Top 4 Summer Events for East Side Teens

Top 4 Summer Events for East Side teens

The East Side teens need ways to keep occupied during the summer. A favorite past time of East Siders is attending summer events. Here is a list of the 4 major summer events that East Side teens attend:

Annunciata Fest

The Annunciata Fest is one of the few events that are organized specifically for East Side residents. Just about every East Side resident attends the Annunciata Fest. This year, the Fest will be held on August 19, 20, and 21^st, in the parking lot of the Annunciata Church located at 11128 S Avenue G. While the adults enjoy live bands and different East Side favorite foods, the teens usually stand on the empty side of the parking lot. However, some of the food vendors give teens the opportunity to volunteer for community service hours.

          

  Picture by: Denis Khriz

Festival of The Lakes

Festival of The Lakes is an event that has a variety of activities to choose from. “This is a family friendly event…we have something for all different age groups, from the music and the carnival, to the organized children’s events,” says one of the event organizers, LeAnne Munoz. The Festival of the Lakes is held in Hammond, Indiana on Wolf Lake. Many East Side teens attend because it is located close to the East Side so it is easy enough to get to. LeAnne Munoz states, “I think social media networks are getting bigger and bigger, and Facebook is definitely an asset because it allows us to interact with festival goers and receive feedback,” when asked if she thought Facebook attracted the younger generations to the festival. This year 

Festival of The Lakes will be held from July 19- July 24.

Picture from Creative Commons 

Taste of Chicago

The Taste of Chicago is a big tourist attraction. Going downtown is kind of a big deal to East Side teens so having a big event like the Taste of Chicago downtown just makes it all the much better. Facebook definitely helps East Side teens to branch out from the East Side and meet teens from other neighborhoods; the Taste of Chicago is a good place to interact with such friends in person. The Taste of Chicago attracts teens because of its many food options, musical entertainment, and various activities.     

Gay Pride Parade

Chicago is known for being a diverse city. This year the annual Gay Pride Parade was held on June 26, and started at Halsted and Belmont. Facebook was filled with “Check ins” and people responding that they were attending. While for East Siders going to the North side can be a long event in itself, it seems many East Side teens are willing to travel the distance in order to do something out of the ordinary. East Side teen Jazmine Herrera met with friends from school to attend the Gay Pride Parade. She said, “I saw a lot of people from the East Side…I also saw picture on Facebook from people I didn’t even know were there.” 

Video of East Side Issue

Recently East Side residents have seen an increase in graffiti in the community. Watch this video to learn more about the issue!

Trends

The East Side isn't exactly known for being the fashion capitol of the world. However, East Side teens do have their own unique style. Often times, even a small accessory can become a fashion trend.

• T- Shirts: Local teen Jabin Villalobos and friends have a cool style of dressing. They decided to share their style with others by making their own line of t-shirts and selling them at a reasonable price. To get one of these "swagged" out shirts, click on the link to contact Jabin Villalobos on Facebook. 

Photo Taken by: Jabin Villalobos

• Bracelets: The East Side can take things to an extreme. Bracelets are an everyday accessory, but nobody wears them the way East Side teens do. For a while just about every East Side teen had bracelets on, and not just one or two, but six, seven, eight; as many as they had and could wear. 

Photo taken by: Richard Garcia

• Bicycle Necklaces: While skateboarding has become more popular around the East Side, some teens have brought bike riding back. These teens call themselves "The Freak Squad." They are an exceptional group who show their style and dedication to being "hardcore bikers" by wearing the Forever 21 bicycle necklaces. 

Pictures of Local Teen Hang-outs

The East Side neighborhood has many low-key hang out spots. Here are some pictures of a few!

Planking

The planking obsession has gone big. Lately East Side teens are on the look-out for the newest thing to plank.

While the news reports some horrible planking stories gone wrong, East Side teens are simply in search of something fun and adventurous to do. And planking seems to be it.

Pictured: Oscar Chavez

Picture Taken by: Nick Sanchez

The East Siders & Their Music

For weeks residents of the East Side talked about a Chip Tha Ripper show being hosted at The Metro Chicago. While there were speculations of big time rapper Kid Cudi making a guest appearence, nobody was sure of what to expect.

On July 8, 2011, many East Siders got together to venture to the North Side for the show. The show was well worth the hassle of getting there; the show included performances by Chip Tha Ripper, Mike Golden and Friends, and other up-and-coming rap artists. The audience went crazy when rapper Kid Cudi appeared on stage and performed with Chip Tha Ripper.

Watch this video from the show!

East Side Art

Like much of Chicago, the East Side neighborhood has its share of gang related issues and many streets and businesses have been vandalized due to this. Some East Side teens however, have taken a new approach to expressing their art; rather than have a meaning behind the art, it is more for the community as a whole and the way the East Side is viewed by others. Local artist Oscar Chavez says, "I make it for others to enjoy...it's all about how things look visually and not so much a meaning behind it." Although the community has definitely taken a notice to such art, they don't seem to mind since it is harmless and often humorous.

Photos and art by Oscar Chavez