Bloomingdale

As leafy canopies turn into rainbows, here are some of the best suburban vantage points to savor autumn’s splendor — from favorite trails to special events.

ST. CHARLES PADDLEWHEEL RIVERBOATS
ADDRESS 2 North Ave., St. Charles
PHONE (630) 584-2334
WEB www.stcriverboats.com
Leave dry land for a little time travel, taking in the scenery from aboard a St. Charles riverboat on a four-mile round trip on the Fox River. Tickets aboard the replica paddlewheeler cost $7.50 for adults and $6 for youth ages 2 to 15. A boat will set out at 2, 3 and 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 18, leaving from Pottawatomie Park. Before autumn fades, you also can book charter excursions by reservation.

THE MORTON ARBORETUM
ADDRESS At I-88 and Route 53, Lisle
PHONE (630) 968-0074
WEB www.mortonarb.org
Think trees, think Morton Arboretum. “Fall colors (can) be especially impressive because of the wide variety of trees and other plants from around the world,” says Ed Hedborn, Arboretum botanist and “Color Scout” who chronicles the changes in hues week by week. To take in the vistas, visitors can hike the 16 miles of trails, bicycle or drive the nine miles of roads, or hop a tram. Hedborn reports his weekly color findings at www.mortonarb.org/colorupdate and on the Bloom ‘n Color Hotline at (630) 719-7955. The Arboretum’s Fall Color Festival this month offers events for the whole family, such as art shows, a “Theatre-Hike” musical, wine tasting, pumpkin decorating, taffy apples and the lakeside Scarecrow Trail.

Take a ride on a St. Charles riverboat and scope beautiful
foliage lining the shores of the Fox River. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Marklund offers a special drawing with unusual odds. Only 100 tickets will be sold at $100 each for a trip to Las Vegas including round trip airfare for two and a two-night stay at Tuscany Suites and Casino, just east of the famous strip. The trip must be taken by Feb. 14 (Valentine’s Day for you romantics out there).
 
All proceeds benefit the individuals served by Marklund:  infants, children and adults with severe developmental disabilities.

The exhibit may sound gruesome, but the Midwest Collage Society believes the art in its latest show to be exquisite. The Darien-based arts group is presenting Layers 3, an exhibit of “Exquisite Corpses” — pieces of art which divide and portray the body in three distinct sections. Burr Ridge resident Eve Ozer is among the participating artists, who combined their individual head, torso and leg pieces — produced separately through a mix of art techniques, materials and collages — to create a disparate and intriguing final product.

This "Exquisite Corpse" was created by artist Eve Ozer for the Layers3 exhibit in Bloomingdale. SUBMITTED PHOTO

With its tight-knit staff and expansive menu of family recipes ranging from pizza and pasta to ribs and filet mignon, Pronto’s is anything but just another Italian place.                                                                                                                  

Diner Tim Traver says the pizzeria stands apart from the plethora of other Italian restaurants in the area for its quality of service and food.

“I have been a regular at (the) restaurant for more than two years and have eaten there countless times,” Traver says. “... Dining at Pronto’s feels more like visiting a family member’s kitchen — who knows how to cook quite well — rather than visiting a run-of-the-mill restaurant.”

John Miulli, owner of Pronto's in Bloomingdale, slices a margherita pizza fresh out of the oven. STAFF PHOTO BY STEVE BITTINGER

"Forever Plaid," one of Off-Broadway’s most popular and critically acclaimed musicals will return for one night only tonight -- not to the stage, but to the big screen!  

The movie will play at 7 p.m. tonight at the Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale and at Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge.

The famous Got Milk? tour will stop in Bloomingdale on Thursday, July 9, featuring free massages, health assessments, samples of milk, milkshakes and smoothies, and posing for Milk Mustache photos from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Meijer Store, 130 S. Gary Ave.
 

Harry Potter fans can brush up their movie magic knowledge before the newest Potter phenom hits theaters July 15!

Woodridge's Hollywood Blvd. is hosting a Harry Potter Film Festival from July 10-14, screening a different Harry Potter movie on the big screen each night for free.

Milk is on the moo-ve to the Chicago area.

The Milk Mustache Mobile Drink Well campaign has been traveling coast to coast since March reintroducing Americans to milk. The campaign will be making a stop in Bloomingdale on Thursday, July 9.

Bloomingdale's Meijer Store at 130 S. Gary Ave. will host the campaign from 5 to 7 p.m.

DO IT
Look — up in the air! It’s a toy! It’s a game! No, it’s a model radio-controlled airplane!

Numerous R/C planes can be seen gliding through the air throughout the suburbs on warm summer days, and there are plenty of opportunities for you to add to the air traffic.

The playfully inclined will want to be there for the Bloomingdale Park District’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:45 a.m. Saturday, May 30, at the new Plaza at Springfield Park, because that’s when the fun begins. The intergenerational recreation facility features bocce ball courts, horse-shoe pit areas, handicap accessible/games tables, picnic shelter, bean bags courts and a six-hole disc golf course.