ChiIL Mama : October 2017

Six Flags Great America Fright Fest
and a New Last Call Fall Craft Beer Festival Weekends Through November 19th

We made our annual October trek to Fright Fest and had a blast as usual. Check out our photo recap and review. Six Flags Great America's Fright Fest is always a highlight of our fall family fun. It's kid friendly by day and scary big kid, teen and adult fun from 6pm on.

Disclosure: Thanks to Six Flags Great America for providing my family with press comps, so we could come out and shoot and review. We were not compensated in any other way. As always all opinions, photos and adventures are our own.

My daughter decided to buy a season pass with her own money this year and we were pleasantly surprised how quick and easy it was for her to get her permanent pass/fingerprint ID right at the entrance gate on the way in.

While my daring 14 year old daughter and her friend hit all the big coasters, my favorite area to explore this year by day was the Six Saints Cemetery, a graveyard of dismantled rides from yesteryear and a great trip down memory lane!

Check out ChiIL Mama's Full Set Of 2017 Photos in the Slideshow HERE:

Spend Halloween Night with NOX!
Final Fright Fest 2017.
Last call Festival Runs Weekends Through November 19th

What: Fright Fest presented by SNICKERS®

When: Weekends and select days beginning September 16 through October 31, including Halloween

Where: Six Flags Great America ● 1 Great America Parkway, Gurnee, IL
Who: Nox, the demon overlord of Fright Fest, will raise his minions to wreak terror on all guests when all hell breaks loose at 6pm each night!

ChiIL Mama & the family will be ChiILin' at Fright Fest again this year, so check back soon for our photo filled 2017 feature.

Click HERE to check out ChiIL Mama's original Fright Fest photo features from 2016 and HERE for 2015.

Six Flags Great America is wrapping up the year with two incredible celebrations – Fright Fest and Last Call Fall Festival. The demon overlord, Nox, summons the dead for the longest Fright Fest in the history of this Halloween event. With seven sinful weekends, featuring six haunted houses and ten hair-raising shows, Fright Fest will show no mercy as hundreds of monsters descend on this scream park each night.

Last Call Fall Festival
Beer, Food, Rides! Come enjoy the fall weather with a craft beer, unique food offerings and of course, coasters!
When: Saturdays and Sundays November 4 - 19
Where: Six Flags Great America ● 1 Great America Parkway, Gurnee, IL

While Fright Fest runs until Halloween we will have additional operating days following Fright Fest. To culminate the longest season in Six Flags Great America history we will be hosting Last Call Fall Festival. This event will include craft beer, unique food items, and coasters.

“We all know fall means Fright Fest, but now we have even more to offer!” says Six Flags Great America park president, Hank Salemi. “Our guests and season pass holders want more time at the park, so we are delivering by adding an extra weekend of Fright Fest and three weekends of our all-new Last Call Fall Festival.”

4 Things to Do Before the Sun Goes Down
The entire family can enjoy a beautiful fall day at the park before the monsters come out to play. Join us for not-so-scary daytime fun starting at 11 a.m. each day. Let the kids (under age 12) dress in their costumes and embark on a trick-or-treat adventure, collecting candy around the park.

Take a photo with our friendly monsters who happen to look a lot like your favorite Looney Tunes characters dressed in their seasonal outfits, next to a fall backdrop of tombstones, scarecrows, and pumpkins. We also have fun Halloween sing-a-longs and ghoulish dance parties. Visit before the sun sets and you'll also get to ride all your favorite coasters and family attractions – it's a whole different experience after dark!

Fright by Night
Fright Fest at SFGA has long been a family favorite of ours. It's mild fun during the day, so younger kids can come out to play, and full on fright by night, from 6pm on.

Monstertainment (Free with park admission)
The Ringmaster’s Cabaret
The Nightmare Rhythm Machine
Zombie Jamboree
 Love at First Fright
 Kids Club Monster Dance Party
 Susan Rosen hypnotist
 LightMosFEAR
 The Witching Hour
 The Uprising Parade
 The Cavalcade of the Odd

Haunted Attractions (Extra fee required)
 Big Top Terror
 Infestation!
 Gates of Hell
 Apocalypse
 Manslaughter Manor
 Massacre Medical
Center

Free Scares (Free with park admission) Underworld
Henchmen Alley
 Lost Souls
 Nightmare Hollow
 The Massacre Ball
 Forbidden Forest
 Slasher Circus
 Rotten Hill
 Dread Haven
 Aftermath
 Ride Cemetery

Special Events
 Coaster Challenge benefitting Special Olympics Illinois – Sunday, September 24

 Fright Fest on Columbus Day – Monday, October 9 from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

 Fright Fest on Halloween – Tuesday, October 31 from 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

 Last Call Fall Festival – Saturdays and Sundays November 4 – 19

Fright Fest runs weekends from September 16 through October 31 including Columbus Day and Halloween. The best way to visit Fright Fest and the all-new Last Call Fall Festival is to purchase a 2018 Season Pass which includes unlimited visits now through the 2018 season. 2018 Season Passes can be purchased online at sixflags.com and must be activated and processed by November 19, 2017.

About Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor
Two great parks, one destination! Located between Chicago and Milwaukee, Six Flags Great America offers endless adventures for the entire family with 15 heart-pounding roller coasters, a 20-acre water park, spectacular shows, four children’s themed areas with over 30 rides and a nighttime parade.
About Six Flags Entertainment Corporation

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is the world’s largest regional theme park company with $1.3 billion in revenue and 20 parks across the United States, Mexico and Canada. For 56 years, Six Flags has entertained millions of families with world-class coasters, themed rides, thrilling water parks and unique attractions.

For more information, visit www.sixflags.com
#FrightFest #NoMercy
Follow us at twitter.com/SFGreat_America Like us at facebook.com/SFGreatAmerica

Disclosure: Once again, thanks to Six Flags Great America for providing my family with press comps, so we could come out and shoot and review. We were not compensated in any other way. As always all opinions, photos and adventures are our own.

What's green and new and next to the blue?

The Dill Pickle Food Co-Op's excellent expanded home!

Yes, there's a newcomer next to the Logan Square Blue Line "L" stop that's bike friendly, neighborhoody, and full of loads of fresh local finds, organic goodies, bulk buys, and more. It's locally owned by your neighbors, but anyone can shop there, not just co-op members. Have you stopped in yet? You can see the cheerful, bright green roof from blocks away, and the inside is just as colorful and welcoming.

October was an exciting month for The Dill Pickle Co-Op. They've been around since 2009, in a much smaller space on Fullerton, but their new Milwaukee Avenue home will allow them to grow and really come into their own. Here's our photo recap of the first hours of their grand opening party in the new space earlier this month.

They had a day long celebration packed with live music, dance, martial arts, bounce house fun and crafts for the littles, and loads of vendor samples/coupons/demos. We were lucky to catch a fantastic Capoeira demo.

Check out our full photo feature in the slideshow here and more favorites below:

Back in the day, when I heard the word food co-op, it conjured up dusty images of wholesome hippies stocking barrels of grains and aisles of bulk bins, with 20 types of granola.

The Dill Pickle Co-Op is so much more. Sure, they have great bulk bin deals, but also a host of fabulous vegan, vegetarian, and carnivore finds, and eco-friendly non food items too. They have plenty of frozen items that are quick to fix. They also have loads of love for the locals, stocking a plethora of fresh produce, dairy and meat from farms in the region. And their homemade hummus is to die for.

This spot is sure to be an "L" commuter hit, on the way to or from work. They have a liquor license, a gorgeous salad bar, coffee bar, ready made sandwiches and lots of great grab n go items. They even have kombucha machines, in case keeping a kombucha scoby alive to DIY seems like a daunting task.

Family Friendly:
My kids are teens now, but it wasn't long ago that both were in tow, just about every time I went shopping. The Dill Pickle Food Co-Op loves littles, and has kid sized carts, goodies and a club, to make shopping with your offspring less stress.

The Dill Pickle Food Co-Op also has coupons and rockin' specials. They've joined with a collective of other co-ops for bulk purchasing power and better discounts. And they pass on the savings locally. The profits stay in our neighborhood, too.

Come on by and check it out! All are welcome. We bought a $250 share as owners, at a very reasonable $10 a month. This gives my family extra coupons, discounts and the chance for even deeper discounts with a work/barter program of a couple hours a week as a HOO (Hands On Owner). Here's their website, so you can keep up with happenings, sales, and more. Also follow them on social media on Facebook and Twitter.