Here are some of the more interesting events, deals, websites and other travel tidbits that have come across our desk recently:
•The Old National Bank Sports Legends Avenue of Champions at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis features bronze statues of some of the best athletes and coaches to ever compete. Among those honored are former NBA stars Larry Bird and Reggie Miller, WNBA great Tamika Catchings, veteran racer A.J. Foyt and golf course designers Pete and Alice Dye. http://tinyurl.com/y7uepdd5
•The 4th annual SepTimber Ride will be held Sept. 8 in Eagle River, Wis. Bicyclists can choose from a 28-mile ride on the Three Eagle Trail or a 31-mile ride on country roads. There will be a brat picnic afterward at Tribute Brewing Company. http://tinyurl.com/yczpsjpc
•The Antique and Classic Boat Society Inc. will hold its annual International Boat Show in Port Huron, Mich., on Sept. 14-15. About 150 vintage boats from the early 1900s to the ’70’s will come from the U.S. and Canada to be exhibited. Free boat rides in some of these classic boats will be offered Saturday. www.boattheblue.com
•For longevity, few events can match the Big Rock Plowing Match, which is holding its 124th event Sept. 14-16 at Plowmens Park in Big Rock, Ill. There will be plowing competitions, naturally, along with a horse show, vegetable and grain show, a craft, art and antique show, kids’ activities, carnival rides, a beer tent and more. www.bigrockplowingmatch.com
•Electric streetcars are the stars Sept. 15 at the sixth annual Kenosha Streetcar Day. The event at the Joseph McCarthy Transit Center in Kenosha, Wis., includes tours of the streetcar barn, interactive displays and the opportunity to ride the streetcars. www.kenoshastreetcarsociety.org
•The 23rd annual Indy Irish Fest takes place Sept. 14-16 in Indianapolis’ Military Park. There will be Irish music, food, a market, cultural activities and more. Among Sunday activities will be a Celtic mass. www.indyirishfest.com
•Fans of food trucks will want to head to Woodstock, Ill., Sept. 8 for Truck Off Woodstock. Thirty-two food trucks will be on hand from 5-9 p.m. on the Historic Woodstock Square. http://tinyurl.com/y9r6spue
•ArtPrize, billed as the world’s largest public art event, will be held Sept. 19-Oct. 7 in Grand Rapids, Mich. This is the 10th year for the event that typically displays artwork from more than 1,000 artists vying for more than $500,000 in prizes. www.artprize.org
•The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis has a special nighttime multimedia experience that runs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Sept. 6 through Oct. 20. Flora Borealis features cinematic projection mapping, interactive lighting with lasers and a custom soundscape. Food and drinks are available for purchase in the garden’s newly tented Biergarten. The special show will not run Sept. 22 and Oct. 4-6. www.mobot.org/flora
•ArtSlam Manitowoc will feature artists, photographers, videographers and more creating their art to capture downtown Manitowoc, Wis. Sept. 14-16 the artists will be at work in the downtown and there will also be a public mural project and a poetry slam. On Sept. 21, awards will be handed out during the opening of an exhibit of the artists’ work. http://tinyurl.com/ya8f85y4
•Northfield, Minn., each year stages Defeat of Jesse James Days to celebrate the day in 1876 when townspeople joined together to foil the James/Younger gang’s attempt to rob the local bank. This year’s events, Sept. 5-9, will include a re-enactment of the bank robbery attempt, along with a carnival, rodeo, car show, vintage baseball, live entertainment and more. www.djjd.org
•Missouri has a dozen show caves that are open year-round. http://tinyurl.com/ybrjajwl
Deals and websites listed here have been checked for availability as of press time. Listings are not endorsements. Send tips at least a month in advance to ChicagoTribTravel@gmail.com.
Phil Marty is a freelancer.
