Weekend: Chicago Marathon, St. Ben's Oktoberfest

Are you organizing an event in the area? Put it on our free calendar!

Bank of America Chicago Marathon

• When: Oct. 7, 7 a.m.
• What: More than 45,000 runners from all over the country will converge on Grant Park for one of the top marathons in the nation. There’s also a public Health and Fitness Expo at the McCormick Place Convention Center Friday and Saturday. Check out this PDF to see street closures in the area.
• Cost: $35 for the health fair; marathon registration is sold out.

Red Line Coffee Crawl

• When: Oct. 5 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• What: Need a caffeine jump? The Red Line Coffee Crawl stops at three coffee shops Friday afternoon. Start at Intelligentsia Coffee and travel to Ch’ava Café and Metropolis Café on this espresso express.
• Cost: $30

St. Benedict’s Oktoberfest

• When: Oct. 5 through Oct. 7. Hours are from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, 12 p.m.  to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.
• What: Since 1966, St. Ben's has been celebrating the German roots of North Center and Lincoln Square. The festival is held in the church’s courtyard, 2215 W. Irving Park Road. Ride carnival rides, sample German cuisine, drink beer and pick pumpkins at this three-day celebration.
• Cost: Free entry; one-day unlimited carnival rides $20; three-day limited ride pass, $45.

Columbus Day Parade:

• When: Oct. 8, 12:30 p.m.
• What: Don’t know what to do with your day off on Monday? Celebrate the man behind the holiday with the Columbus Day Parade in Grant Park. The route starts at Columbus Drive and Balbo and continues north on Columbus until Randolph.
• Cost: Free

Oh and hey, like us on Facebook!