Crowd Pleasers for July 6, 2012

Mike Seguin (center) and Brian Boyle (right), members of the Beverly Bike-Vee Pak Racing Team will compete in the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic on July 6 in Chicago.

Updated: August 7, 2012 6:10AM

Here is a look at an event coming to the Southland.

On the afternoon of July 6, the corner of 107th Street and Longwood Drive in Chicago’s Beverly Hills and Morgan Park communities will again be transformed from a quiet residential street to the race course for the 10th annual Beverly Hills Cycling Classic.

Beverly Bike-Vee Pak Racing Team riders Mike Seguin, of Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community, and Brian Boyle, of Beverly, will compete with international professional and elite amateur cyclists in the race.

The event is day one of the International Cycling Classic Superweek Pro Tour.

Beverly Bike-Vee Pak Racing Team is the major sponsor of the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic, which is hosted by the Beverly Area Planning Association.

The start-finish and festival area are at 107th Street and Longwood Drive.

The festival opens at 4:30 p.m., offering food, beverages, music and children’s activities.

Children are invited to compete in their own friendly competition, the Longwood 100 Big Wheel Race at 5:15 p.m.

By 5:45 p.m., spectators from all over the Chicago area will start crowding along the curb for an unobstructed view of the thrills, spills and speed of what some call the neighborhood’s most exciting annual event.

At 6 p.m. sharp, the starting pistol will fire and riders will sprint away from the starting line, pumping at speeds of 30 mph and faster as they compete for prizes in the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic.

Riders will cycle 100 kilometers — about 60 miles — in approximately two hours, careening around the curves, charging up the hill and streaming along the straightaways on Longwood Drive, Seeley Avenue and Hoyne Avenue between 105th and 108th places.

The Superweek Pro Tour attracts category 1 and 2 riders. These are the cyclists who go on to compete in races like the Tour de France.

Prize money is awarded to top finishers as well as winners of individual laps.

Event sponsors include McTigue Financial Group/Northwestern Mutual, William Blair & Co./Salvino Financial Advisory Team, AT&T, Beverly Bank & Trust, Corporate Safe Specialists, County Fair, Smith Village, Figel Public Relations, Marquette Bank, and Beacon Therapeutic School.

Beverly Arts Center, Beverly Hills Animal Hospital, Little Company of Mary Hospital & Health Care Centers, Hilton Chicago/Oak Lawn, Rogers Roofing Siding & Windows, state Sen. Ed. Maloney (D-Chicago), Argus Brewery, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Trace Ambulance, and Lakeview Baseball Club are also event sponsors.

The Beverly Hills Cycling Classic is planned and presented by the Beverly Area Planning Association as a community-building event.

To learn more about becoming a Beverly Hills Cycling Classic sponsor or prime sponsor, contact Kathleen Riordan at (773) 233-3100 or kriordan@bapa.org.

MORE CROWD PLEASERS

ART

THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, (312) 443-3600: “Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective” will be on display to Sept. 3. *** Admission is free to Illinois residents on the first and second Wednesdays of the month.

MORAINE VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S ROBERT F. DECAPRIO ART GALLERY: 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills, (708) 608-4231: “Gallery 2012 Juried Community Art Exhibition” will be on exhibit to Aug. 2. Cortney Lederer is the juror for the show.

PRAIRIE STATE COLLEGE’S CHRISTOPHER ART GALLERY: 202 S. Halsted St., Chicago Heights, (708) 709-3636: The summer show will be on display to July 26. “Location Impulsion” features the works of Nina Weiss, Michael X. Ryan and Bonnie Peterson.

COMEDY

RIDDLES COMEDY CLUB: 5055 W. 111th St., Alsip, (708) 422-5055: Chicago Comedy All-Stars will perform two shows each on July 6-7.

FESTIVALS

PHIL MCKRACKEN’S A 7TH OF JULY BLUES FESTIVAL: 6602 W. 111th St. (between Ridgeland Avenue and Oak Park Avenue at Nashville Avenue), Worth, (708) 671-8090. Performers at this July 7 event will include Chicago’s legendary blues man, performer and entertainer Lynsey “Hoochie Man” Alexander & His Blues Band with special guests Sopro Music’s Blues Revue band director, the Tattooed Blues Cowboy, Joey Drada & The Jaywalkers Blues Band. “It ain’t the Fourth of July, but it’s guaranteed to be an explosive summer blues event,” officials said. Plenty of free parking is located in the venue’s parking lot.

PALOS HILLS FRIENDSHIP FEST: 109th Street and 88th Avenue, Palos Hills, (708) 430-4500, palosfriendshipfest.homestead.com: This event from July 12-15 will include bands, a car show, a carnival, the Illinois Fallen Heroes Memorial, a rotten sneaker contest, food and product vendors, the inaugural rib cookoff, bingo and WJMK-FM (104.3). Admission and parking are free.

MUSEUMS

ADLER PLANETARIUM: 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (312) 922-7827: “Deep Space Adventure” is an immersive space experience that takes attendees aboard the observation deck of a futuristic starship.

CHICAGO CHILDREN’S MUSEUM: Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, (312) 527-1000: “Circus Zirkus: Where You’re the Star of the Show!” runs to Aug. 12.

THE FIELD MUSEUM: 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (312) 922-9410: “Genghis Khan” is on display through Sept. 3.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY: 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (773) 684-1414: “MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibit,” which features an interactive experience culled from the Discovery Channel TV show “MythBusters,” is on display through Sept. 3.

SHEDD AQUARIUM: 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (312) 939-2438: Exhibits include “Jellies,” which was recently extended through 2013.

THEATER

“MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET”: Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, (773) 935-6100: Recently extended through Sept. 2, the show is inspired by the auspicious twist of fate that brought together musicians Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley at the Sun Records’ storefront studio in Memphis, Tenn. The show runs Wednesdays-Sundays.

“PINKALICIOUS — THE MUSICAL”: Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut Ave., Chicago, (800) 775-2000: Recently extended through Aug. 5, this production of the hit musical is based on the popular book by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann. The Emerald City Theatre show is best for ages 3 and older.

“ROCK OF AGES”: Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut Ave., Chicago, (800) 775-2000: Running to Aug. 5, this worldwide party musical features a mix of 28 rockin’ 1980s tunes including “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “We Built This City,” “The Final Countdown,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “Here I Go Again,” “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “I Want to Know What Love Is.” In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small town girl met a big city rocker and in Los Angeles’ most-famous rock club, and they fell in love to the greatest songs of the ’80s. The five-time 2009 Tony nominee show is an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing and face-melting hits of Journey, Night Ranger, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and many more. “Don’t miss this awesomely good time about dreaming big, playing loud and partying on,” officials said.

VARIETY

BACINEMA SCREENING OF “HEADHUNTERS”: Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago, (773) 445-3838: The weekly film series continues with this film at 7:30 p.m. July 11. Rated R, the Norwegian movie runs for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Tickets are $7.50, or $5.50 for center members.

“CIRQUE SHANGHAI’S YEAR OF THE DRAGON”: Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, (800) 745-3000 (tickets): This show will run to Sept. 3. “After a successful run on Broadway, Cirque Shanghai returns to Chicago’s Navy Pier this summer with a magnificent new show, ‘Year of the Dragon,’ ” officials said. “ ‘Year of the Dragon’ is a spectacle for audiences of all ages, featuring performers direct from China who are leaders in their craft of tumbling, juggling, balancing and more. China’s finest daredevil motorcycle troupe, Imperial Thunder, returns with not two, not four but five motorcyclists riding at breakneck speed within a steel globe, more than ever before in this death-defying feat.”

“XTREME BUGS”: Brookfield Zoo, 31st Street and First Avenue, Brookfield, (708) 688-8000. Featuring large animatronic bugs, this exhibit will run to Sept. 7. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for ages 3-11 in addition to general admission of $15 for adults and $10.50 for children. Parking is $10.

Crowd Pleasers listings may be sent to jvirtusio@southtownstar.com with “Events” in the subject line. Items must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the desired Friday print date in order to be considered for publication.

More events can be found at the websites for Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau, cscvb.com, and Chicago Southland Arts Alliance, chicagosouthlandarts.com/events.cfm.

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