ANDERSONVILLE — Andersonville businesses and neighbors will usher in spring this month with a dance party and a gnome scavenger hunt.
The annual springtime celebration Andersonville in Bloom is taking place throughout April. Events will help neighbors observe Earth Day or get outside to enjoy the warmer temperatures.
New this year is the Let’s Dance! outdoor dance party and fair that will take place 11 a.m.-4 p.m. April 30 on Catalpa Avenue between Clark Street and Ashland Avenue. There will be dance instruction, music, performances, a dance flash mob and a community fair, according to the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce.
The dance event is being held in conjunction with the city’s Year of Chicago Dance campaign. The chamber has put out an open call for dance groups to help coordinate the event. Find out more here.
Andersonville in Bloom will also feature a gnome scavenger hunt. Blomma the gnome will be hiding in more than 20 Andersonville stores throughout April. Gnomes are popular in Swedish folklore, and “blomma” is Swedish for flower.
Some of the gnomes will have letters printed on them. Collect all 10 letters to decode a secret message. Those who decode the message can fill out this form and return it to the chamber by May 13 to receive a prize. Click here for the list of businesses participating in the scavenger hunt.
Multiple events will be in honor of Earth Day, which is April 20.
A paper-shredding event will take place place 1:30-4:30 p.m. April 23 in the 5300 block of North Wayne Avenue. The Buffalo Exchange, 5252 N. Clark St., will host a $1 sale event April 23 with all proceeds benefiting the Pollinator Partnership.
Women and Children First, 5233 N. Clark St., and Unchartered Books, 5140 N. Clark St., will host Independent Bookstore Day events on April 30. Women and Children First will host a pop-up bake shop with local business Sugar Realm Bakery and a meet-and-greet with the owners to Andersonville’s new theater-themed cafe and bookstore.
Rattleback Records will celebrate Records Store with special sales and events 9 a.m.-7 p.m. April 23.
Also taking place in Andersonville this month is Dispensary 33’s Waldos Forever Fest, which on April 23 will help the city celebrate the stoner holiday known as 4/20.
For more on Andersonville in Bloom, click here.
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