Blue Skies Ahead: Earth Week, Spring Festival and Floral Arrangements

The time has come to leave town and hunker down, with Easter break and finals week upcoming in rapid succession. For this edition of Blue Skies Ahead, we’ve compiled events which continue into the summer as well as those happening this weekend — for those who are in town. 

Enjoy your Easter Break and try not to get so caught up in classwork that you forget how much Chicago has to offer right outside your door. This week, take a trip to Lincoln Park Zoo for Earth Day celebrations, attend the grand opening of a flower garden or pick your favorites from the Spring Festival events. 

Earth Week at Lincoln Park Zoo: Multiple dates

Lincoln Park Zoo is hosting a variety of events in honor of both Earth Day and Arbor Day. The events will take place both on the grounds of the zoo — which has free admission year-round — and throughout the rest of the city. 

Attend the City Nature Challenge at McKinley Park April 26 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. for a nature walk, hosted by teens from the Conservations Ambassadors Board — a youth leadership program designed by Lincoln Park Zoo to provide teens the chance to represent the zoo and get involved in conservation efforts. 

On this walk, you’ll learn how to collect native plant observations and have the chance to win prizes. Registration is free and can be done through the Lincoln Park Zoo website. 

Additionally, the zoo is hosting Nature Boardwalk Safari Family Day April 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., also hosted by CAB. This event will focus on the bugs, birds, flowers and trees that populate the Nature Boardwalk. Admission is free and registration can be done through their website. 

Both of these events will give attendees the chance to compete on behalf of Chicago in the City Nature Challenge — designed to motivate people from cities across the world to build a connection with nature in their area, according to their website. 

Within the bounds of the park, a variety of free activities will be provided from April 22-25, in addition to Sunset Garden Tours which will be offered from 6 to 7 p.m. on select Thursdays from May to September. More information can be found at their website.

Spring Festival: Multiple dates

The Chicago Humanities Spring Festival is an annual programming series featuring lectures from scholars in the areas of politics, journalism and arts over the span of multiple weeks. There are multiple locations for the events, each of which feature a different line-up of speakers. Information on each of the days is available at the Chicago Humanities website. 

The dates of the events include Lakeview Day April 27, Bridgeport Day May 10, Lincoln Park Day May 18 and Art Institute of Chicago Day June 7. They feature performances and discussions with prominent figures like actor Leslie Odom, Jr., comedian Ed Helms, artist Tanika Lewis Johnson, musician Jon Batiste and podcaster Ezra Kein, among others. 

Grand Garden Opening Day

Grand Garden — a micro flower farm on an empty lot in West Loop — will host their grand opening for the season April 19. They host bouquet-making workshops and grow everything from tulips and daffodils to ranunculus and sunflowers. More information can be found at their website.  

It has been a pleasure to write Blue Skies Ahead this year, and I hope it left you feeling inspired to step outside of your comfort zone and explore the beautiful city of Chicago. As always, peace and love Ramblers.