😎 Happy Friday eve! Did the week feel long to you, too?

• Well, let's dive into the fun stuff, shall we?

Today's newsletter is 861 words — a 3-minute read.

After more than a decade of playing the sport in bars and parks, Chicago's bocce community has a home court.

What to expect: Chicago Bocce Club in West Town calls itself the city's first dedicated bocce clubhouse, with five professional-grade indoor and outdoor courts, a private backyard with other games and a coworking and events space.

Flashback: Chicago Bocce Club co-founder Alex Gara started hosting bocce leagues and pop-up games around Chicago more than a decade ago, eventually playing in national tournaments.

State of play: Fast forward to now, Gara is part of the Chicago Bocce League (CBL). CBL consists of six teams stretching from Highwood to Beverly with a sister league in Ohio called the Ohio Bocce League.

History: Italian immigrants brought bocce to Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs in the early 20th century, and the sport maintains a fervent following today in predominantly Italian communities, like Elmwood Park.

How it works: Chicago Bocce Club memberships range from $50 a month to $1,320 a year based on perks.

If you go: Chicago Bocce Club is located at 410 N. Paulina Ave. in West Town.

Share with a bocce bud

Carrie's picks:

🎶 Galewood is one of those neighborhoods I don't visit enough, with cool architecture and residents with deep roots. Galewoodstock Music Festival could be a good opportunity to explore it more. | W. Bloomingdale and N. Sayre | Free | Saturday, noon

🕺🏻 Dancing to soul music at the Hideout brings back so many wonderful memories of when I was young and cool (ha!) I can revisit that joy this weekend at Heart of Chicago Soul Club's dance party. | The Hideout | $20 | Saturday, 8pm

🐶 Any event where we can bring our pup, Zuzu, is on my radar. Next week, The Talbott and LAUREL will donate 50% of all proceeds from its Dogs on Delaware menu to PAWS. No martini for Zuzu, though. | Monday - Friday

Justin's picks:

🇺🇸 NPR's Cheryl Corley was one of my earliest mentors. I learned a lot about radio when we worked together at WBEZ. This weekend, she's performing spoken word alongside Chicago jazz great Lucy Smith in "America: Songs and Stories of Protest and Freedom" to truly honor America's 250th. | Clarendon Community Center Park | Free | Saturday, 5pm

🎸 What better way to get back to my 1990s roots than to take in some 1990s indie rock shows! Superchunk is at Space on Friday and local rockers Fig Dish are reuniting at Cobra Lounge on Saturday.

🖼️ If you know me, you know I love sidewalk chalk art. So sign me up for this weekend's Chalk Howard Street 2026 when artists take over a swath of Rogers Park. You can buy a street square for yourself to unleash your inner-Michaelangelo. | East of the Howard ‘L’ stop | Free | Saturday, 11am-7pm |

Monica's picks:

🥘 I love the idea of grooving to music while helping provide meals to folks, so I'm super tempted by the Food Aid Festival in Austin where Joe Pug performs Friday ($40) followed by a free Saturday block party and ticketed ($55) performance by Shemekia Copeland. Robert's Westside in Forest Park

🎻 Thirsty Ears Festival in Ravenswood has been classing up Chicago's street fest scene with an all-classical lineup for more than a decade. Performances that range from chamber music and piano duos to a "nois quartet" and all Bach and Beethoven programs.| Wilson from Hermitage to Ravenswood | $10 suggested donation | Saturday & Sunday

🍽️ COVID didn't create a ton of great memories, but I did love the creative al fresco innovations like Dine Out On Broadway, which is hosting its final weekend of the summer with more than 20 participating restaurants on Broadway from Belmont to Wellington. | Free admission | Friday to Sunday

From a series finale to an A24 film and new documentaries, here are the streaming releases worth having on your radar this weekend.

Outer Banks — Final season available Thursday on Netflix

• After a friend's death, a tight-knit group of young treasure hunters known as the Pogues sets out on one more adventure, which becomes a revenge mission.

Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing — Documentary available now on Netflix

• Catch up quick: It's a follow-up to Kennedy's 2022 documentary "Downfall," which examined the two fatal 737 Max crashes and Boeing's internal culture.

Mother Mary — Psychological drama available Friday on HBO Max

• A global pop star (Anne Hathaway) reconnects with her estranged former costume designer and best friend (Michaela Coel) for help with a comeback performance.

🗯️ Carrie's thought bubble: I am verrrry excited to see that season 3 of Conan O'Brien Must Go premieres tomorrow on HBO Max. It's such a goofy, hilarious, beautiful, awkward show that only he could do.

Go deeper: See last week's picks.

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Edited by Monica Eng.