Put some heart into it

Take advantage of local weekend activities with your special valentine

Monday can be a weekly weak point when it comes to expressions of endearment. And with Valentine's Day 2022 also coming the day after the Super Bowl, it's enough to slow anyone's romantic roll.

So think beyond Feb. 14, just as local attractions and businesses have done, with their offerings of special outings taking place over the extended Valentine's Day weekend.

Here are few certain to kindle the right mood.

Date night At the Mac

College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, has several shows for couples to enjoy. Visit https://www.atthemac.org or call (630) 942-4000.

• "Piaf! The Show" at 7:30 p.m. Friday is a one-woman performance tells the story of the career of the singer Edith Piaf through her unforgettable songs in an original scenography and projections of unpublished images.

Tickets are $50-$70.

• Put the laughter in your love with "The Best of The Second City" at 5 or 8 p.m. Saturday. Enjoy favorite sketches and songs from the famed improv house's history made famous by superstars like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray and more. Guests receive a Fannie May chocolate heart, and drink specials will be available. Tickets are $30-$38.

Passion for theater

• "Evita" at the Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, tells the story Eva Perón's rags-to-riches life as she goes from poor provincial child to First Lady of Argentina, using her popularity and politics to serve the people - and herself.

Showtimes are at 1:30 and 8 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 and 6 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets are $59-$74, with dining packages available at an additional charge. Visit https://www.drurylanetheatre.com or call (630) 530-0111.

• First Folio presents "Agatha Christie's 'The Secret Council' " at Mayslake Hall, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook, Friday through Sunday.

In the wake of the Great War, England is under attack from a secret council of enemies plotting to undermine and subvert one of the bastions of freedom. Can sleuths Tommy and Tuppence thread the maze of mysteries and murders to save the country from the Bolsheviks?

Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, along with matinées at 4 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets are $49-$59, $44-$54 for seniors and $20 for students. Visit https://www.firstfolio.org or call (630) 986-8067.

Dinner for two

• Il Poggiolo, 8 E. First St., Hinsdale also will offer a special Valentine's Day Menu Feb. 11-14 featuring beef carpaccio, squid ink linguine with rock shrimp, pan seared rare yellow fin tuna and white and dark chocolate mousse.

Visit https://www.ilpoggiolohinsdale.com or call (630) 734-9000.

• Piazza in the Hyatt Lodge, 2815 Jorie Blvd., Oak Brook is offering a four-course dinner, with just the right flavors to light up your taste buds.

Reservations are available from 5 to 9 p.m., and the cost is $63.75 to $76.50 per person.

Visit https://www.opentable.com or call (630) 581-6658.

• Vistro Prime in Hinsdale is offering a special Valentine's Day menu on Monday but is already booked.

Walk in the woods

Bundle up and take your special someone on a Romantic Night Walk at Fullersburg Woods, 3609 Spring Road, Oak Brook. Reserve a time between 6 and 9 p.m. Friday or Saturday, Feb. 11 or 12, for a lantern-lit self-guided stroll through the nighttime winter woods. Afterward, get cozy around the fire. The cost is $10. Visit https://www.dupageforest.org or call (630) 933-7248.

Author Bio

Ken Knutson is associate editor of The Hinsdalean