Can It Be Summertime Chi Yet?

The weather feels unsure, but the city's festivals say it's possible…

To view this email as a web page, click here. Catch up on episodes of "This Is What Chicago Sounds Like" — updates Thursdays! Happy almost Memorial Day weekend! Does this mean it’s summer now? I guess it’s debatable with the temperatures flying up and down every other week, but either way there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the sunny season… Firstly, Dreamer Isioma and their band, the Celestials, are performing their debut album Goodnight Dreamer for free (!!) tomorrow night at House of Vans in the West Loop! Advance online RSVP is required; registration is still available here. This weekend marks the return of Pilsen’s annual Mole de Mayo street festival for the first in-person celebration since 2019! Tomorrow through Sunday, celebrate the traditional Mexican sauce along 18th Street and Ashland Avenue with a mole cook-off and dozens of food vendors, plus a full lineup of music and DJs. More info on how to attend here! Tuesdays on the Terrace at the MCA is back! Starting June 7, catch different Chicago jazz musicians filling the museum’s courtyard every Tuesday through August 31, hosted by Al Carter Bey of WDCB 90.9 FM. The first artists performing will be Bobbi Wilsyn and Margaret Murphy-Webb. Find a full lineup and more information here. Admission is free, with both pre-registration and walk-up tickets available! The 75th-annual 57th Street Art Fair returns next weekend! On June 4 and 5, celebrate the city’s arts in the center of Hyde Park at the Midwest’s oldest juried art fair with 152 artists. Admission is free, and volunteers are still needed to help out with the fair. Apply to help out and find more info on their website! KAINA and Ben LaMar Gay will grace Navy Pier’s Lake Stage on Wednesday as part of the ongoing Chicago Humanities Festival! Kick off summer festivities the right way by supporting our city’s rich music and arts scene as the two artists perform their multifaceted music, framed by the sparkling city skyline. Tickets and more info is online ; don’t forget, the festival is running a BOGO ticket promo so you can invite your concert buddy free of charge! Don’t sleep on this… Vocalo is a proud media sponsor of multi-hyphenate artist Syd, performing June 8 at Thalia Hall in support of her second LP, Broken Hearts Club, released last month. Learn more about Syd here, and find tickets here. What would Chicago summers be without farmers markets? Our friends at WBEZ Kerry Cardoza and Charmaine Runes put together an interactive farmers market map of more than 80 markets to help you find your local community farmers market — or a new market to check out! Support the Chicago community by supporting local growers… and find some fresh fruits, veggies, flowers and more in the process. Know of a market missing from the list? Send them an email at web@wbez.org to suggest an addition! From Chicago and beyond, these are some artists on the trajectory to break through the monotony and make it big — featuring some names you might know, like Caleb Taylor, Loovy., Amira Jazeera and Papi Beatz... Poised To Break Through: May 2022 LISTEN HERE   1. do not disturb (peace mantra) - Savannah 2. the plan - Loovy. 3. Butterflies - Aieysha Haws 4. Money Counter - Teddy Truman 5. Ride - Tentendo & R.ICO 6. Top 5 - Lach 7. Inna Eyes - Rooky 8. Xio’s Song - Stacy Rene 9. Aziz - Vice 10. No Phase - Nia Asiel 11. May Flowers - Caleb Taylor 12. Crush - Amira Jazeera & Papi Beatz Vocalo X SXSW: Ausar The final artist highlight from our SXSW showcase — we hosted Chicago rapper Ausar at SXSW’s Radio Day Stage on March 19! His newest single “Love Is,” featuring Bari, dropped the day before his performance, and he treated fans to an exclusive solo piano performance (which, he admits, he learned just for the festival) plus other singles and tracks off his 2019 EP Flight Of The Honeybee . Stream “Love Is” and two more songs below or on our YouTube channel! READ MORE AnnMarie Brown Cultivates Space For Healing And Growth As the co-executive director of Rogers Park-based restorative justice organization Circles and Ciphers, AnnMarie Brown works to support young people in the community by healing trauma using hip-hop and peace circles. For “This Is What Chicago Sounds Like,” AnnMarie discusses with us the importance of restorative justice, the uniting factors of Chicago and how hip-hop can be used as a powerful tool for healing. READ MORE Do Good Number One The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization is in need of volunteers to help build their Little Village Urban Farm this Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! Volunteers can expect to help build trellis for vegetables and plant tomatoes, zucchini and tomatillos. Sign up to help out here. Check out the organization's Instagram page for more info on how to get involved, plus other opportunities to help out the community. GET INVOLVED Number Two East Garfield Park’s Breakthrough Mana Women’s Center, in partnership with Chicago Cares, is looking for volunteers to help serve healthy meals to residents of its women’s housing program the first Saturday of every month through the end of the year. Volunteers are still needed for June 4 and can expect to prep, cook and serve meals to community members in need. Sign up to help out now via Chicago Cares! GET INVOLVED Number Three The People’s Center For Cultural and Contemporary Arts (PCCC) in Pilsen is about to kick off their summer programs! An organization dedicated to expanding access to arts education for kids and adults, their arts summer camp for kids ages 8 to 18 begins June 20. The PCCC currently has a donation wish list of materials ranging from digital cameras to musical instruments to glue sticks. They’re also accepting monetary donations toward sponsoring students to attend their programs. More info and a full range of programs can be found on their website. GET INVOLVED Thanks for applying to Vocalo’s Storytelling Workshop! The application is now closed, but applicants can expect to hear back about acceptance into the program tomorrow. -- Have a volunteer opportunity you want to amplify? A community service project that deserves some love?  Send them our way; we’ll share some in the next edition of The Goods!    Tag Vocalo on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #VocaloIRL to let me know!  I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday weekend! Until next time… Morgan Ciocca Vocalo Digital Media Producer & Editor, The Goods     ©Chicago Public Media Inc 848 East Grand Ave, Navy Pier Chicago, IL 60611 Please do not reply to this email. If you need assistance, contact us here. 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