The August full moon, called the Sturgeon Moon, falls on the 19th of this month. And it’s not just a full moon. It is a supermoon! Because its orbit brings it close to Earth it will loom larger that past moons in 2024 as it rises over the horizon. It is also a Blue Moon.
You likely won’t see it at its peak illumination at 1:26 p.m. Central Time when the sun is bright. Look for it rising in the southeastern sky after sunset. However, it will also appear to be full the evenings of Aug. 18 and Aug. 20.
It is also known as a Blue Moon because of its seasonal timeliness of four full moons in a season and not because of the other definition of two full moons in a month. August’s moon is third in the season between a solstice and the equinox.
It gets its name from the weird looking freshwater fish that are more plentiful this time of year in the Great Lakes. Among the best places to see and learn more about these lake sturgeon is the Public Museum in Grand Rapids, MI and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL where they are in the Touch Pool.
They may also be listed in museums and aquariums as “living fossils” because their known discovered date is more than 130 million years ago.
As with other full moons, the August one also has Native American names including “Corn Moon” (Algonquin, Ojibwe) and Harvest Moon (Dakota).
BTW Even though the August moon is called a Supermoon, it will only look bigger but really won’t be larger.
The Joseph Jefferson (Jeff) Awards honor outstanding theatre shows and their artists annually since 1968. This week, they have announced their nominees for the 56th Equity Awards. The Award ceremony will be Sept. 30, 2024, at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, IL.
The nominees total 193 in 34 categories in shows that ran July 1, 2023 to June 30, 1924. As an example of the nominees note that Goodman Theatre received 20 nominations from nine productions of which two were co-produced with other companies. Next most was Mercury Theater Chicago with 18 nominations and Marriott Theatre with 17 nominations.
Here are some of the categories and their nominees. For the full list visit Joseph Jefferson Awards.
2024 EQUITY JEFF AWARD NOMINEES
Production – Play (Large) “Birthday Candles” – Northlight Theatre “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” – Goodman Theatre “The Lehman Trilogy” – Broadway in Chicago and TimeLine Theatre Company “Little Bear Ridge Road” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company “The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at the Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years” – Goodman Theatre “Purpose” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company “A Streetcar Named Desire” – Paramount Theatre “Twelfth Night” – Chicago Shakespeare TheaterProduction – Play (Midsize) “Blues for an Alabama Sky” – Remy Bumppo Theatre Company “Gods and Monsters” – Frame of Reference Productions “Silent Sky” – Citadel Theatre “Turret” – A Red Orchid Theatre “A View from the Bridge” – Shattered Globe Theatre
Production – Musical (Large) “Anything Goes” – Porchlight Music Theatre “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” – Marriott Theatre “Guys and Dolls” – Drury Lane Productions “The Matchbox Magic Flute” – Goodman Theatre “Meredith Willson’s The Music Man” – Marriott Theatre “Next to Normal” – Paramount Theatre
Production – Musical (Midsize) “Jersey Boys” – Mercury Theater Chicago “Rock of Ages” – Mercury Theater Chicago “She Loves Me” – Citadel Theatre “Young Frankenstein” – Mercury Theater Chicago
Production – Revue “Ain’t Misbehavin'” – Drury Lane Productions “A Taste of Soul” – Black Ensemble Theater “The Time Machine: A Tribute to the 80s” – Black Ensemble Theater
Ensemble – Play “English” – Goodman Theatre and the Guthrie Theatre “The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at the Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years” – Goodman Theatre “The Penelopiad” – Goodman Theatre “POTUS: or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company “Purpose” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Ensemble – Musical or Revue “Ain’t Misbehavin'” – Drury Lane Productions “Illinoise” – Chicago Shakespeare Theater in association with ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann “Meredith Willson’s The Music Man” – Marriott Theatre “A Taste of Soul” – Black Ensemble Theater “The Time Machine: A Tribute to the 80s” – Black Ensemble TheaterNew Work Levi Holloway – “Turret” – A Red Orchid Theatre Samuel D. Hunter – “Little Bear Ridge Road” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company Branden Jacobs-Jenkins – “Purpose” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company Nambi E. Kelley – “Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution” – Court Theatre Brett Neveu – “Revolution” – A Red Orchid Theatre Sufjan Stevens, Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury – “Illinoise” – Chicago Shakespeare Theater in association with ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann Mary Zimmerman – “The Matchbox Magic Flute” – Goodman Theatre
Director – Play (Large) Susan V. Booth – “The Penelopiad” – Goodman Theatre Nick Bowling and Vanessa Stalling – “The Lehman Trilogy” – Broadway in Chicago and TimeLine Theatre Company Lili-Anne Brown – “The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at the Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years” – Goodman Theatre Joe Mantello – “Little Bear Ridge Road” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company Tyrone Phillips – “Twelfth Night” – Chicago Shakespeare Theater Phylicia Rashad – “Purpose” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Director – Play (Midsize) Mikael Burke – “Blues for an Alabama Sky” – Remy Bumppo Theatre Company Louis Contey – “A View from the Bridge” – Shattered Globe Theatre Levi Holloway – “Turret” – A Red Orchid Theatre Chuck Smith – “The Reclamation of Madison Hemings” – American Blues Theater Paul Oakley Stovall – “Gods and Monsters” – Frame of Reference Productions Beth Wolf – “Silent Sky” – Citadel TheatreDirector – Musical (Large) Jim Corti – “Next to Normal” – Paramount Theatre Jessica Fisch – “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” – Marriott Theatre Katie Spelman – “Meredith Willson’s The Music Man” – Marriott Theatre Michael Weber – “Anything Goes” – Porchlight Music Theatre Mary Zimmerman – “The Matchbox Magic Flute” – Goodman Theatre
Director – Musical (Midsize) Matthew Silar – “She Loves Me” – Citadel Theatre L. Walter Stearns – “Young Frankenstein” – Mercury Theater Chicago L. Walter Stearns and Brenda Didier – “Jersey Boys” – Mercury Theater Chicago
Director – Revue Daryl D. Brooks – “The Time Machine: A Tribute to the 80s” – Black Ensemble Theater E. Faye Butler – “Ain’t Misbehavin'” – Drury Lane Productions Deidre Goodwin – “Beehive: The 60’s Musical” – Marriott Theatre
The Perseids, considered one of the best meteor showers to watch in the Northern Hemisphere, are going on right now but their peak is Aug 11-12 this year of 2024.
What to expect: 50 to 90 meteors flying across the sky in one hour.
Advantages of this shower: The moon is at its first-quarter phase so its light is not likely to interfere with meteor sightings. In addition, if you wait until after midnight, the moon will have set so the sky is even darker. But best is to watch for them just before dawn when its radiant is higher.
According to EarthSky, the Perseids usually have a good train of light and color. And they appear to come from the constellation Perseus near the Double Cluster which is why they refer to the constellation Perseus the Hero.
“We will be covering the Perseid meteor shower, sharing it live on the night of its peak online,” Virtual Telescope Project founder and astronomer Gianluca Masi said in an email to Space.com.
“This year, the sky conditions will be good, with almost no moon interference. We will be taking images from our facility in Manciano, in the Maremma countryside, under one of the darkest skies in Italy,” he said.”
Also hear from NASA about the Perseid Meteor shower from its Jet Propulsion Laboratory at California Institute of Technology at What’s Up – August 2024 (nasa.gov)
Where to look: The Perseids appear to radiate from a point in the northeastern sky but with as many as can appear during its peak just lie back and look at the sky.
(Walter S. Mitchell, III, photo /DCASE/ City of Chicago)
If planning to make Chicago or friends who live there, a Fall vacation, try to fit the visit for when Taste of Chicago returns to the city’s Grant Park, Sept. 6-8, 2024.
What to expect:
Well, there’s always Eli’s Cheesecake to get for dessert, but there will also be more than 40 food booths and a dozen food trucks with tastings from a variety of cuisines ranging from Cuban, East Indian and African to Thai, pizza and the famed hamburgers of Billy Goat Tavern.
Tol relax, look for the beer hall or cocktail lounge.
Plus, you can down the food to musical headliners and popular rock and emerging artists.
Where to congregate:
Take pictures and meet friends in the park atBuckingham Fountain (Jackson & Columbus).
No Charge or tickets: Taste of Chicago is free. and vendors take cash and credit cards.
“The Taste of Chicago showcases the incredible culinary diversity of our city’s 77 neighborhoods,” saidSam Toia, President and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association. “It offers a special bite of why we are the greatest culinary city in the world,” he said.
About half a million aeronautic enthusiasts are coming to Oshkosh, WI, July 22-25 to see close to 10,000 aircraft including warbirds and vintage planes and talk to their pilots and crews.
It’s fun to stream some of the action but if you would like to get tickets, watch planes come in and hear a lecture, here are useful connections.
Whether living in or near Chicago or visiting for vacation or a convention there are two really good items to put on the to-do list.
One: Millennium Park, a wonderful place to explore, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with family events and performances July 18-21, 2024.
If there this Thursday-Sunday, celebrate with ¡Súbelo! and Fruko y Sus Tesos on Thursday, listen to the music of John Williams including Star Wars played by the Grant Park Orchestra Friday, or Grammy winner Common on Saturday and or R&B performers Sunday. Plus, there are family activities all day Saturday and Sunday. Check 20th anniversary above to see times.
But if those dates aren’t convenient, just go because there is the “Bean” (Cloud Gate) to see and the Fountain to splash in or photo.
Anish Kapoor’’s massive Cloud Gate sculpture, familiarly called “The Bean” is now as synonymous with Chicago as Picasso’s sculpture by City Hall. A 12-foot-high central arch is the “gate” to the underside but also the streetscape.
Designed by Jaume Plensa and built by Krueck + Sexton Architects, Crown Fountain is about water, video, light, and glass elements
Changing images of Chicagoans are projected in a way similar to fountain gargoyles from which water flows out of their mouths. Really. The pooled water is often a splash and play area for children.
Then there is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion Jay Pritzker Pavilion | Millennium Park Foundation. Designed by Frank Gehry, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion is where crowds watch a variety of performers from bluegrass to classical music as they sit on reserved seats or on the grass.
The Pavilion which is 120-feet above ground with a billowing open top of brushed stainless-steel ribbons that frame the stage connected to an overhead trellis of crisscrossing steel pipes, can be seen before even getting to Millennium Park if walking east towards Michigan Avenue down Randolph and Washington Streets.
Plus there are two walkways crossing over roads to try. They are Gehry’s stainless steel pedestrian bridge that goes from Millenium Park over Columbus Drive to Maggie Daley Park and Renzo Piano’s (designer of the Modern Wing of the Art Institute) Nichols Bridgeway that he designed to go over Monroe from Millenium Park to the upstairs of the Chicago Art Institute.
The Fountain (J Jacob s photo)
Two: (but not second in sights and enjoyment) is the Architecture Boat Tour of the Chicago River.
Most well-known:CAC boat tour
Get tickets at the Chicago Architecture Center, 111 e Wacker Drive, around the corner from Michigan Avenue across from the Chicago River.
trained docent volunteers have led the CAC River Cruise, sharing fascinating stories behind more than 50 buildings along the Chicago River. Hear how Chicago grew from a small settlement into one of the world’s largest cities in less than 100 years. In just 90 minutes, you’ll get the best overview of Chicago’s architecture and its history. $54.
Primarily known as the “Buck Moon” because male deer antlers are full grown, July’s full moon will be at peak illumination early morning July 21 (5:17 a.m. CT). But you will see it full at night on July 20 through July 22.
Other Native American July moon names also reflect animal behavior, nature and plants such as Salmon Moon, Berry Moon and Thunder Moon.
However, you don’t want a full moon if looking for the Delta Aquariids , often called Souther Aquariids from Comet 96P/Machholz when they fly overhead from July 18 to Aug. 21, 2024. They peak July 30 but are not numerous at 15 to 20 an hour and not bright. Also, they are more visible in the Southern Hemisphere and Southern US.
So be patient because the popular Perseids which zoom overhead late July to early September, will peak about Aug. 12 with more than 90 meteorites per hour.
Sometimes you get lucky when traveling and come across a fun place to stop, and even shop. Such is Ann Arbor, MI which merits a drive for its triple art fairs but combined under the name Ann Arbor Art Fair, July 18-20, 2024.
They are three separate non-profit fairs that fill the streets from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. that Thursday and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
Drawing about half a million visitors, they combine to be the country’s largest juried art showing of works by about 1,000 artists and cover about 30 city blocks, so wear comfortable shoes.
Booth at Port Clinton Art Festival (J Jacobs photo)
Another good art fair destination is the Port Clinton Art Festival in downtown Highland Park, IL, Aug 24-25, 2024. It is a third smaller than the triple AA Fair at nearly 300 booths, but the fair is also juried and ranked among the best in the country.
For a break look for That Little French Guy Patisserie on St. Johns Ave. across from the Metra train station. Everything is good here so take something to go along with the art.
If you noticed the moon looks brighter, closer and fuller even on June 19, two days before it’s full, you are right.
The June full moon will appear at 8:08 p.m. CT June 21, 2024 and will look extra-large because it is the lowest full moon we have seen in years. It’s just an illusion.
Also, because it is low it will appear more reddish orange due to the atmosphere and not because it is called the Strawberry Moon. That name recognizes the fruit that is often ripe about the same mid-June time. Other names are rose moon, honey moon, mead moon, berries ripen moon, planting moon and green corn moon.
After sunset, look southeast to see it rise over the horizon. For the time it rises locally see Full Moon Calculator.
In addition, the June moon is special this year because it happens at the same time as the summer solstice, when we in the northern hemisphere experience the longest day.
You may be driving up to Door County, WI, a north-easterly finger jutting out into the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan, to vacation in charming seaside villages with good shopping, casual eateries, relaxing scenery and outdoor fun such as sailing, golfing, hiking and biking.
However, once you get there you realize after passing several galleries, art studios and numerous potters that Door County is also an art colony.
You can take art classes or try your hand at creating jewelry, glass-like sculpture and ceramics and also visit artists in their studios.
Plus, you should have no trouble finding paintings, pottery, jewelry and glass pieces to take home or give as holiday presents.
Even if you are going to spend most of the vacation exploring, relaxing or playing, you are likely to stop at a gallery.
So, first stop should be the Visitors Center, (Destination Door County) 1015 Green Bay Road, in Sturgeon Bay. It’s on your right before you reach the canal bridge and cross onto the main vacation part of the peninsula.
Pick up the “arts guidebook” (Not in caps) which has an excellent map (but you can also get a larger map at the Center.
Door County Coffee and Teas (J Jacobs photo)
If you are not staying in Sturgeon Bay you might want to take a latte break at Door County Coffee and Teas, 5773 Hwy 42, Sturgeon Bay (actually Carlsville) before continuing on the peninsula so you can look through the arts guide before checking in to your condo or inn.
Door County Coffee and Teas is where many folks stop when they get to the Door and then when they leave it.
You won’t get to all the places listed in the book. Really.
4999 Plumb Bottom Rd., Egg Harbor. It’s potter Chad Luberger’s first place and now he and wife, jewelry maker Angerla Olson Luberger, have four galleries.
Hands On studio (J Jacobs photo
Take a look at the studios on the grounds of Hands On Art Studio, 3655 Peninsula Players Rd, Fish Creek. If you like what you see schedule a time to return and create. I made a piece similar to these which look very much like what I saw later at the Art Institute of Chicago store but anyone could do it.
Edgewood Orchard Galleries
Edgewood Orchard Home – Edgewood Orchard Galleries, 4140 Peninsula Players Rd. Fish Creek. Best if you wore walking shoes because many of the sculptures are on paths through the trees. Leave time to visit the two floors of the main gallery.
Fine Line Designs Gallery and Sculpture Gardens
Fineline Designs Gallery. 10376 Hwy 42, Sister Bay (actually at Ephraim’s north end). Good gallery but also found fun outdoor items to bring home.
Ellison Bay Pottery
ellisonbaypotterystudios.com 12156 Garrett Bay Rd, Ellison Bay, WI Longtime Door County potter. Call to check hours (920) 854-5049.
While at Ellison Bay Pottery follow the signs to The Clearing, a folk school at 12171 Garret Bay Rd. The Clearing | The Clearing Folk School. The building and grounds are worth a stop but also ask for the classes and programs brochure.
