Wine Goddess has a Patio!

Recently some of my friends came to visit Evanston from New York and Brooklyn and they invited me to a wine tasting on Main Street at the Wine Goddess. In one of those rare, gorgeous May days, we sat outise on the newly minted patio and sipped champagne and nibbled on cheese. 

Owner Diana Hamman programmed a long list of upcoming summer events where you can enjoy local wine, cider and nibblies with your friends and family!

Tickets are available NOW for the 2ND ANNUAL PINK WINE & SWINE PARTY at The Wine Goddess! On Saturday, June 13th from 3-6 PM, Hecky's BBQ will be smoking pork products right out on Main Street; there will be live Bluegrass music courtesy of Whiskey Hollow; and yours truly will be slinging the seasons best, dry Rosé (and pink lemonade for the wee ones). It's a real, good time! Tickets SOLD OUT last year, so get yours soon at www.winegoddess.com/classes, and cheers to summertime in Heavanston!

Visit winegoddess.com for more info

Wine Goddess
702 Main Street

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The Evanston Newbie blog by Lisa Degliantoni, helping you fall in love in with Evanston, one blog post at a time!

The Rainbow Ends in Evanston

This photo was taken 5/26/15 at 7:15 p.m. at Clark Street Beach in Evanston, the other end of the rainbow looked like it was at South Street Beach. 

I've never in my life seen the end of a rainbow! It's probably because it's my birthday month and that it's Open Studios Evanston that I got this amazing experience in my life.

Photo Series: Evanston artists in their studios

This summer marks my four year anniversary living in Evanston and I have created quite an amazing life/reality in a very short amount of time namely because there are so many tools to work with in this amazing city; 100% walkable life (which is what enables to engage with the community you live in, you can't engage from inside a car), shop owners who rock and who live where they work, thrift stores, yummy food and endless amounts of very cool people who are super friendly, authentic and interesting. 

Recently I made friends with a photographer who wanted a more creative project, a break from shooting interiors for magazines. Lucky for me, I needed strong visuals to promote the creatives participating in Open Studios Evanston, an annual tour of artist studios. The photo series below is what happened - portraits of Evanston artists in their studios. 

Thank you Chris Bradley Photography for capturing Evanston visual artists for Open Studios Evanston on June 6, http://ow.ly/Nox2Q

Darren Oberto

Lorena La Grassa

Fran Joy

Joe Taylor

Lauren Levato Coyne & Rory Coyne

Heather Hancock

Jennifer Presant

Chris Bradley is a Chicago based commercial photographer who specializes in interiors and architectural photography. His influences include early modernist painting and design, his daughter Emma, and trippy electronic music. When he hears a client say that his photograph of a space makes it feel nicer than actually being there, Chris smiles very enthusiastically. He would love to smile enthusiastically about a photograph made for you!

Open Studios Evanston Events

Open Studios Evanston is a citywide celebration of the arts in Evanston, June 6, 12- 5p.m. Artists, arts organizations, galleries and boutiques are invited to open their studios and spaces and join the celebration. Maps and a list of participants are provided day of the event at locations throughout the city.  

Preview Party & Artist Reception

Open Studios Evanston Exhibit at Noyes Cultural Center 2nd Floor Gallery will feature the work of participating artists, June 4 - July 6.The opening reception is Thursday, June 4., 6-9 p.m., with wine and cheese and live music. Maps for Saturday’s studio tour will be distributed.

For more information email openstudiosevanston@gmail.com

May 30: Free Yoga Group Class on the Plaza

Get ready to Namaste and join LYFE Kitchen and Heaven Meets Earth Yoga out on the Plaza in Downtown Evanston (1603 Orrington Avenue) for a morning filled with Downward Dog and Warrior Poses on Saturday, May 30^th at 10AM. 

Start your morning off on a high note with your family and celebrate the gift of yoga. There is no charge to participate and families are encouraged to bring their own mats, if possible. 

Guests interested in attending the event can RSVP directly to lauren@hensonconsulting.com

Sell Your Art at Fountain Square Art Festival

36^th annual event set for Sat/Sun, June 27-28

Evanston's Fountain Square Art Festival 

Again Offering Booth Discount to Local Artists 

To help promote Evanston, Skokie, Lincolnwood and Wilmette artisans 

The Evanston Chamber of Commerce, organizer of the 36^th annual Fountain Square Art Festival, is again offering a special $100 discount for local artists for this year's event in downtown Evanston. Fest dates are Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28.

The sprawling art extravaganza is held at the intersections of Sherman and Church Streets, just steps from the eponymous Fountain Square. It's the North Shore's oldest juried fine arts fair. Over the weekend it attracts more than 40,000 visitors.

To help promote local artists, organizers are giving artists who reside in Evanston and neighboring Skokie, Lincolnwood and Wilmette a special 25 percent discount for a 10 x 10 foot booth for the weekend. The discounted cost is $300 versus the regular $400.

The fest features works in several mediums. These include paintings, sculptures, metalwork, jewelry, glasswork, woodwork, photography and mixed media.

The weekend also features art activities for kids, music and snack/beverage vendors.

Fest hours are 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. A suggested donation of $5 benefits the Evanston Chamber of Commerce.

Interested local artists can find and download an application from the Fountain Square Art Festival general information website located at www.chicagoevents.com or by calling Joe Persfull at 773.584.6642. 

April 30: Fundraiser for Nepal Earthquake Victims

Nepali venue, Mt. Everest Restaurant, located at 630 Church Street, will host a buffet lunch fundraiser this Thursday, April 30 between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The price for a full lunch is $15.00 (plus tax and gratuity).10% of all sales that day are going to Nepal American Center.

Hagerty Consulting of Evanston is supporting AmeriCares with a cash gift and will match all donations collected that day, collected at the door.

April 30: Tulips for Art

MFA Thesis Exhibition Opening at Block Museum
Thursday, April 30, 5pm

Join Northwestern’s Art Theory & Practice graduates as they celebrate the opening of their MFA thesis exhibition, Age of Consent. This exhibition features the work of Angela Lopez, Laura McGinn, Emily Cruz Nowell, William Schweigert, and Rambod Vala. It is the culmination of the course of study leading to the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree at Northwestern. The students will be on hand to discuss their work and artistic practice. 

Visitors are invited to bring a bouquet of flowers (ideally tulips) in exchange for an artwork by William Schweigert.