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BEST DATE NEWS

June 19, 2025: Best Date News Volume #131

Welcome to Best Date News, your favorite Chicago weekly newsletter! In this week’s edition, you’ll read about Juneteenth celebrations, James Beard Award winners, Chicago Fire FC’s new stadium renderings, weekend plans and more!

June 19: National Holidays

• Juneteenth

• National Martini Day

• National Watch Day

• National Garfield the Cat Day

• World Tapas Day

Sponsored by our friends at Oberweis

Oberweis 100 Scoops of Summer

• Oberweis: This summer, Oberweis is going all out with their biggest ice cream celebration yet: 100 Scoops of Summer! There will be giveaways, limited-time treats, free scoops and more!

• You can potentially win free ice cream for a year from Oberweis two ways. The first is by entering our Instagram giveaway (it’s live right now)! The second way is by entering on their website.

• Additionally, every Oberweis location will select a winner each month to receive one free menu item per month for 12 months. And in September, one lucky guest will win the Golden Cone and take home 100 scoops of ice cream!

• If you visit tomorrow, Friday, June 20, you can get a free, fun pair of sunglasses with your scoop (while supplies last) to celebrate the Sundae Solstice.

• Summer promotions also include Sundae Mondays where every Monday, the first 20 kids under 10 get a free scoop with any adult purchase, limited-edition flavors for 4th of July weekend, Scoops of Hope charity donations on July 20 for National Ice Cream Day and more!

Chicago News

• Juneteenth: If you are looking for Juneteenth celebrations taking place in Chicago both today and this weekend, you’re in luck, because there are a lot of them! From festivals and block parties to meals, performances and boating, there is something for everyone. Check out this Juneteenth 2025 guide that Block Club Chicago put together that lists a ton of options.

• James Beard Awards: The 2025 James Beard Awards took place in Chicago this week, and the city brought home two major wins. Often called the “Oscars of the food world,” the James Beard Awards are among the highest honors in the culinary industry. This year, Chicagoans won in the categories of Outstanding Bar and Best Chef: Great Lakes. Check out the full list of 2025 winners and Chicago’s past winners for the James Beard Awards.

• Chicago’s Pools: Summer officially kicks off this weekend and starting on Saturday, June 21, all 50 outdoor and 27 indoor Chicago Park District pools will open for the season. All of Chicago’s outdoor pools will be open seven days a week for the first time since 2020. They will primarily be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, with some having longer hours on the weekends. The indoor pools will be open six days a week.

• Chicago Fire Stadium: Following the announcement of a new soccer-specific stadium in the future 78 neighborhood, the Chicago Fire have released renderings of the proposed $650 million project coming in 2028. Chicago Fire FC’s president of business operations said, “We are creating a fortress for our team and a home for our fans.” Take a look at the fly-through video they created for it.

• The Jonas Brothers: The Jonas Brothers have moved their Chicago show on August 26 from Wrigley Field to the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park as part of a broader shift from stadiums to smaller venues on their tour. They’ve added more show dates, issued an apology and rebranded the tour as “Jonas20: Greetings from Your Hometown.” Fans who had tickets for Wrigley will receive a refund and get early access to purchase new ones through Ticketmaster.

Just For Fun

• Grimace’s Birthday: If you needed another reason why Chicago is the coolest city on Earth (you didn’t), Grimace threw a full-on birthday party at the River North McDonald’s and turned it into a giant club last Thursday. We even caught Ronald McDonald hopping into an Uber afterward.

• Wolf & Company: Wolf & Company opens Monday, June 23 at 1744 N Western as the first business with direct access to the 606 Trail. From the team behind Little Bad Wolf and Gretel, it includes a restaurant, café, market with in-house butcher and deli and a floral shop. Get all the details.

• Best Universities: Two Chicago-area universities earned top spots in a new U.S. News & World Report ranking of the best universities in the world. Northwestern University ranked 24th overall, and the University of Chicago came in at 26th. Check to see where your school ranked!

• Austin Butler Lookalike: A new movie called Enemies starring Jeremy Allen White and Austin Butler is filming in Chicago, and they’re casting locals. The casting team is looking for Caucasian men who resemble Austin Butler to play a featured role as a “Professional Man.” Pay is $136 for up to eight hours. Fittings take place June 21, 22 or 25. Apply here.

• Portillo’s Breakfast: Portillo’s is expanding its breakfast menu to five more Chicagoland locations starting June 17. New spots include Skokie, Summit, Glendale Heights, Harwood Heights and the North Side of Chicago. There is also a new menu item: the maple sausage and egg croissant.

Weekend Plans

• Weather Forecast: Summer in Chicago is wasting no time heating up as this weekend is going to be a hot one. Expect temperatures in the 90s both Saturday and Sunday. There will even be a heat dome trapping heat and humidity.

• Activities: Some of the highlights this weekend include the Juneteenth BBQ & Block Party (happening now), Pride Fest, The Magnificent Mile Art Festival, Vegandale, a Cubs home series and more. See 25 Things To Do In Chicago This Weekend.

• Food & Drink Deals: The newly opened Lia River North is celebrating National Martini Day tonight from 5-6:30pm, in their bar and lounge, with $2 dirty and espresso tiny ‘tinis (limit two per person). Need lunch tomorrow? Potbelly is doing BOGO original sandwiches to kick off summer.

• Concerts: The Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash music festival takes place at Seatgeek Stadium in Bridgeview this weekend. Steve Aoki is bringing Cake on the Lake to Navy Pier and Chase Rice will be indoors performing at The Salt Shed.

Poll Question of the Week

Last Newsletter's Poll Results

Poll Results: Last newsletter, we asked if you were excited about the new multistory observation deck coming to the former John Hancock Building. 44% of you said yes, while 56% were hoping for something else. Many of you said you'd rather see a new restaurant with a bar or lounge instead.

Sunrise & Sunset in Chicago

Here is today’s outlook in Chicago (compared to last week):

• Sunrise: 5:15 a.m. (1 minute earlier)

• Sunset: 8:28 p.m. (2 minutes later)

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