- Aug 1, 2018

COMMUNITY | Outdoor Music Venue to Love

LAKESIDE SUMMER SERIES AT MCANINCH ARTS CENTER The best part about summer is enjoying the perks of outdoor entertainment. Thankfully, the McAninch Arts Center has got you covered this season with their 5th annual Lakeside Summer Series at Lakeside Pavilion. The beautiful grounds of the MAC have a quaint grassy area, perfect for enjoying live music and movies, along with a gorgeous view of the lake. The venue is located on the College of Dupage campus and from July 12-August 10, you can enjoy free family-friendly movies as well as free concert and jazz series. Bring your lawn chairs and an appetite as vendors from all over Dupage County sell delicious food for you to snack on while you’re lounging out or you can bring your own picnic style food. Weber’s Grill, Marché in Glen Ellyn, Heavenly Hot Dogs, Nothing Bundt Cakes and many more vendors set up shop on the lawn to provide you with all your culinary needs, making for the ideal summer evening. Thursday’s at 8pm you can catch movies such as “Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” or “The Lion King” and see the WDCB Jazz Series at 7:30pm which features musicians and performers like the Joe Lewis Walker Band, Frank Russell & the Chicago Power All-Star Band and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra. Friday night festivities include the Pop Music Series with performances from the internationally acclaimed Beatles tribute band, American English, “Unraveling the Wilburys”, and the New Philharmonic. The most anticipated shows for this summer are Broadway alumni Craig Meyer and Donnie Kehr’s ode to two iconic musicians in “Piano Men: A Tribute to Elton John and Billy Joel” and Rick Michel’s homage to Frank Sinatra in “My Sinatra” which concludes the summer series on August 10th. The series will also showcase some of the talent at COD with its roster of finalists and winners from the college’s Apollo Live! Student Talent Competition who will perform during the Friday evening concerts. “Goldie’s Next Big Adventure,” a production by the COD College Theater, will be presented on July 14th and 15th at 5pm. Glen Ellyn native Cindy Glavin goes to Lakeside Pavilion a couple times each summer with her family and says they enjoy being outside and listening to good music. “I like that I don’t have to travel far for a very enjoyable evening with friends or family,” Glavin says. “We are thrilled that the college invites the community to share in the great outdoor space […] given the winters we have in Chicago it is always nice to spend an evening outdoors.” If you are looking for an experience like Ravinia Pavilion but closer to home and at a better price, than Lakeside Pavilion is a great alternative. “A first-class music venue in your own backyard,” says Glen Ellyn resident, Lori Krebsbach. All of these summer festivities presume next summer as well with the addition of some new acts, movies, vendors and performances. Come out to Lakeside Pavilion every summer to experience the series or checkout the MAC throughout the year for more arts and entertainment.

ABOUT THE WRITER Kelsey Lentz is an incoming junior at Penn State University and is majoring in digital and print journalism with a minor in digital media trends and analytics. After graduation, Kelsey hopes to pursue a career in the magazine industry that combines her passions for writing and digital storytelling. We met up with Kelsey earlier to learn more about her. Kelsey is one of Glancer Magazine’s Summer 2018 Editorial Interns. She will be writing about unique Arts + Entertainment locations throughout DuPage County through September. Learn more about her at www.GlancerMagazine.com/Education-News