As the Chicago Blues Festival returns to Millennium Park this weekend, one of the city's most influential blues institutions is taking center stage.

Why it matters: Alligator Records will celebrate its 55th anniversary Friday night with a mainstage showcase featuring Ronnie Baker Brooks, Lil' Ed Williams & The Blues Imperials, Toronzo Cannon and other Chicago blues stars.

Context: Alligator owner Bruce Iglauer has deep roots in Chicago blues, not just from starting his famed record label in 1971, but also for being at the table when the Blues Festival was created in 1984.

What they're saying: "After Harold Washington was elected mayor, he appointed Lois Weisberg as head of event planning for the city," Iglauer tells Axios. "Within a week or two, Lois and I were seated on the same educational panel ... I went up to her and asked if we were [going] to celebrate Chicago's greatest musical export, and that's when the first Blues Festival was scheduled."

The bottom line: Few people have shaped the Chicago Blues Festival more than Iglauer. This year, the festival is returning the favor.

If you go: The Alligator Records tribute is Friday night at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

• The fest runs Fri.-Sun., noon-9pm at Millennium Park.

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We've waited long enough, but summer has arrived.

• Let's get at it! Here are some ways to do just that.

Friday, June 5

🎸 Producer extraordinaire Jack Antonoff brings his indie rock band Bleachers to the Salt Shed this weekend. | $75+ | Friday and Sunday

🇬🇷 Get your Greek on at the Lincoln Park Greek Fest. Enjoy authentic food, pastries, traditional dancing, and live music at St. George Greek Orthodox Church. | $10 suggested donation | Friday - Sunday

🎭 Watch Mia Chung's "Catch as Catch Can" at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. | $20+ | Through Sunday, July 12

🎵 Jam to live performances by local musicians at First Friday Music Series along Sheridan between Devon and Pratt. | Multiple locations | Through Friday, Sept. 4 | Details

⚽️ Gear up for the World Cup as Soccer House broadcasts the friendlies ahead of next week's matches. Plus, a live podcast recording and sticker swaps. | Soccer House | Through the end of June

Saturday, June 6

📚 Kick off summer at Chicago Public Library branches on Saturday. | Multiple locations | 10am-3pm

🔥 Learn about the people who rebuilt Chicago after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 at Shaping the City: Civic Leadership in Gilded Age Chicago panel. | Driehaus Museum | 3-4pm

🖼️ Survey the great artwork on display at the annual 57th Street Art Fair in Hyde Park. Take in some live blues music, too. | Saturday - Sunday

😋 Try something tasty at the Elements of Taste Food Truck Festival. | Christ Universal Temple | 1pm

Sunday, June 7

🎳 Celebrate Circle Bowling Lanes' 85th anniversary with retro pricing, raffles and used-pin sales. | Circle Bowling Lanes in Forest Park | 10am

🎸 Rock out with Melissa Etheridge at Brookfield Zoo for the opener of the Roaring Nights concert series. | $55+ | Brookfield Zoo | 7pm

🎗️ Walk or run in the 33rd Annual Cancer Survivors' Celebration Walk & 5K for The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dermatologists from Northwestern and Neutrogena will offer skin checks and sunscreen samples. | Grant Park | $30+ to register | 8am-noon

But, that's not 25! Oh, there are more

Whether you want a thriller, rom-com, documentary or reality show, there's something new to watch on streaming this week. A few highlights:

"Cape Fear" — limited series available Friday on Apple TV

• Married attorneys (Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson) have their lives upended when the killer they helped put away (Javier Bardem) gets out of prison and comes looking for revenge.

"Office Romance" — romantic comedy available Friday on Netflix

• Jennifer Lopez plays an airline CEO whose new lawyer (Brett Goldstein) falls for her, complicating a high-stakes case and their careers.

"Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That's the Weight of the World)" — documentary available Sunday on HBO Max

• Questlove directs this HBO documentary about Chicago's very own Earth, Wind & Fire, tracing the soul-funk band's spiritual origins and musical influence from the 1970s to present day.

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