Get out there and play

Even if your family doesn’t hail from Scotland, you can still celebrate like a great Scot at the Scottish Festival & Highland Games in Oak Brook. Spend your weekend with folks in kilts, bagpipers and big burly men tossing telephone poles as far as they can.

The festival’s games and competitions are plentiful, much like the Scottish delicacy, Haggis. You’ll find piping and drumming competitions, the Heavy Athletics U.S. Open Championship and the Highland Dance competition and a youth soccer tournament. Learn about falconry, listen to Celtic bands and check out the crafts and carnival attractions. Saturday evening’s closing ceremony is the event’s highlight, with 1,000 bagpipers and drummers playing traditional music.

The Scottish Festival & Highland Games is held at the Oak Brook Polo Grounds, 700 Oak Brook Road, from 4-10 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $12 Friday, $17 Saturday, kids under 12 are free both days. For a full schedule and more information, call (708) 447-5092 or visit chicago-scots.org.

Get your tickets here

Head back to the Ice Age with your family—on the big screen—when you win tickets to see “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.” Two lucky Chicago Parent readers will win a family five-pack to see “Ice Age” in 3D at their choice of Classic Cinemas theaters, beginning July 1. When deciding on your theater, please keep in mind that not all of the Classic Cinemas theaters offer 3D viewing. For more information, visit classiccinemas.com. To win, visit our discussion board.

Get out there and play some more

Take your family to Lockport this weekend for some good old-fashioned family fun while you take in a little history. The 1800s historic canal city hosts the Lockport Old Canal Days with contests, games, entertainment and a parade.

On Friday, a parade steps off at 6:30 p.m. from Second Street to 15th Street along State Street. After the parade is a carnival from 7 p.m.-midnight. Saturday bring your favorite Teddy bear to the Central Square Stage from 3-4 p.m. for Teddy Bear Tea and Story Time. Free snacks and beverages will be provided. If your family is feeling competitive, take on a few contests, including spaghetti eating, hula hooping, water balloon tossing and watermelon spitting. Afterward, check out arts and crafts, inflatables and the carnival—an unlimited ride wristband is $17 a day.

Lockport Old Canal Days is 6:30 p.m.-midnight Friday, 10 a.m.-midnight Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday in downtown Lockport. Admission is free, but some carnival activities are extra. For more information, call (815) 838-3357 or visit lockportcanaldays.com.

Sweet tickets

Visit everyone’s favorite furry red monster from Sesame Street when Walkaround Elmo visits the Adler Planetarium in celebration of “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Big Adventure,” now playing at the planetarium. Two lucky Chicago Parent readers will win a family five-pack of tickets to the planetarium as well as three “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Big Adventure” and three T-shirts. Walkaround Elmo visits the planetarium, located at 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, June 26-28 from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. with visits on the first half of every hour. Don’t forget to bring your camera! For more information, visit adlerplanetarium.org. To win, visit our discussion board.

Outside fun

Dance around the Maypole this Sunday at the 98th annual Swedish Midsummer Festival. If dancing isn’t your family’s forte, head over to the Viking encampment for a little training in weapons, weaving, spinning and cooking. Icelandic horses, Solvari and Sindri, will be on hand for riding demonstrations and maybe a pat on the head. A cottage walk is also available, for an extra fee, of six Swedish-style summer cottages.

The 98th annual Swedish Midsummer Festival is held at Good Templar Park, 528 East Side Drive, Geneva, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, free kids under 12 and anyone in authentic, traditional Scandinavian costume. For more information, call (847) 845-2640 or visit swedishday.net.

Insider's tip

For the remainder of the month of June, all Leona’s locations will offer free Mac & Cheese Lasagna to kids for Children’s Awareness Month. In a partnership with Variety—The Children’s Charity of Illinois, Leona’s will offer kids 12 and under their new lasagna and a collector’s edition Variety Heart Pin. This offer is valid at any of Leona’s 12 Chicagoland restaurants with a coupon that can be printed off its Web site. For more information, visit Leonas.com.

Piece of the prize

This week, five lucky Chicago Parent readers will win “The Wiggles: Go Bananas!” on DVD. The Wiggles’ newest DVD hits the streets June 23. For more information, visit thewiggles.com. To win, visit our discussion board. Error parsing XSLT file: \xslt\article-detail.xslt