The Midnight Circus

Midnight. The start of a brand new day where anything can happen. It's the perfect name for the magical Midnight Circus in the Parks I saw for the first time this weekend.

I found out about the Midnight Circus from a friend who raved that it is a must-do activity for kids. The circus performs in different parks every weekend through October 27. Ticket sales from the circus go towards improving the participating parks.

The Circus has entertained over 30,000 people and has raised over $250,000 for local parks since they partnered with The Chicago Park District in 2007.

This is no big top circus, but it is just as thrilling. The 200 person tent feels small and intimate. The kids are able to sit on the grass right next to the ring. It was a parents' dream come true. The venue was safe and every child got a front row seat.

The kids snacked on popcorn, ring pops and hot dogs as the acrobats, aerialists and dancers performed. The two hour show kept them captivated the entire time. We even bought adorable red clown noses for the kids.

After the show was over we agreed one two things. We would come back to see the circus next year and no recreating the acrobatics at home.

By Monika Dixon

Photos via Midnight Circus in the Parks Facebook

Moving Hearts Through Song

Our Friday posts are always fashion driven, but today the MDPR team wanted to share someone who we admire not only for their fashion sense, but the time and dedication they put towards making Chicago a better place.

As President and Artistic Director of the Chicago Children's Choir, Josephine Lee unites 3,500 young Chicagoans annually through the pursuit of musical excellence. In a city afflicted by violence, Josephine empowers children to bridge cultural divides and become agents of peace and leadership in their communities. The Choir's highest level concert choir has 100% graduation rate, a testament to Josephine's hard work.

Josephine always says "the fastest way to travel the world is through music," and we couldn't think of a better quote that fits the Choir's mission of intercultural understanding. Since joining the Choir in 1998, she has transformed it into a cultural institution through partnerships with nationally acclaimed arts organizations and yearly international tours. A few countries the Choir has visited include Italy, Africa, Canada, Russia and India.

We are looking forward to the Choir's biggest fundraising event, Red Jacket Optional, next Friday the 18th. The Choir hopes to raise 1 million dollars that will all be put towards continuing to offer music education to Chicago's youth.

The event will be preceded by a cocktail hour and conclude with the lively Champagne and Sweets after party. We can't wait to dance the night away to the jams of DJ Matt Roan, Ambassador Board Chair.

Want to join us? To purchase tickets to the gala email Emily Hallock at ehallock@ccchoir.org. Tickets for Champagne and Sweets can be purchased here.

By Allison Sickert, MDPR Publicist

A Sports Filled Weekend

Sports fans, this is the weekend you've been waiting for. It is going to be an athletic filled weekend in the Windy City. We can't wait to cheer on the Bears Thursday, the Blackhawks Friday and the Chicago Marathon runners on Sunday. We just hope we have energy left over for work on Monday!

Thursday

Compassion, Fashion and Cocktails (Frontier) 5:30 pm-10 pm

Chicago International Film Festival (AMC River East 21) Visit website for show times

Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants (Soldier Field) 7:30 pm

Franz Ferdinand (The Vic Theatre) 7:30 pm

Trivia Night (Rockit Burger Bar) 8 pm

Friday

Chicago Blackhawks vs. New York Islanders (United Center) 7 pm

John Oliver (Chicago Theatre) 8 pm

Paint Your Face (Chicago Children's Museum) 11:15 am

Chicago Arts District 2nd Fridays (Halsted and 18th Streets) 6 pm-10 pm

Saturday

ACappellaFest (The Reynolds Club) 9 am-10 pm

American Flower Show Series (Chicago Botanic Garden) 10 am-4 pm

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Fall Series (Harris Theater for Music and Dance) 8 pm

Sunday

Bank of America Chicago Marathon (Start and finish in Grant Park) 7:30 am

Creatures of Light: Nature's Bioluminescence (The Field Museum) 9 am-5 pm

American Flower Show Series (Chicago Botanic Garden) 10 am-4 pm

Knocking Out Breast Cancer Fashion Show (Venue One) 5 pm-11 pm

Hanson (House of Blues) 8pm

Have any extra special weekend plans we need to know about? Tweet us at @monikadixonpr or comment below!

By Allison Sickert, MDPR Publicist

Chicago Marathon Spectator's Guide

If we show up to work with no voice next Monday we're going to blame it on the Chicago Marathon. You won't see us running, but we will be there cheering on our friends in the race.

If you'll be cheering on your loved ones as well, we've put together a handy guide with important things to know come race day.

A feature you've got to sign up for is runner tracking. You can track up to three runners via text message and receive an update when your runner crosses the 10K, halfway point, 30K and finish line. To sign up, visit the runner tracker page.

A big decision to make on race day is where you're going to cheer on your runner. Keep in mind that general spectators do not have access to the start and finish line in Grant Park. The best place to view runners after they start is on State Street. If you want to cheer them on at the end, head to the cheer zone at Michigan Avenue and Roosevelt.

Talk to your friends and family running beforehand and tell them what intersections you'll be at, a specific landmark or storefront so they can easily find you. Don't forget to tell them what side of the street you'll be on!

Post race, celebrate at the post-race party in Grant Park's Butler Field until 3 pm. There will be entertainment, food and beverages. Runners can redeem the tear-off portion of their number for a free 312 from Goose Island. If you just ran 26.2 miles, you totally deserve a beer right?

Needless to say, public transportation is going to be jammed and traffic will be less than pleasant. To avoid this mess altogether NBC 5 will be broadcasting the marathon so you can watch it from the comfort of your own couch.

If you aren't already, follow Nike Chicago on Twitter. Throughout the week they will be tweeting about special activities and post-marathon events to celebrate the race. Our social media director Emily will also be posting from the race.

For more spectator information on the marathon, visit the official site. Good luck to everyone running!

By Allison, MDPR Publicist

Images via Chicago Marathon Facebook Page

A Fall Utopia at Goebbert's

This weekend I did something I never thought I'd do—ride a camel and have a giraffe eat from my palm!

No, I didn't fly to the Middle Eastern Desert. My family and I made a trip to Goebbert's Farm in South Barrington. We can't seem to get enough of pumpkin patches and apple picking after our trip to County Line Orchard. 

Even if you've never been to Goebbert's you will probably recognize it in photos. In 1979, they had a 15 foot tall fiberglass pumpkin called Happy Jack made. Happy Jack sits on top of the farm's silo, which has become a recognizable landmark on the farm.

There are 50 different types of animals at Goebbert's in their Animal Land. The kids were thrilled to be able to get up close to giraffes, kangaroos and zebras. You can even take photos with the baby kangaroos on weekends. 

Another hilarious sight to behold is the pig races. Each pig is given a name like Kermit the Hog or Miss Piggy and the victor gets an Oreo cookie.

After visiting all the animals you have to grab some of Goebbert's apple cider doughnuts in their Red Barn Cafe and Bakery. They are worth every calorie. Try them for yourself and you'll see why you can't have just one.

After a doughnut break, we conquered the corn maze and haunted house. A wagon ride though a corn stalk trail was a relaxing way to end the day. If only it could've driven us home!

By Monika Dixon

Toasting the Chicago Children's Choir at Tod's

The event last week at Tod’s celebrating their new Sella bag and benefiting the Chicago Children’s Choir was one for the record books. It’s the first event we’ve been to where the men out-shopped the women!

With 10% of every purchase going to the Choir, the 100+ crowd that showed up to support the organization blew us away. While women did their fair share of shopping, the men were purchasing new pairs of Tod’s loafers left and right. At the end of the night $50,000 was raised for the Choir. 

One of the show stoppers of the night was a blue python Sella bag. A store associate told us only five were made and they have the last one. It’s still waiting for one lucky lady. Our significant others didn’t seem too eager to buy it for us. What gives?

Champagne and hors d'oeuvres created by Elaina Vazquez of Boutique Bites were passed around throughout the evening. Our favorite was the mini chocolate chip cookie sandwiches. We overheard one guest wishing they could have a jumbo-sized version. Maybe we should pitch the idea of a giant cookie sandwich to Elaina…

The always upbeat Matt Roan provided the perfect tunes to accompany the evening. The night was a perfect precursor to the Choir’s Red Jacket Optional gala on October 18. These next three weeks couldn’t come any faster!

To purchase tickets for Red Jacket Optional contact Emily Hallock at ehallock@ccchoir.org. 

To view more photos from the evening please visit the Monika Dixon PR Facebook page!

By Allison Sickert, MDPR Publicist 

The Latest Social Media Updates

One thing I especially love about social media is that the different platforms are constantly rolling out new updates that better (or, in some cases, worsen) their respective experiences. Social media is always changing, which is exciting. But those changes require constant researching, learning and adjusting. Just when you feel like you've mastered it, it goes and changes on you. To keep you in the loop and to hopefully ease the transition tension a bit, I've recapped the latest social media updates that you might want to know about. 

1. Pinterest - Now when you pin a story or article, in addition to the photo and link, the author's name, article title, brief description and a larger link will appear. This should encourage the pinning of more articles, as users do on Facebook and Twitter. 

2. Facebook - Made an error in your status update but noticed just after you clicked 'Share'? Delete no more. You can now simply click the arrow in the top right of the status window and select 'Edit.' It's about time!

3. Twitter - Photos embedded in tweets are now larger, creating a 'bold visual focus on the media.' This is great news for those who tend to put out very visual-heavy content.

4. Twitter - A new push notification sends recommendations when several people in your network either follow the same user or RT the same tweet. Use these recommendations as they are tailored specifically to you! This ensures you're as informed as possible about what's trending amongst your connections.

5. Instagram - If you have the new iOS 7 software and updated your Insta app, you may have noticed an aesthetically altered layout and feed. Photos and videos are larger and profile images now appear in the shape of a circle. 

6. Facebook - Only three days old, this new Facebook update is not yet accessible by all users. The revamped graph search will allow users to search for topics within status updates, posts and comments. Searching by time periods or locations is now possible as well. (Something along the lines of 'Posts by my friends from last week.') This update puts Facebook on a more competitive level of play when it comes to being conducive to real-time conversations. In other words, it's striving to compete with Twitter in this department. Whether or not it can remains to be seen.

I'll be back next week with some more social media related news for you to consume, but until then, if you have any news of your own, questions or tips, please feel free to tweet us at @MonikaDixonPR. Or Instagram...whichever you prefer. And please share this if you found it helpful!

By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director