Kick of the nice weather with a bang--watch Snoop Dogg throw out the first pitch at the White Sox game tonight and whip up some baby back ribs on the grill for dinner.

Original jewelry, textiles and paintings by the Women’s Wisdom Artisans of People’s Resource Center will be featured from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 2, at Taste of Wheaton’s Marketplace Business Expo in Memorial Park.

Two Brothers Brewing Company presents its fourth annual Hop Juice Festival on Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2, celebrating the release of its most popular artisan beers, Hop Juice Double IPA and Hop Juice Black. Supporting charity, the festival will take place at Two Brothers Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway (Route 25), downtown Aurora.

Mario and Phillip Aliano are the brothers behind Aliano’s Ristorante, launched late last year near the Fox River in Batavia after a long search for the right location.

The founders of CONSTRUCTOR Craft Fair say they are super psyched to announce the date for CONSTRUCTOR 5.0. Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the craft fair is described as a professional, high quality and high design fair that speaks to the suburban craft consumer.

Niche restaurant in Geneva dishes up its newest “Concert Between Courses” series, launching with a performance by guitarist Goran Ivanovic at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 6.

“We are incredibly passionate about this business,” says Anthony Vai, who, with his father, Michael, and their chef and partner Brian Goewey, just opened flour + wine for dinners in downtown Glen Ellyn.

It’s been 10 years since the first offbeat travel guide to the Land of Lincoln, “Oddball Illinois,” and it’s safe to say things have only gotten weirder, according to author Jerome Pohlen. He'll give a book signing and a talk Saturday night, May 26, in Tamale Hut Cafe, North Riverside.

Instead of a chore, grocery shopping at Standard Market in Westmont is designed as a destination attraction, an independent original where departments are chef-driven, and patrons can take a break at the wine-and-beer bar or dine in the restaurant, where inventive fare is prepared from the market’s gourmet wares.

A restaurant whose roots go back six decades acquires stories. For William Tell Restaurant & Banquets in Countryside, they link the Swiss hero to the Marx brothers and to a family from Europe building their American dream.

Pick your pleasure from among eclectic choices including elegant patio fare and cocktails at Waterleaf in Glen Ellyn; an arts weekend in Riverside; all things drum related at a show in St. Charles; and free access to four Elmhurst museums with trolley service.

A smorgasbord of activities for every taste awaits, served up by Blooming Fest in West Chicago, and the JustPlay! Sports and Recreational Festival in Carol Stream.

This restaurant-pub housed in a 19th Century coach house is truly a hidden treasure. It sits behind a Victorian on the corner of Wilson Street and Route 31. The pub’s partners, Jon With and Ken Robertson, are happy to be off the main drag. but, just because there’s no traffic doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of action inside.

The gluten-free desserts featured at the Geneva French Market each weekend by Chef Christopher Clem will play a dual role this Sunday, May 20, as a fundraiser for Misericordia/Heart of Mercy.

From beer to a bug exhibit, the weather is perfect this weekend for some family (or adult) fun.

Riverside Arts Weekend (RAW) will put artists, musicians, designers and architects at the heart of the historic village from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 19, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 20.

Whether beer is your thing, or you'd prefer to satisfy your sweet tooth, the western suburbs have plenty of options tonight. 

Foodies are invited to the cafe at Whole Foods Market in Hinsdale at noon Saturday, May 19, where local Chef Paul Virant of Vie and Perennial Virant will prepare seasonal recipes to sample from his long-awaited cookbook, “Preservation Kitchen.”

If you’d like to guide people on a time travel adventure into the past, the chance is as close as Graue Mill and Museum in Oak Brook, a way to experience the 19th century. The waterwheel grist mill and homestead, along with related exhibits, educate visitors about pioneer life and the Underground Railroad.

With support from the American Association of Retired Asians, the DuPage Senior Citizens Council will host a “Thursday Lunch for Seniors.” It takes place from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 24, in Shahi Nihari, Lombard. The restaurant luncheon will feature authentic Pakistani-Indian cuisine.