For most of us Thanksgiving means turkey for dinner. But many use the holiday to ponder deeper relationships to the big, meaty bird. These days some folks go the extra mile to make feasting on the bird more meaningful. Maybe they agree with Benjamin Franklin - who in jest deemed turkey a ‘more respectable bird’ than America’s national symbol, the eagle? But why stop at turkey? The birds are everywhere! Angry Birds, the popular mobile app, is now entering the stuffed toy market. And take a look at this creepy mash-up of Angry Birds and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. If that revenge scenario has you regretting the feast you just consumed check out Peggy MacNamara, artist in residence at The Field Museum. MacNamara’s not only drawn many of the bird specimens held by the Museum - 18 of her own paintings are also on permanent display.

Other picks for the weekend are below. And big thanks to The Chicago Film Archive for providing the vintage sounds of Chicago’s holiday season (The Big Downtown Christmas, Charles Sharp, 1962).

Here are Weekender‘s top 6 picks:

Friday 10pm-4am

The Mid 306 N Halsted

2. Films about the

Three films about Americans’ Knowledge of the Middle East

Saturday 6pm

Southside Hub of Production 5638 S Woodlawn Ave, Hyde Park

See a trailer for one of the films, Desert in the Coffeehouse

Saturday 8pm and 10pm

Vocalo‘s Brian Babylon hosts hilarious Stand Up at The Comedy Bar

157 W Ontario St (Ontourage)

See more of Brian’s comedy here

4. Prison

Photographs by Lloyd DeGrane

Friday 9-6 Saturday 10-4     Gage Gallery 18 S. Michigan

Hear more from Lloyd DeGrane here

Saturday 8pm

w/ The Kooks and The Postelles

The Vic Theatre 3145 N Sheffield Ave

Friday-Saturday 11am-9pm    Sunday 11am-8pm

Traditional German American Holiday Market and Chicago Institution

Daley Plaza 50 W Washington St

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