Got room for a little more love in your life? Check out Famous Fido Rescue’s adoption open house today. Famous Fido (3124 W. Irving Park), a no-kill shelter, finds homes for animals surrendered in crisis situations or deemed “unadoptable” by kill shelters. From noon-6 PM, they’re inviting you to meet some of their wonderful furry friends who are seeking forever homes. While cats are available for impromptu meet’n’mingles, the agency asks that potential dog parents fill out an application before being introduced to their dream companions. Anyone is welcome, but adopters must be over 25. A $10 donation is suggested to attend (this helps animals who don’t find homes today!), and refreshments will be available. (MC)
It’s that special time of year: the Battle 4 the Eagle. From noon-8 PM, multiple generations of Chicago hip-hop will converge at the Logan Square eagle (officially known as the Illinois Centennial Monument, located in the square at Milwaukee and Logan) for a day of breaking, freestyling, graffiti, scratching, and deejaying. Hosted by scene veterans Ang13 and AMS, the day includes both an all-ages and 13-and-under break battle, a freestyle battle, and a graffiti battle, as well as live performances and DJs later in the day. Expect cameos from Renegades of Funk group members, original graffiti stylers A.B.C. (Artistic Bombing Crew), Intel Music Group, and break legend Lady Champ. (MC)
In our latest issue, Reader staff writer Katie Prout brought us into the belly of Godzilla (or, more accurately, into the middle of a Godzilla enthusiasts convention with her cover story, “Swimming in the atomic waters of the largest Godzilla convention on earth.” If Prout’s prose had you craving for a “con” experience, today’s a chance to go to two of the biggest Chicagoland fan conventions. Up in Rosemont, Flashback Weekend, Chicagoland’s longest running horror-focused convention opens at 10:30 AM at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago (9300 W. Bryn Mawr, Rosemont) and features opportunities to take photos with a substantial amount of actors and directors from 70s and 80s genre film, including A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, and Amanda Wyss; actor Robert Carradine representing for the Revenge of the Nerds franchise; and director and popular Twitter tweeter Alex Winter (who some of you may know as the honorable Bill S. Preston, esquire). Carradine joins Nerds alum Don Gibb for a Q&A session at 12:30 PM; other talks include Winter at 2 PM and Langenkamp and Wyss at 2:45 PM. Tickets are $35 ($10 for kids ages six to 11), but expect to pay for photo ops and spend money on memorabilia at the extensive dealer booths. And don’t be frightened of the admission charge: Flashback donates all their net proceeds from the weekend toward an effort to save the Midway Drive-In in Sterling, a small city in central northern Illinois near Dixon. (SCJ)
Flashback Weekend and general Chicago favorite Svengoolie hosts a costume contest most years at the convention; this year his appearances were scheduled for Saturday but you can still catch the TV host with the most (rubber chickens) at today’s final hours of the huge Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (known as C2E2). Svengoolie will be manning (ghouling?) an autograph session starting at 1 PM, and there’s a dizzying array of actors, athletes, and other fan faves doing the same throughout the day: at 11 AM alone, you could choose from wrestler Mick Foley, actress Rosario Dawson, or singer and YouTuber AmaLee, owing to C2E2’s wide focus on “pop culture, fandoms, and you.” Be sure to bring extra money to this one as well as there are multiple rooms of merchandise, vintage goods dealers, a family fun area, and a beer garden. Show floor is open from 10 AM-5 PM and the programming including fan Q&A sessions and panel discussions goes from 11 AM-6 PM. It’s all at McCormick Place (2301 S. King Dr.); a detailed schedule and advance tickets are available here. (SCJ)