CHICAGO — The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) is encouraging residents and visitors in Chicago this weekend to be aware of the spring events happening around the city and to be vigilant in crowds and report suspicious criminal activity to 9-1-1. 

On Saturday, the Chi Town Half Marathon & 10k takes place at Montrose Beach as participants meander through Lincoln Park trails.   On Sunday, expect increased activity along the Lakefront paths for the CARA Lakefront 10-Miler & 5K.  Also on Sunday, the Hellenic Heritage (Greek Independence Day) Parade impacts South Halsted.  Motorists are encouraged to seek an alternate route around the parade.  In addition, with the 2024 solar eclipse on Monday, OEMC is providing safety tips to experience this historic event safely for yourself, family and pets. 

Chi Town Half Marathon & 10k

Montrose Beach (Start/Finish)

Saturday, 06 April 2024 – 6 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

The Chi Town Half Marathon & 10K race on Saturday is one of a series of half marathon road races that take place in Chicago throughout the year called the Chicago Half Marathon Series, organized by the Illinois-based race group All Community Events. 

The race starts and finishes next to Diversey Harbor in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. From there, the race takes runners first south on a loop along the Lakefront Trail, passing by the Lincoln Park Conservatory and the Lincoln Park Zoo as the race heads all the way down to the southern end of the park. After they make the turn at West LaSalle Drive, next to the Chicago History Museum, runners will then head back north along the park trails, passing by Diversey Harbor again, Belmont Harbor and Montrose Beach, as well as a golf course along the way.  Traffic Control Aides will be assigned to facilitate traffic.  allcommunityevents.com/chitownhalfmarathon10k

Chicago Fire vs Houston

Soldier Field

Saturday, April 6, 2024 – 7:30 p.m.

Hellenic Heritage (Greek Independence Day) Parade

Halsted – Van Buren to Madison

Sunday, April 7, 2024 –9 a.m. Assembly, 2:30 p.m. Step-Off

The Greek Heritage Parade on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. commemorates Greek Independence and parade has been established as one of the biggest annual events in the Chicago Greek community since its founding in the 1960s.  Assembly begins at 9 a.m. at north curb lane of Van Buren St from Halsted to Des Plaines and east curb lane of Halsted Street from Van Buren Street to Harrison Street.  The parade proceeds North on Halsted from Van Buren to Madison and disbands on Halsted Street between Madison St and Randolph Street.  greektownchicago.org/greek-heritage-parade-2024/

CARA Lakefront 10 Miler & 5K

  Montrose Beach – Lincoln Park

  Sunday, April 7, 2024 – 9 a.m. start

Route: The course begins on the Wilson Track and proceeds along Chicago's Lakefront Path. Throughout the course runners will pass through Montrose, Belmont, and Diversey Harbors. Participants in the 10-Miler will run south to Fullerton before returning north to the Montrose Avenue tunnel. Participants in the 5K will split off at the first pass of the Montrose Avenue tunnel. In the final mile, 10 Mile and 5K participants will run up and down Lincoln Park’s landmark Cricket Hill, before finishing on Wilson Track. Traffic Control Aides will be on hand to facilitate traffic.   cararuns.org/lakefront10

  2024 Solar Eclipse Safety Tips

  Monday, April 8, 2024

The celestrial event of the Solar Eclipse is on Monday, April 8. The partial eclipse in the Chicago area occurs from 12:51 pm–3:22 pm CDT, with maximum coverage of 94 percent at roughly 2:07 pm.  The next total solar eclipse visible in the United States won’t be until 2044. Safety is the number one priority when viewing a solar eclipse.

• Protect Pets/Eye Damage: While unlikely, looking directly at the sun during an eclipse can damage an animal's eyes just like it can for humans.  Stress and Anxiety: The sudden change in light levels can be disorienting and scary for some pets, similar to how they react to thunderstorms or fireworks. This can lead to anxiety, hiding, pacing, or destructive behavior.
• Never look directly at the sun without proper eye protection. Use safe solar viewing glasses (eclipse glasses). Eclipse glasses are NOT the same as regular sunglasses, which are not safe for viewing the sun. Your regular sunglasses are not safe for viewing the sun.
• Only view for a short time when the moon completely obscures the sun (period of totality). If you don’t have eclipse glasses, you can use an indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector, which projects an image of the sun onto a nearby surface. Do NOT look at the sun through the pinhole! Viewing any part of the sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter will instantly cause severe eye injury.
• Always supervise children using solar viewers or eclipse glasses.

Adler Planetarium

On Monday, April 8, 2024, the Adler Planetarium is hosting a public event from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm to highlight a solar eclipse. Public activities for this free outdoor event will include safe solar viewing through telescopes set up around the Adler Planetarium grounds, and attendees will be encouraged to hang out and observe the sky.  

The Chicago OEMC app is also a great tool to download as street closures and other event information will be added in the coming weeks. The app is available through the Apple App and Google Play Stores or visit the website Chicago.gov/OEMC.  

Report Suspicious Activity: If You See Something Say Something. The city reminds the public to be aware of their surroundings and to report suspicious activity. If you notice something suspicious, notify onsite security or call 9-1-1. If You See Something, Say Something™ is a national anti-terrorism public awareness campaign that emphasizes the importance of reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities.

Grant Park and Lakefront Poles Markers/Location Identifiers: For public safety on the lakefront, residents and visitors are reminded to be aware of the numbers attached to the light poles throughout the Grant Park area and along the lakefront. The green signs with white letters and numbers are also located from 5700 N. DuSable Lake Shore Drive to 6600 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, and on the lakefront from Oak Street to Fullerton and Montrose to Foster Avenue to help residents reference their location within the park to friends, family and first responders if there is an emergency and you call 9-1-1.

Public Transportation: As for any large–scale event, public transportation is encouraged. For more information, visit CTA at TransitChicago.com and Metra.com.

Emergency Alerts for Residents and Businesses

OEMC will continue to monitor events and weather and will issue any emergency alerts and notifications as necessary.  Get alerts and notifications from OEMC to keep residents and businesses up-to-date on weather and traffic conditions as well as emergencies: 

• Notify Chicago: Sign up for emergency alerts at notifychicago.org  
• CHILAKE: For lakefront notices, TEXT “CHILAKE” to 7-8-0-1-5 
• CHIBIZ: Business updates, TEXT “CHIBIZ” to 6-7-2-8-3 

For additional information on emergency preparedness information, visit OEMC’s website at Chicago.gov/OEMC. Follow the Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Facebook, X/Twitter (@ChicagoOEMC) and Instagram (chicago_oemc_911) using the hashtags #ChicagoOEMC