- Maya Acosta
- Lila Downs
Looking for something to do today? Agenda‘s got you covered.
Chicagolanders looking for a last hurrah before the back-to-school season ought to head down to Springfield to visit the Illinois State Fair. Today is Scout Day and Senior Citizen Day, so scouts and visitors over 60 get in free. Festivities include ventriloquist magic shows, piglet parades, meatloaf contests, and chainsaw carving demonstrations.
The House of Blues gets an infusion of folk and flamenco tonight with a show by Mexican-American singer-songwriter Lila Downs. It’s the first stop on her U.S. tour, and with her album Raiz now in stores, the evening promises to both revisit oldies and explore new hits.
Jonathan Demme’s new movie A Master Builder begins a week-long run at the Gene Siskel Film Center this evening. Starring Wallace Shawn and Chicago native Lisa Joyce, the film is an adaptation of playwright Henrik Ibsen’s tragedy. “Joyce is an alluring woman, yet the real hook to her seductive Hilde is an infectious, bell-like laugh that communicates the character’s vitality and can bubble up at the most unexpected moments,” writes Reader film editor J.R. Jones in his review.
For more on these events and others, check out the Reader‘s daily Agenda page.