Chicago Weekend Tips - August 15 to 17: Air & Water Show, World Turkish Festival, Barrio Arts Fest and More

There was that time, many years ago, that I went scuba diving off of Belmont Harbor during the Air & Water show. I'm lucky my head wasn't propellered off. What was I thinking?

The lakefront will be jammed this weekend with the arrival of the show and loads of spectators and boaters trying to get a piece of it. You may want to plan accordingly. Enjoy.

• Croatian Fest (Velika Gospa) This festival, which celebrates the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, has been held in Bridgeport for more than 100 years. It takes place on Friday.
• Air and Water Show The uber-popular airplane and watercraft extravaganza expands to three days this year, so you can catch it on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
• Chicago Turkish World Festival A rich exploration and celebration of the Turkish, Balkan, and East Asian cultures takes place at Navy Pier on Saturday and Sunday. (Hope they know about the planes that will be zooming overhead.)
• Barrio Arts Fest Celebration of Puerto Rican and arts and culture at Humboldt Park Field House (1440 N. Sacramento) in Chicago. On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Dress-up and Costume Sale at Emerald City Theater, a children's theater company. Cash and carry and build your toy box of costumes. 2933 N. Southport. On Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.
• Chicago Fire at Home vs. DC United at Toyota Park on Saturday at 7 p.m.

(Oh, what did I see while I was scuba diving under Lake Michigan? One fish and two shipwrecks. One wreck was a steel-hulled ship and the other a wooden-hulled one. Both sunk during storms. The guys in the steel-hulled ship crashed on the ice, but walked to shore safely. I can't remember the fate of the other boat's passengers.)

Photo of the Air and Water Show by Tim Boyle/Getty Images