Chinatown Summer Fair

What: Chinatown Summer Fair
Where: Chinatown
How Much: Free!
How to get there: Red line to Cermak

Here's Nicole at the Chinatown Summer Fair! I lured her there with promises of a dragon parade (more about this later).

It was so refreshing to attend a fair that wasn't as cookie-cutter as the others I've been going to so far. More bazaar than street fest, you could buy pretty much anything you wanted. Sheets? Got 'em. Sweet visors with built in sunglasses and fans? Yup. Tiny red eared slider turtles climbing over one another in a desperate bid to escape? You betcha.


It is a miracle that I didn't come home with a turtle. I have a habit of impulsive pet buying. Like the tree frog I had to keep in my dorm room (along with the crickets it ate). Or the chinchilla I bought in a fog of grief after my hamster died. Or the dog I adopted without really knowing if I was allergic to it or not (thankfully that one turned out happily). I ended up buying a money tree instead.

The plants were one thing I haven't seen at a fair before. Lucky bamboo, money trees, something called a "mimosa" that moves when you touch it. And the bonsai. Oh, the bonsai. My attempts at Bonsai are far more ill fated than my impulsive pets. First, there was a Juniper bonsai named Quincey. He didn't survive freshman year. Then there was Richard, a much cheaper target bonsai who didn't survive winter break.
We even saw a carnivorous plant that looked like something from another planet.

Another novel item at the Chinatown summer fair was the extensive petting zoo. There were two ridiculously fluffy chickens, a duck, a goose, a mama potbelly pig and two little baby pigs (not as soft as they look, in case you were wondering). I am always faced with a moral dilemma about petting zoos. At the same time that I desperately want to pet the animals, I am also plagued with a sort of horror and disgust that they are made to stand in the heat for my enjoyment.

Walking around, I was struck by the number of people carrying umbrellas to ward off the sun. I jokingly asked Nicole why she didn't bring her umbrella. She said she actually had, because there was a chance of rain. Just then, thunder in the distance. The wind blew hard enough that I had to hold on to the tent next to me to keep it from blowing over. And then this happened.

The vendors were totally unprepared for such an event. Water decimated the flimsy tents set up over the random goods and soaked all of the cardboard boxes holding the extras. Nicole and I took refuge in a painting shop and watched the horror unfold. Luckily it was short lived and it was safe to venture out ten minutes later.

Throughout the fair, I lamented missing the "dragon parade" that was supposed to happen around noon. By the time we were ready to leave, around 2, I was sure it had happened on some other street. But as we approached the front gates, I heard the drums and saw the flash of dragon headpieces. We hadn't missed it after all! I eagerly lined up so as to have a front row seat. The dragons were ready and they came dancing towards me... and were instantly past. The huge, 10-person dragons I had imagined were actually about 4 feet long. But hey, the fair was free, so I am not complaining.


After the stunning parade, Nicole and I found an authentic restaurant at which to have lunch. While the menu boasted frog, rabbit, jellyfish, and hog's intestines, I stuck with sauteed veggies. And they were delicious.

Lots of festivals next week. Clark Street (I went last year, don't bother), Milwaukee Avenue Arts Fest, Backyard film and music festival, and taste of Lincoln Avenue. Don't forget about free Monday concerts at Millennium Park, Summerdance, or Movies in the Park either.