Filling Your Bucket 
By: Emily Casey

 

In the beginning of the year, a lot of Vanguard students participated in a project of "bucket filling". This came about due to a children's book titled, "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" by author Carol McCloud. The story instills positive thoughts in young minds. However, the old and young adults at Vanguard were all very inspired. Our own Olivia Gabcova and Sam Schmidt have even been working on a "bucket" wall mural just outside of our library. Great stuff. Now, to get to the real point of this post. Summer is coming up quickly... in fact, at this very moment, we have exactly 41 days until our class of 2013 graduates (not including weekends). "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" brings tips on how to, figuratively, fill yourself up with happy emotions, thoughts, and a clear mindset. I thought it would be fun to fill a "summer bucket". Everyone always creates the ultimate goal list of things they want to do over vacation, but unfortunately, a lot of their plans are unrealistic and hard to attain. I'm not shutting down your dreams of going on an African Safari in Kenya, but I am going to give you some, well... cheaper and closer-to-home options to make your break off of school worthwhile!

I tried to accumulate events in and around the area, free and with a fee, and even some mid-day boredom crafts, workouts, etc. The goal is to find something safe, fun, and appealing to all interests. So, hopefully you get some ideas from this... let's begin!

        Concerts/Festivals:

•  Zac Brown Band
  Alpine Valley, June 8
• Black Flag and Good For You
  Reggie's Rock Club, June 8 - 9
• Spring Awakening Festival
  Soldier Field, June 15 - 16 
• Wavefront Music Festival
  Montrose Beach, July 5 - 7
• Justin Bieber
  United Center, July 9
• One Direction
  FMB Amphitheatre, July 13
• Bruno Mars and Ellie Goulding
  United Center, July 13
• Fleetwood Mac
  Allstate Arena, June 14
• Beyonce

• NKOTB, Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees
  Allstate Arena, July 18 - 19
• Pitchfork Festival
  Union Park, July 19 - 21
• Phish
  Charter One, July 19
• Vans Warped Tour
  FWB Amphitheatre, July 20
• Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake
  Soldier Field, July 22
• Taylor Swift and Ed Sheerhan
  Soldier Field, August 10
• North Coast Festival
  Union Park, August 30 - September 1
  
   Upcoming Movie Releases:
•  The Internship
  Owen Wilson/Vince Vaughn, June 7
•  This is the End
  Seth Rogen/James Franco, June 12
• Man of Steel
  Henry Cavill/Amy Adams, June 14
• World War Z
  Brad Pitt, June 21
• Monsters University
  John Goodman/Billy Crystal, June 21
• White House Down
  Channing Tatum, June 28
• Lone Ranger
  Johnny Depp, July 3
• Despicable Me 2
  Al Pacino/Steve Carell, July 3
• Grown Ups 2
  Adam Sandler/Chris Rock, July 12
• Elysium
  Matt Damon/Jodie Foster, August 9
  
  No Cost/Cheap:
  
  Free Museum Days:
  Adler Planetarium - June 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12
  Art Institute - June 5, 12, July 3, 10, August 7, 14
  Chicago Botanic Gardens - Every day, with $25 parking
  Lincoln Park Zoo - Every day 
  Museum of Sci. and Industry - June 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
  Field Museum - Same as Sci. and Industry
  
  Navy Pier:
  Ferris Wheel, Swings, Mini-Golf, Fun House
  Fireworks - every Wed. and Sat., July to August 
  Shrek: The Musical - July 13 to September 1
  Cirque Shanghai: Dragon's Thunder - May 24 - Sept. 2 
  
  

  Random:
  
  - Lake Arlington Paddle Boats -
  - Community Pools -
  (Big Surf, Meadows, Pioneer, etc)
  - Skateparks -
  (Favorites include: Bolingbrook, Logan Square, Euclid)
  - Ride the train, get out anywhere, explore! -
  - Get crafty or bake something via Pinterest -
  - Go to the beach... duh! -
  - Indiana Dunes -
  - Wolff's Flea Market in Allstate Arena parking lot -
  (click here for days/hours/prices)
  - Get a job! Stay busy! Save up for the school year! -
  - Join a gym! -
  (Planet Fitness has locations all over, around $20 per month,
  free pizza 1st Monday of every month... uh, yes please!)
  - Save some money and use nature as your gym! -
  Bike the forest preserves and hike some great campgrounds!

  - Go camping/road tripping! -
  (Make sure you do some research on where is OK to set up camp,
  be prepared for the worst and expect the best!)

  ENJOY SUMMER 2013!