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CNSCVB is Moving!
Chicago’s North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau will be moving to new office space on September 1st. Our new offices, which will be located in downtown Skokie (8001 Lincoln Avenue), will expand our work space and include a larger conference room to accommodate meetings and member programs, without increasing our administrative expenses. Our phone and fax numbers, as well as our website and staff e-mail addresses, will remain the same. We hope you will visit us during our Holiday Open House (which will be scheduled in December) or stop by anytime before then if you are in the area. We’d love to see you!

Please take note of our new address below:
Chicago’s North Shore
Convention and Visitors Bureau
8001 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 715
Skokie, IL 60077

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Festival Season is in High Gear!
Be Sure to Mark Your Calendars for These Upcoming Events

Northbrook Days
Wednesday – Sunday, August 1-5
Village Green Park, Shermer Road at Meadow Road, Northbrook
The entire family is sure to enjoy Northbrook Days. Complete with a Taste of Northbrook, carnival rides, games, costumed characters, nightly raffle drawings and live entertainment. For more information, please call 847-498-5555 or visit www.northbrookchamber.org.

35th Annual Lakeshore Arts Festival
Saturday and Sunday, August 4 & 5
Dawes Park, Evanston Lakefront
Sheridan Road at Church Street, Evanston
More than 100 artists from across the country will showcase their creativity during the 35th Annual Lakeshore Arts Festival. The festival is open 11 am to 6 pm each day in Evanston's Dawes Park and features live jazz and classical music, a silent art auction, and the popular Family Activity Area, including the Children's Craft Tent and ongoing family entertainment. The festival also hosts a dozen restaurateurs serving a variety of culinary delights. For more information, please call 847-448-8260 or click here.

Art at the Glen
Saturday and Sunday, August 11 & 12
The Glen Town Center
1800 Patriot Blvd, Glenview
Attracting over 35,000 visitors and featuring close to 200 artists, Art at the Glen has become one of the area’s most popular juried art exhibitions since its debut in 2004. In addition to spectacular art, this event also features a variety of food offerings from local restaurants, Art Fest Bingo for the kids, live entertainment and glass blowing demonstrations. For more information, please call 847-926-4300 or visit www.amdurproductions.com.

2007 American Craft Expo
Friday – Sunday, August 24-26
Henry Crown Sports Pavilion – Northwestern University
2311 North Campus Drive, Evanston (Lincoln Street at the Lakefront/East of Sheridan)
One of the country’s premier fine craft shows, the American Craft Exposition (ACE), brings together 150 superior artisans exhibiting one-of-a-kind museum quality work. This highly competitive juried show features hand-crafted work in 12 media including baskets, ceramics, fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper and wood. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call 847-570-5096 or visit www.americancraftexpo.org.

New Event! Skokie Backlot Bash
Friday – Sunday, August 24-26
Oakton Street (between Lincoln and Laramie Avenues)
Adjacent to Village Hall, Skokie
A new North Shore event, Backlot Bash, is Skokie’s first downtown summer festival in more than 10 years! A collaboration between the Independent Merchants of Downtown Skokie (IMODS), the Skokie Park District, the Village of Skokie and the Skokie Chamber of Commerce, Backlot Bash features three spectacular days of fun including live music, an amusement park/carnival, a classic auto show, a business expo and a sidewalk sale. Backlot Bash also features the “We Do Care” troop support festival, fun teen activities, silent films at the Skokie Theater, folk music for younger children and a variety of food and beverages (including a beer tent). The name “Backlot” pays tribute to downtown Skokie’s history as a silent picture western back lot set between 1907 and 1915. For more information, please call 847- 674-1500 x BASH (x2274) or visit www.backlotbash.com.

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Precision Kites Glide Over Garden Skies
Saturday and Sunday, August 11 & 12
Chicago Botanic Garden
1100 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe
With the precision of an Olympic ice skater and the grace of a prima ballerina, brightly colored kites will glide and pirouette through the skies over the West Meadow of the Chicago Botanic Garden. The Kite Society of Wisconsin & Illinois and Gift of Wings/Milwaukee have helped organize this event, which features members of the award-winning Chicago Fire Kite Team performing sport kite ballet and precision flying demonstrations. Performers will also work one-on-one with guests to help them put together and fly their own kites. Lunch, beverages and ice cream will be available for purchase. Gifts of Wings will be on site selling kites and windsocks. The kite flying demonstrations are free. For more information, please call 847-835-5440 or click here.

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Buy Local Food Fest
Saturday, August 18 (12 noon- 4pm)
Wild Oats Natural Marketplace
1111 Chicago Avenue, Evanston
In celebration and support of our local food community, Wild Oats will be hosting Local Fest. Food producers and vendors from Illinois and Wisconsin will be present, offering samples of their products, answering questions, telling their stories and educating the public on why it is so important to choose local food producers and suppliers. Local Fest is free and will help consumers make the connection between products and their producers. For more information, please call Dana Emanuel at 847-475-9492 or visit www.wildoats.com.

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Bridal Showcase
Sunday, August 19 (11am – 3 pm)
DoubleTree Hotel & Conference Center Chicago North Shore
9599 Skokie Blvd, Skokie
The DoubleTree Hotel & Conference Center Chicago North Shore is gearing up for its 1st Annual Bridal Showcase, featuring more than 100 wedding and event specialists in style, décor, fashion and food. This exciting event will take place in the gorgeous, completely renovated Monaco Ballroom, formerly known as “Windows,” which overlooks Chicago’s breathtaking skyline. In addition to meeting with an individual bridal consultant, attendees will also enjoy passed hors d’oeuvres, a variety of Kosher food options prepared by the hotel’s celebrity chef, homemade desserts and champagne. Special raffle prizes include a 4-day honeymoon cruise provided by Chez Fare Travel Service in Skokie and a DoubleTree Sweet Dreams bed and pillow. For more information, please call 847-329-4363 or click here

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Holocaust Survivors Gather at Site of New Museum
On June 20th, 70 Holocaust survivors gathered at the construction site of the new Illinois Holocaust Museum to sign their names on steel beams that will become part of the building’s structure. The beams will be exposed in the new museum allowing for visibility of the signatures and ensuring that the survivors will always be part of this institution. Those gathered at the signing celebrated a long held dream by the local survivor community. The new Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center aims to preserve the legacy of Holocaust survivors who have continually fought hatred with compassion and education. By educating students and the general public about the dangers of indifference, the museum hopes to connect the history of the Holocaust to world events of today. For more information, please call 847-491-0905 or visit www.hmfi.org.

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Hotel Orrington Opens New Japanese Style Restaurant
Hotel Orrington has opened Blu, an expansion of the very popular Blu Coral Japanese restaurants. Blu offers Japanese style food with a diverse menu including lobster tempura, seven spiced ahi and tiger shrimp sushi. Open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner, Hotel Orrington also offers The Globe restaurant (which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with 24-hour room service) and the vibrant Indigo Lounge (which offers an innovative tapas-style, small plate menu, along with wines and creative cocktails). For more information about Blu and the hotel’s other restaurants, please call 847-866-8700.

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CNSCVB Hosted Major Association Industry Event
Great Success for the Region and Local Sponsors
From July 12-14, Chicago’s North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau was privileged to host the 2007 Summer Session of the Illinois Society of Association Executives (ISAE). This event not only provided educational and networking opportunities for all who attended (including CEOs, meeting planners and management executives of influential state-wide associations), but it also gave the CNSCVB an opportunity to showcase the region and the venues of many of its partners. “I am confident that our area, and the participating Preferred Partners, will obtain new business from hosting ISAE’s Summer Session,” said Gina Speckman, CNSCVB Executive Director. “It was wonderful to see our partners come together to make this event such a success...the feedback from those in attendance has been astounding,” she adds. “Thanks to our partners and their generosity, it was a first-class event from start to finish!”
The CNSCVB gratefully acknowledges the following Preferred Partners and thanks them for their support:
Chicago Botanic Garden
DoubleTree Hotel & Conference Center
Holiday Inn Chicago North Shore
Hotel Orrington
Morton’s, The Steakhouse
Renaissance Chicago North Shore

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Noel Coward’s “Bitter Sweet”
August 18-26
Light Opera Works
Cahn Auditorium
600 Emerson Street, Evanston
A proper upper-class English maiden escapes an arranged marriage and elopes with her music teacher...and matures into a woman wise in the ways of love and fate in a story that spans six decades. In the play, Bitter Sweet, the inimitable Noël Coward combines lush waltzes, beguiling ballads and his wicked wit in a sophisticated operetta score brimming with melody including I’ll See You Again, Zigeuner and If Love Were All. Ticket prices start at $28. This show is recommended for ages 12 and older. For more information, please call 847-869-6300 or visit www.lightoperaworks.com.

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Meeting Professionals International – Chicago Area Chapter (MPI-CAC)
Summer Networking Therapy
Wednesday, August 22 (5:30 – 8 pm)
Chicago Botanic Garden
1100 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe
Each and every year, MPI-CAC marks the end of summer with a great networking gathering...and 2007 is no exception! On Wednesday, August 22, they will be hosting an event at the Chicago Botanic Garden that will allow you to mingle with industry peers, while also improving your body, mind and spirit through some Networking Therapy. According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, horticultural therapy is defined as a process utilizing plants and horticultural activities to improve social, educational, psychological and physical adjustment of persons thus improving their body, mind and spirit. MPI-CAC plans to do just that during this unique sundown event. The evening also includes entertainment, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets are $45 (MPI members), $65 (non-members) and $25 (for students). If you would like more information or are interested in attending, please contact the Bureau’s Director of Sales, Kimberly Wright at kwright@cnscvb.com.

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Wildcat Football Season Kicks Off With North Shore Community Day
Saturday, September 1 (11am)
Ryan Field, Northwestern University
Ashland Ave & Central Street, Evanston
It’s that time of year again...and nothing is quite as exciting as Wildcat Football! To celebrate the first home game of the season (Northwestern vs. Northeastern), the public is invited to North Shore Community Day at Ryan Field. Partners of the Chicago North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau (along with their clients, friends and VIPs) can purchase sideline tickets at half price ($15 each). Tickets may be purchased by phone at 847-491-CATS (2287) or in person at the Wildcat Ticket Office (1501 Central Street, Evanston). Tickets must be bought in advance to take advantage of this special offer. For more information about Wildcat Football and the upcoming season, please call the number above or visit www.nusports.com.

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Member Spotlight Belgian Chocolatier Piron 509 Main St., Evanston 847-864-5504 www.belgchocpiron.com Trained by one of Belgium's most prominent chocolatiers, Belgian Chocolatier Piron brings generations of culinary expertise to the North Shore. Unlike the mass produced factory-made chocolates so commonly available, they still make all of their delicacies by hand with great care and skill. The Belgian Chocolatier’s selections are created with only dairy fresh butter and cream and a variety of flavors and ingredients from all over Europe - and never, ever are any preservatives, stabilizers, extenders or tropical fats used. Whether you are in need of something special for a party, a gift for a friend, a corporate gift or a treat for yourself, we're sure we have something to please. Back to top