Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 11/3 – 11/6

The Cubs won the World Series and all is finally right with the world! Whether you're a lifelong diehard fan or someone who just can't help celebrate a win for Chicago, this is our week. Go to the parade (whenever the hell it will be) because this was 108 years in the making and this team deserves to have an enormous crowd. And while we're basking in this historic win, let's not forget that Tuesday is election day and you should do everything in your abilities to get out there and vote! Now, let's get this amazing weekend started. THE WHOLE WEEKEND, NOVEMBER 3rd - 6th SOFA Expo @ Navy Pier, 600 E Grand Ave, Thursday 7:00PM - 9:00PM, Friday and Saturday, 11:00AM - 7:00PM, Sunday Noon - 6:00PM WHAT: Sculptures, objects and functional art (that kind of SOFA) at Navy Pier SO WHAT: SOFA is one of Chicago's longest continually running art fairs and it will be returning to Navy Pier. More than 80 galleries and dealers will be on hand to take you through their amazing collections of art which will dazzle and delight. Most of the items are available for purchase, but plenty of people just come to appreciate the beautiful functional art and meet with artists. NOW WHAT: Tickets start at $20 a day (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) and $30 for all three days.  Passes for the preview night on Thursday are also available starting at $50 for general admission, $75 for general admission and entry for the rest of the weekend, and $150 VIP entry giving you two extra hours to explore the floor early on Thursday and one hour earlier on Friday and Saturday. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3rd James Orbesen and Elizabeth Cooke @ 57th Street Books, 1301 E 57th St., 6:00PM WHAT: Orbesen and Cooke discuss their contributions to Coming of Age at the End of Nature: A Generation Faces Living on a Changed Planet. SO WHAT: Coming of Age at the End of Nature gathers the passionate voices of young writers who have grown up in an environmentally damaged and compromised world to explore a new kind of environmental writing. Each contributor of the anthology has come of age in a world where Bill McKibben foretold the doom of humanity’s ancient relationship with a pristine earth in his prescient 1988 warning of climate change, The End of Nature. Orbesen is a 3CR contributor, writer, professor, and author of a forthcoming book on the comics of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (!). Cooke has worked as an environmental educator, a storm-sewer mapper, and a technical writer. Currently, she writes essays for adults and fiction for children and teenagers. NOW WHAT: This discussion is free and open to the public.  You can RSVP for the event here. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4th Letters to Cleo @ Double Door, 1551 N Damen Ave, 8:00PM WHAT: Treat Yo Self with a nostalgic show at Double Door SO WHAT: Boston alt-rock band Letters to Cleo have reunited for a fall tour with original members Kay Hanley , Michael Eisenstein, Stacy Jones, and Greg McKenna. The band will be releasing new music for the first time in seventeen years and will be performing the old favorites at the Double Door. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $25 for this 18+ concert that will help you relive those 90s vibes! Coins Tape Release @ Township, 2200 N California Ave. 9:00PM WHAT: Good local music and drinks for your Friday Night SO WHAT: Coins are Chicago's purveyors of beautiful and serene folk rock that hides a sense of darkness. Their songs are full of pain, death, moons, and aliens (well, at least one song). They'll be celebrating the release of their latest tape from Plus Tapes, Psychic Orchid. Joining them will be the experimental indie pop of Moritat and The Runnies' fun bombastic sound. NOW WHAT: Just stop by Township for this great lineup of music. SATURDAY - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5th - 6th The Chicago Food Truck Fall Social @ Northerly Island, 1521 S Linn White Dr., 10:00AM - 7:00PM WHAT: A social event meeting all your food truck needs SO WHAT: The Chicago Food Truck Fall Social will feature gourmet food trucks serving a variety of delicious dishes and tasty treats. Sit back and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, hot cider or even a hot toddy in the park. The social will also feature live music throughout the day while you enjoy a game of cornhole and feast upon the long lineup of food trucks. NOW WHAT: You can purchase advance tickets here, general admission/outside seating is free and VIP indoor seating with two drink vouchers is $10 a day. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5th Few Spirits Bloodshot Insurgint Gin Cocktail Party w/ Al Scorch @ Few Spirit's Tasting Room, 918 Chicago Ave, Evanston, Noon - 4:00PM WHAT: An intimate party at Few Spirits' tasting room in Evanston celebrating the new Few Spirits Bloodshot Records Insurgint Gin! SO WHAT:  FEW Spirits and Bloodshot Records have joined forces once again, combining their local power to create a limited-edition gin. The new Bloodshot Records Insurgint Gin is a mix of blood orange, notes of guajillo peppers, and the oh so familiar body of juniper. The botanical recipe was developed by FEW Spirits master distiller Paul Hletko and the Bloodshot staff. There will be tastings, special cocktails, and music from the Bloodshot DJs! Plus, Al Scorch will play an unplugged set at the party! NOW WHAT: This event is free so enjoy some great music and a delicious new gin! BeerHoptacular @ Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, 2621 W 15th Pl., First Session 1:00PM -4:00PM, Second Session 7:00PM - 10:00PM WHAT: A beer festival to expand your beer horizons SO WHAT: The BeerHoptacular is back for its 6th year! They will be taking over the Cinespace film studios with 75 brewers bringing over 150 craft beers to find the perfect beer for your palate. If homebrewing is your thing you can enjoy the annual BeerHoptacular Homebrew Competition sponsored by Bell’s Brewery. Some of Chicago’s best food trucks will be around adding some delicious meals the event. There will also be a DJ will be spinning an all-vinyl playlist, a bicycle kegerator, a live insult booth and plenty more NOW WHAT: Tickets are $50 for general admission and $60 for early entry. Designated driver passes are also available fr $15 general admission and $20 early entry if you just want to join in on the fun and not the drinks! A portion of the proceeds will benefit Chicago’s Ignite the Spirit Fund, an incredible organization that  supports the Chicago Fire Department by helping to ease the hardship of families of firefighters in need. Nina Simone: Reflection @ Old Town School of Music, 4544 N Lincoln Ave., 6:00PM - 10:00PM WHAT: “An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times.” - Nina Simone SO WHAT: Nina Simone's legacy as a singer, songwriter, and activist who called out the truths of her time willl be honor at the Old Town School of Music's Uncovered Series. Faculty and staff will honor Ms. Simone through music and dance and reflect on what's happening in our world today. There will be four different activities before the main concert which will further celebrate Simone and her work: a Pop-up Choir with Andrea Bunch, Reflect The Times Through Spoken Word with K-Love The Poet, Songbook with Shelley Miller, and Dance Of The Times an Intro to Contemporary Dance With Kim Davis. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $25 for the general public and $14 for members. All tickets include admission to the concert at 7:oopm, you just have to chose which enriching experience to partake in beforehand. ChicagoSings Showcase @ Wicker Park Lutheran Church, 1500 N Hoyne Ave., 7:30PM - 9:00PM WHAT: Music for your soul SO WHAT: Wicker Park Choral Singers have teamed up with 3 other choral groups in Chicago to bring you an evening of music celebrating peace, unity, and community. The evening will feature: La Caccina - Carling FitzSimmons, Artistic Director; Constellation Men's Ensemble - Ryan Strand, Executive Director;  The Marion Consort - Amy Bearden, Artistic Director; Wicker Park Choral Singers - Mark Tomasino, Artistic Director. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $10 for General Admission online and at the door, kids 12 & under get in free! SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6th 1st Annual Strange Foods Chicago Festival @ Moonlight Studios, 1446 W Kinzie St., 1:00PM -4:00PM WHAT: The best strange food Chicago has to offer SO WHAT: Chicago's first festival celebrating those "strange" things on menus around the city. Guests will have the opportunity to try out-of-the-ordinary foods from over a dozen small, local restaurants while sipping drinks provided by local brewers and distillers. Ethnic dance troupes will keep the energy high and other entertainment will be added as the date gets closer. Countries that will be represented include Laos, Malaysia, Syrian, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, China, Morocco. and many more. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $50 for this foody event.