Your Chicago Curated Weekend, 3/24-3/27

Before we get to this weekend's awesome events, a note on some changes I'll be making to the Curated Chicago Weekend feature. As you may or may not have read, we're changing up the Beyond section of Third Coast Review. It'll essentially become a blog, where you'll be able to find the musings of various members of the 3CR staff and occasional outside contributors. Not everything you find there will focus on Chicago. That's why we call it Beyond, see? We're bringing you beyond the borders of the city, inside the boundaries of some sharp minds and their non-local interests. The ramblings you usually find here, forcing you to scroll down for centuries before you finally reach my event recommendations for the weekend, are going to become a column under the Beyond umbrella. I'm going to call it "The Blumy Blob" because A) many people like to call me Blumy, B) my sister likes to call me a blob, and C) had I spent 20 summers at North Star Camp for Boys in Hayward, Wisconsin, something would've been named after me, and if I had my druthers, that thing would've been the camp's blob. Alas, I only made it to 11 summers. Anyway, look for the inaugural Blumy Blob next week, because I've already typed some words on this page and I really don't feel the overwhelming urge to type that many more at one in the morning. Also, I haven't yet designed a Blumy Blob logo, and you know that's necessary. So in lieu of a rant or an anecdote, I'm leaving you with a few things:

1. A Wikipedia choose-your-own-adventure. Click here, here, or here, and get to the page for "Teletubbies Say Eh-oh!" as quickly as you can by only clicking links within the Wikipedia pages you traverse. If you tweet @ThirdCoastRvw and @ZachBlumy with a screenshot of your final page, where you started and how long it took you, we'll send you back a sweet video.
2. A recap of this past weekend's Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, or C2E2, that I wrote for Paste Magazine, plus a bunch of photos of cosplayers I took. All I have to add to this is that apparently the Hotel Windermere in Hyde Park is haunted.
3. This single sentence of Lollapalooza analysis: the aftershows are where it's at.

Now, onto this weekend's events! THURSDAY, MARCH 24TH A Disruptive Real Estate Charity Event, for the Alzheimer's Association @ DeLux Bar & Grill, 669 N. Milwaukee Ave., 5:00 PM WHAT: Singer/songwriter Pete Yorn is playing at Park West at 8:00 PM—and you can still get tickets here—but if you want to see him play without paying $35 to do so, catch his acoustic in-store performance at Shuga Records. He’ll also be signing copies of his new LP, ArrangingTime. SO WHAT: Yorn’s stuff is really pretty and expansive; he’s able to maintain an emotional tide in his music even amidst uplifting melodies. ArrangingTime, his first studio album since 2010, has been warmly received by the critics’ circles. Also, this is free music, and why wouldn’t you go to listen to free music? NOW WHAT: Go check it out, buy one of Yorn’s records if you like what he has to offer, and go to his show at Park West later tonight if you REALLY like what he has to offer. FRIDAY, MARCH 25TH 48 Hour Improv Marathon @ The Crowd Theater, 3935 N. Broadway, 7:00 PM WHAT: 48 different improv groups perform one-hour sets back to back to back to back to…you get the idea. Two straight days of comedy to benefit Growing Home Inc., a community development organization dedicated to bringing improvements to Englewood. SO WHAT: We live in arguably the best city in the world for comedy; now’s your chance to see the depth of talent Chicago has to offer. Also, this is for charity, so it’s an opportunity to feel good about yourself and count how many times the troupes make jokes out of the fact that the event is for charity. NOW WHAT: Each show is $5, but a wristband for all 48 hours is $30. Tickets are available here. SATURDAY, MARCH 26TH Celebrate Punk's 40th w/ Ted Leo and NE-HI @ Dr. Martens, 1133 N. State St., 12:00 PM WHAT: Punk turns 40 this year, and Dr. Martens is using the occasion to celebrate the opening of its new store in Gold Coast. Ted Leo and NE-HI will be performing (starting at 4:00 PM), Hozac Records is sending a DJ, and there will be food trucks from Dönermen and Seasons Soda. SO WHAT: Ted Leo’s a punk legend, and NE-HI looks to be on the verge of a national breakout. Their live show, at any rate, is outstanding. Also, Dr. Martens is going to have someone giving people mohawks at the event, and if you get one, you get 25% off anything you buy. Worth it? Maybe. NOW WHAT: You can RSVP here. Chicago Beer Festival @ The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr., 7:00 PM WHAT: Spending four hours in The Field Museum could be cool, but if you add beer from more than 70 brewers, a good time is guaranteed. SO WHAT: Beer. Food. Access to select museum exhibits. What more do you need? NOW WHAT: $45 gets you a general admission ticket (8:00 p.m.) and 40 drink vouchers. Cough up $55, and get early entry (7:00 p.m.) and the chance to enjoy special brews poured just during the first hour for big shots just like you. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available online. They will not be sold at the door. SUNDAY, MARCH 27TH Adult Easter Egg Hunt @ Longman & Eagle, 2657 N. Kedzie Ave., 11:00 AM WHAT: Finally, Longman & Eagle did what you were too embarrassed to admit to wanting to do: an Adult Easter Egg Hunt. That’s right. You will booze, schmooze, and find all the eggs FOR CHARITY. There will be street vendors a’plenty—including Black Dog Gelato and The Bus Shop—and you can do Easter the way Easter was meant to be done: kicking everyone’s ass at finding eggs. SO WHAT: If you’re feeling guilty for skipping Easter ham in lieu of beer, know that all egg hunt registration fees go straight into the pockets of One Tail At A Time Dog Rescue. And everyone loves dogs, so you’re basically an Easter hero at this point. Also, winners receive Easter egg gift baskets! What are in these baskets, you ask? The real question is: Does it even matter? It’s all about the glory of winning. Obvi. NOW WHAT: You’re clearly interested, so RSVP to info@longmanandeagle.com, and find a friend/egg hunting partner plus a $5 bill to donate to One Tail At A Time and register to HUNT.   PBR Movie Night @ Boiler Room, 2210 N. California Ave., 8:00 PM WHAT: Logan Square’s Boiler Room is putting on another iteration of its monthly Movie Night, this one featuring Super Troopers. SO WHAT: Boiler Room has some solid pizza and PB&J to go with that PBR. Also, you can’t possibly resist these guys. NOW WHAT: Go to the Boiler Room, drink some beer (or maybe some maple syrup), and enjoy the movie. -Zach