The last weekend of September is as bittersweet as a strong latte sipped while crunching leaves under your boots and adjusting your scarf. OK, we're not quite that far into fall territory yet, but this is the last week of 2014 for RedEye's fest section. (See you here next year!) This weekend's fests run the gamut-from the venerable Hyde Park Jazz Festival to the hooray-it's-autumn Oktoberfest Chicago celebration in Lakeview to Little Village's spicy Feria del Molé cook-off. Take your pick and don't forget a sweater. kbernot@tribune.com | @redeyeeatdrink
When: 5-10 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday
Where: St. Alphonsus Church (1429 W. Wellington Ave.)
How much: $5 admission Friday and Saturday; free admission Sunday; $40 craft beer tasting tickets for Friday and Saturday nights available at chicagoevents.com
Don't miss: The fourteenth annual parish Oktoberfest kicks off with craft beer tastings from 6-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday night; $40 tickets include up to 20 three-ounce samples from local and out-of-state breweries including Great Lakes, Central Waters, Temperance, Atlas, Moody Tongue, Flying Dog and others. The rest of the weekend includes polka music and cover bands as well as a large TV screen set up on Southport Avenue to broadcast Sunday football games.
>>Extra: RedEye's guide to fall beer festivals and events
When: 1 p.m.-midnight Saturday night; 1-7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Various location throughout the Hyde Park neighborhood
How much: $5 suggested donation
Don't miss: The Hyde Park Jazz Festival continues to gain steam in its eighth year, bringing more than 30 acts to 14 stages. This year's local and international acts include pianist Craig Taborn (11 p.m. Saturday at Rockefeller Chapel), Detroit native JD Allen and his quartet (9:30 p.m. Saturday at Logan Center Performance Hall), percussionist Dana Hall's Black Ark Movement (7:30 p.m. Saturday at Logan Center Performance Hall) and cellist/composer Tomeka Reid's Hear in Now (5:15 p.m. Saturday at Logan Center Performance Hall). See the full schedule at hydeparkjazzfestival.org.
Feria del Molé
When: noon-6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Little Village Lawndale High School, 3120 S. Kostner Ave.
How much: $7 in advance at Universidad Popular (2801 S. Hamlin Ave.) or $10 at the door
Don't miss: Forty amateur cooks bring their A-game molés for a chance to win $1,000 cash at this annual Little Village cook-off. Molé is a Spanish word that means "sauce" or "stew," and many cooks have their own spice blends and family recipes for making the dish. Sample entries from all the contestants and vote for your favorite at this fundraiser for the Universidad Popular's community empowerment programs.
Hey foodies!
Chicago Gourmet, the high-end food fest that takes place annually at Millennium Park, is sold out. If you're looking for dispatches and some tasty food and wine shots, follow RedEye reporters Dana Moran (Instagram and Twitter: @redeyedana) and Kate Bernot (Twitter: @redeyeeatdrink; Instagram: @kbernot) for highlights on Saturday and Sunday, plus Dana's reports from Hamburger Hop on Friday night.