This weekend’s events include two marathons—one that’s 26.2 miles, one that’s 24 hours—plus plenty of other goings-on about town. Here’s some of what we recommend:
Fri 10/6: Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett are the masters of unearthing the most ridiculous videos. Their Found Footage Festival at the Music Box (3733 N. Southport) screens the new collection, which features timeless gems like The Law Enforcement Guide to Satanic Cults and Roseanne Barr leading a “Welcome Home Desert Storm” parade. 7 and 9:30 PM, $15
Fri 10/6: The compelling Jen Kirkman opens up onstage about her family’s off-putting dynamic, her past as a staunch third-party voter, and her experience with a spiritual healer (probably a blast!). Catch the show at Thalia Hall (1807 S. Allport). 9 PM, $22
Fri 10/6: Joyce Bulifant was memorably on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and in the film Airplane!, but her IMDB page can now be updated to include “author.” Her memoir My Four Hollywood Husbands chronicles her marriages to a quartet of fellow stars with drinking problems. Bulifant reads from the memoir at City Lit Books (2523 N. Kedzie). 6:30 PM, free
Sat 10/7: Chicago’s mobile restaurants park it for a makeshift Taste of Chicago at the West Town Food Truck Social, on Noble between Chicago and Chestnut). The galleries along Chicago are also open for free viewings—enhanced with food truck fare. 11 AM-10 PM, $20 for six samples
Sat 10/7: Steve Martin and Martin Short, two of comedy’s most vaunted performers, join forces at the Chicago Theatre (175 N. State) for stand-up, sketches from past work, and of course, bluegrass music with Martin on the banjo. Sadly, the moniker “Steve Martin Short” has fallen by the wayside. 8 PM, $69.50-$225
Sat 10/7: Presented by the Chicago Film Archives and Chicago Film Society, Chicago Home Movie Day gives Chicagoans a chance to have their 8- and 16-millimeter films inspected, repaired, and screened at the Chicago History Museum (1601 N. Clark). 11 AM-3 PM, donations welcome
Sat 10/7-Sun 10/8: Music Box (3733 N. Southport) presents its annual 24-hour marathon of horror movies, many of them screening from 35-millimeter. Among the highlights of Music Box of Horrors are tributes to the late George Romero (with his 2005 film Land of the Dead) and Tobe Hooper (with his 1981 film The Funhouse); William Girdler’s 1977 cult film The Manitou; John Carpenter’s 1994 film In the Mouth of Madness; and a rare 35-millimeter print of John Fawcett’s 2000 film Ginger Snaps. For a full schedule visit musicboxtheatre.com. Noon 10/7-11:45 AM 10/6, $30 in advance, $35 at the door
Sun 10/8: The Bank of America Chicago Marathon, our annual 26.2-mile jog, starts and ends at Grant Park (337 E. Randolph), heading as far north as Addison and as far south as 35th. If you haven’t been training, don’t join the hundreds of participants, lest you become embarrassed or wheezy. The runners will need your motivational cheers. Various times, various prices; free for spectators
Sun 10/8: Of Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s newest dance piece /peh-LO-tah/—A Futbol Framed Freedom Suite . . . at the Museum of Contemporary Art (220 E. Chicago), the Reader‘s Oliver Sava says: “During a trip to South Africa before the 2010 World Cup, Joseph saw soccer bring people from all over the world together, inspiring him to create a work that explores the global and personal impact of the game.” 2 PM, $30
For more of the best things to do in Chicago this weekend—and every day—visit our Agenda page.