Gold Coast </a>condo building long known as the &quot;phantom building&quot; is getting new life after sitting mostly vacant for decades. Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Historic buildings" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/03/04/chicago-endangered-historic-buildings-2025" data-vars-content-id="a9762bb1-3f14-4064-9157-6c99e067e0de" data-vars-headline="Chicago&#x27;s &quot;phantom building&quot; gets new life" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/03/04/chicago-endangered-historic-buildings-2025" target="_self">Historic buildings</a> in Chicago&#x27;s highly sought-after neighborhoods, especially vacant ones, often succumb to the wrecking ball to make way for single-family homes. But the 45,000-sq. ft. residential building called <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Dearborn" data-vars-click-url="https://www.goldcoastrealty-chicago.com/the-dearborn-condos-1447-n-dearborn-st-gold-coast.php" data-vars-content-id="a9762bb1-3f14-4064-9157-6c99e067e0de" data-vars-headline="Chicago&#x27;s &quot;phantom building&quot; gets new life" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.goldcoastrealty-chicago.com/the-dearborn-condos-1447-n-dearborn-st-gold-coast.php" target="_blank">The Dearborn</a> has managed to avoid that fate and is starting a new chapter.

Real Estate

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

Neighborhoods

History

More than a century after the start of the 1919 Chicago Race Riot, the city is commemorating all 38 people killed during one of its worst episodes of racial violence.

The big picture: As part of the city's ongoing effort to show a more truthful history of race, segregation and inequity in its public monuments, it has completed the installation of permanent markers for each of the people killed during the unrest.

Black-and-white image of several soldiers in vintage uniforms with wide hats, standing on a sidewalk and talking, each holding rifles. A brick wall and a large sign are behind them.

National Guardsmen, called in by Mayor "Big Bill" Thompson after three days of rioting, question an African American man in Chicago, 1919. Photo: Jun Fujita/Chicago History Museum/Getty Images

Flashback: On July 27, 1919, as Black teen Eugene Williams and his friends cooled off in Lake Michigan on a hot summer day, Williams' raft floated into the unmarked "whites only" area. George Stauber, a 24-year-old white man, started throwing rocks at Williams, who then drowned.

As word of the killing spread, white people from neighborhoods like Back of the Yards and Bridgeport descended on the primarily Black South Side, shooting and setting fire to buildings.

Twenty-three Black and 15 white men died in the riot.

The Chicago Race Riot was one of the deadliest episodes of the 1919 Red Summer, a wave of racial violence that erupted in more than two dozen cities across the country.

Driving the news: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project (CRR19) and city officials will make comments at 10am Saturday at 125 Fort Dearborn Drive (north of 31st Street Beach), the site of the newly installed commemorative markers.

CRR19 will then lead a 7-mile guided bike tour highlighting all 38 markers and other historical sites connected to the riot.

On a tan table, several small art boxes or books arranged in rows. Foreground shows a white box with a black-and-teal illustration of two silhouetted people and a blue label; surrounding are yellow and blue covers.

Photo: Courtesy of Walter S. Mitchell III, City of Chicago

Zoom in: Youth artists from Project FIRE, a trauma recovery program for young people affected by gun violence, collaborated on the permanent markers. 

Zoom out: The installation is part of the Chicago Monuments Project, which the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events launched in 2020 to address inequities in Chicago's public monuments.

Go deeper: CRR19 presents biographies of each victim on its website, as well as a detailed history of the riot.

If you go: The free bike tour departs at 10:30am Saturday at 125 Fort Dearborn Drive and ends at Illinois Institute of Technology parking lot D5.

CRR19 also offers a self-guided bike tour.

Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project 

Chicago unveils permanent memorials for 1919 Race Riot

A new memorial and bike tour commemorate Eugene Williams and the 37 other victims of the 1919 violence.

Sidewalk memorial with a bronze plaque reading "CHICAGO RACE RIOT of 1919 COMMEMORATION PROJECT" and a blue inset illustration of figures labeled 1882–1919.

More than a century after the start of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="1919 Chicago Race Riot" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2022/07/27/remembering-1919-race-riots" data-vars-content-id="cb3c8d79-39ca-4562-b096-4bad4e6e9d4f" data-vars-headline="Chicago unveils permanent memorials for 1919 Race Riot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2022/07/27/remembering-1919-race-riots" target="_self">1919 Chicago Race Riot</a>, the city is commemorating all 38 people killed during one of its worst episodes of racial violence.The big picture: As part of the city&#x27;s ongoing effort to show a more truthful history of race, segregation and inequity in its public monuments, it has completed the installation of permanent markers for each of the people killed during the unrest.

Even though no Chicago Sky players made this year's roster, Chicago fans can still enjoy WNBA All-Star weekend.

Driving the news: The WNBA All-Star game tips off Saturday at 7:30pm at the United Center, but events leading up to the game celebrate the league and women's sports.

The State Farm 3-Point Contest and Kia WNBA Shooting Stars start at 7pm on Friday at Wintrust Arena.

WNBA Live fan fest kicks off at 5pm Thursday and runs until 7pm Saturday at McCormick Place.

State of play: The weekend features league superstars, but also conversations and events focused on women's sports, business, empowerment and style.

🏀 Cousins Camp is a chance to hone your B-ball skills with fellow WNBA lovers. | Free | Friday, 10:30am-1pm | Details

☕️ Unrivaled Coffee Club offers a chance to meet players over coffee. | Free | Drip Coffee | Friday, 11am-8pm | Details 

🎽 Pinterest and TOGETHXR host a styling studio with superstars Breanna Stewart, Natasha Cloud and the New York Liberty team. Fans are encouraged to bring their own apparel or shop for something new to customize. | Free | 113 N. Elizabeth St. | Friday, noon | Details

🎤 Live podcast tapings of "Good Game with Sarah Spain" and "Flagrant and Funny" with Jemele Hill and Cari Champion dig into all things women's sports. | Free | Level Sporting Club | Friday, 12:30pm | Details

👧 Jr. WNBA Day x AT&T will bring girls together for a basketball clinic, panel discussion, a vision board workshop and career exploration opportunities. | Free | Obama Presidential Center | Friday, 1:30-4:30pm | Details

🛍️ Chase Freedom's Cashback Courts and Complex host an all-women-led vintage market, live DJs, podcast tapings with A'ja Wilson and Candace Parker, and food trucks. | CineCity Studios | Friday, 3-10pm | Details

👟 Sneaker Ball features live DJs and a chance to flash your best sneakers. | Hubbard Inn | $43 | Friday, 9pm-2am | Details

⛲️ Queer Stride Run/Walk Club is a 3-mile walk to kick off the weekend with movement. | Free | Buckingham Fountain | Saturday, 10am | Details

🧢 Ally House meet-and-greets with Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Sydney Colson, food and drinks, a hat customization station and more. | Free | Chicago Illuminating Company | Saturday, noon-7pm | Details

💰 The 75 Million Campaign is hosting a writer's salon brunch, "Celebrating the WNBA at All-Star Weekend," for a conversation on women's sports and their link to women's economic security, plus networking for writers. | Free | Taste 222 Chicago | Saturday, 12:30pm | Details

🚶🏼GirlTREK and WNBA All-Star Community Health Walk presented by Evernorth celebrates movement, health and connection. | Free | Jackson Park | Saturday, 9am–noon | Details

🎉 Party Like It's 1996 celebrates former women's pro leagues ABL and WBL, hosted by former Team USA star and Hall of Famer Cathy Boswell. | Free | Babe's Sports Bar | Saturday, noon-4pm | Details

🍸 Love and Basketball Queer Mixer includes kinky bingo, tarot readings, cocktails and connections. | Free | Nobody's Darling | Sunday, 5-10pm | Details

WNBA All-Star weekend heats up in Chicago

From fan fest to player meet-and-greets, here's your guide to free and ticketed weekend events.

Courtney Vandersloot in orange jersey stretches her arms up to fans in the stands to autograph a basketball.

Former Chicago Sky player Courtney Vandersloot signs a basketball for a fan during the 2022 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at Wintrust Arena. Photo: Kena Krutsinger/NBAE via Getty Images

Even though no Chicago Sky players made this year&#x27;s roster, Chicago fans can still enjoy WNBA All-Star weekend.Driving the news: The WNBA All-Star game tips off Saturday at 7:30pm at the United Center, but events leading up to the game celebrate the league and women&#x27;s sports.

Carrie Shepherd

Featured stories

Chicago unveils permanent memorials for 1919 Race Riot

Chicagoans rethink leafy greens amid outbreak

Weekender: Savannah Bananas at Wrigley, Super Burgers and more

Chicago's "phantom building" gets new life

WNBA All-Star weekend heats up in Chicago