The Chicago Botanic Garden's 385-acre grounds in Glencoe will feature larger-than-life iridescent bubbles casting rainbow reflections across Festival Field and the Buehler Enabling Garden on Saturday and Saturday, Aug. 8-9.
The installation is called Evanescent, and it's the centerpiece of the Garden's Shimmering Summer season, which runs through Sept. 20 under new President and CEO Gretchen E. Baker. On Aug. 8-9, the Garden adds live music to the mix: The Dreamtree Shakers, a Chicago-based indie-pop band, will play two sets each day at Festival Field, from 11 to 11:40 a.m. and 12:30 to 1:10 p.m.
The Dreamtree Shakers formed around the Old Town School of Folk Music in 2007 and have released five studio albums. Their sound layers vocal harmonies, saxophone, flute, guitar, harmonica, bass and percussion into songs that get kids dancing without telling them to. The Garden describes the act as indie pop for kids that works as music for the whole family.
Families walking the Evanescent trail will find themselves surrounded by oversized bubble sculptures that shift color in the light. The Garden promoted the Aug. 8-9 weekend on Wednesday, Aug. 5, inviting visitors to explore "an immersive trail of iridescent bubbles."
The installation is weather-dependent. The Garden closed Evanescent on Wednesday, Aug. 5, due to predicted storms, so visitors should check chicagobotanic.org/shimmering before heading out on Saturday or Sunday.
The Garden is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Members get early access starting at 8 a.m. Nonmember admission requires advance tickets purchased online.
Shimmering Summer continues beyond the Aug. 8-9 weekend with Circus Skills on Aug. 22-23, The Bubbler is Back on Sept. 12-13 and a season finale Sept. 19-20.
North Shore community and culture week ahead
Saturday, Aug. 8
- Evanescent bubble trail + The Dreamtree Shakers, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (music at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.), Chicago Botanic Garden, Festival Field, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe. Free for members; nonmember tickets required online. Family-friendly immersive art and live music.
- Night Fliers Mothing Workshop, 7:30-11 p.m., Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe. The Garden's first-ever mothing event, in partnership with the Insect Asylum. Separate ticketed event. As we reported Aug. 3, participants learn to identify nocturnal creatures and use community science apps.
Sunday, Aug. 9
- Evanescent bubble trail + The Dreamtree Shakers, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (music at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.), Chicago Botanic Garden, Festival Field, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe. Free for members; nonmember tickets required online.
