August 2021 – Travel Smart With Jodie

Take a staycation or vacation with great room views and where food and entertainment lies steps outside

Navy Pier fireworks (Photo courtesy of Navy Pier)

If not interested in flying or taking a long driving trip this Labor Day Weekend, consider making Navy Pier your destination.

Now that Hilton has built The Sable Hotel on Navy Pier, it makes sense to stay where fireworks fill the sky Wednesdays and Saturdays through Labor Day Weekend, delicious dishes please all ages, music and entertainment is free on the Lake Stage and the Beer Garden, movies are shown at the Lake Stage Lawn in Polk Park across the Pier’s entrance through \August, and the Centennial Wheel is a ride you’ll want to take each day of the stay.

After dining at Harry Carey’s Tavern or Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Bar and Grill, take in the views and while sipping well-crafted cocktails at the Offshore Rooftop and Bar, possibly the country’s larges rooftop terrace.

If there Aug. 28, 2021 spend the evening at Navy Pier’s Lake Stage to watch Resurgence, a program showcasing Chicago’s black dance companies. Look for times, tickets and other entertainment options at Cultural Attractions & Public Spaces.

If getting out on the water that lies just outside your door is too tempting to miss while staying so close, check the cruises that pull right up to the Pier.

August full moon a bit fishy

Full moon over Chicago's northern suburbs. 9J Jacobs photo) — Full moon over Chicago’s northern suburbs. 9J Jacobs photo)

Enjoy our bright sky light all weekend. The moon will appear full Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021 but it really will be opposite the sun Sunday morning at 8:02 a.m. and even look full on Monday.

According to the Farmer’s almanac the Algonquin tribes in the northeastern states called the August full moon the Sturgeon Moon because these fish were usually more easily caught in the Great Lakes then.

A rather ugly, large fish, sturgeon ancestors date back to the time dinosaurs roamed the region. The Grand Rapids Public Museum has a permanent exhibit about these Great Lake fish.

But the August Moon is also called a blue moon even though that definition typically refers to two full moons in one month. In this case the referral is to full moons in one season.

For more names and full moon information visit NASA and Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Illinois State Fair still a summer getaway

Illinois State Fair. (photo courtesy of Illinois.gov)

It’s not too late to go to the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. Think food, carnival rides, food, free entertainment, food, a twilight parade harness, tech exhibits, auto racing and food.

An easy three-hour drive south from Chicago, it’s about two miles in from Interstate 55 at the Sangamon Ave. exit 100 B.

Even though the 2021 fair started Aug. 12, it continues through Aug. 22 with daily special events and a new, must check-out, Tech Prairie STEAM Expo that opens Aug. 18 in the Orr Building.

The STEAM (like STEM) Expo features drone racing, interactive exhibits, Esport competitions and demonstrations. Go to the STEAM Expo website for drone racing and Esports competition registration links, exhibitors, livestreaming links and schedule of events at www.illinois.gov/steamexpo.

What you should know

Bring a mask for indoor exhibits

Find general information at General Info (illinois.gov.

Look for the Daily schedule illinois.gov to find events during your visit.

Hours: The Fairgrounds are open from 7 a.m. to Midnight.

General admission is Children (0-12) , free; Adults (13-59) $10 (Fridays & Saturdays) and Adults (13-59) $5 (other days) and Seniors (60+) $3.

Parking is $5 daily.

The State fairgrounds are at 801 E. Sangamon Ave., Springfield, IL.(

(The ramps to exit Sangamon Ave to I-55 are closed for construction so detour to Sherman or Clear Lake Ave. exits for I-55. For ideas on what to do and what you will see go to Rides and Attractions – Rides and Attractions (illinois.gov)

Visit the STEAM Expo website for drone racing and Esports competition registration links, a list of exhibitors, livestreaming links and schedule of events at www.illinois.gov/steamexpo.

The Perseid meteor shower is back

The Perseids produce more than 40 meteors per hour. (Photo courtesy of NASA)

Put August 11 on your calendar to watch the night sky. The best meteor shower of the year, the Perseids, will be entertaining night sky watchers with at least 40 fireballs an hour when they peak next week. However, they have been known to rack up as many as 100 meteors per hour.

As debris from comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseid Meteor Shower occurs annually when earth’s orbit takes it near the comet’s path from the end of July to mid-August. The meteors are already zooming across the sky but in 2021 the peak is Aug. 11-13.

If you like company or have trouble seeing them, tune into NASA which has invited everyone to watch with them. Watch time is Aug. 11-12 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. CDT on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

If weather is a problem, there is likely to be a second chance Aug. 12-13. The livestream is hosted by the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

A crescent moon will be setting early so moonlight shouldn’t be a factor. Watch between midnight and dawn away from city lights. Some folks stretch out on blankets but if the ground is dewy damp pull out a lawn chair.

Don’t worry if you don’t see any meteors right away. It takes a few minutes to adapt to the night sky. The meteor shower radiant appears to be above Perseus.

Good sky-watching references include Time and Date and Earth and Sky.