From June 6 through 8, Skokie will be hosting the Downtown Skokie: Rediscovered event. For the past couple of months, downtown Skokie has undergone some remodeling, and at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 6, the official ribbon-cutting to reveal the reinvented city will take place at Krier Plaza on the southeast corner of Oakton Street and Lincoln Avenue.

All throughout the weekend, an abundance of fun, family-friendly events are planned in an effort to re-acquaint the community with the area of downtown Skokie. The many restaurants and shops will be hosting promotional specials and a portion of the funds raised at Downtown Skokie: Rediscovered will go towards benefiting several charities.

Even if you don’t live in Skokie, coming down to the event is in your best interest because a few of the activities have ties to Niles North. One of the cornerstones of the weekend is the Dan Horyn Skokie Swift 5K to honor Mr. Horyn. Registration begins at 7:oo a.m. and it will be followed by a picnic in the park at 9:30 a.m. For a map of the route, click here.

The Niles North chess team, in conjunction with the Niles West chess team, will also be setting up a booth on Saturday, June 7 from 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. at Krier Plaza. There will be informal chess competitions and instruction being held, speed chess and bughouse included. The booth is open to all and beginners are welcome.

Other festivities of the Downtown Skokie: Reinvented weekend include a big reveal of specially decorated fire hydrants, a free concert by a Beatles tribute band called American English, a “Woof Walk” pet parade and adoption event, a sidewalk sale and craft fair, street performers, live music, face painting and balloon artists. For a full schedule of events, click here.

The entire community is invited, so head on over to downtown Skokie this weekend to enjoy your hometown in a new light.