Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus Chicago Ticket Giveaway

It's not even Halloween, and already a friend of mine asked if I am working with Feld Entertainment on promoting the annual Chicago visit of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus to both Allstate Arena and the United Center. The good news?  Yes, I am.  And yes, she has already bought her circus tickets with the discount I have to share.

This year's big top features the show Dragons, one I know Mister Man will be excited to see.  The show celebrates the Year of the Dragon, and brings together mystic dragon lore and authentic circus feats.  The show will once again start at Allstate Arena before moving to the United Center.  One new thing this year?  The Allstate Arena joins the United Center in offering free parking in the official lots, making this year even more of a treat than ever.

The shows at Allstate Arena run:
Thursday November 1 at 7pm - $12 tickets for opening night!
Friday November 2 at 10:30am and 7pm
Saturdays November 3 and 10 at 11:30am, 3:30pm, and 7:30pm
Sundays November 4 and 11 at 1pm and 5pm - special Spanish language concert after the 5pm show and tickets are $5 more
Wednesday through Friday November 7-9 at 7pm

The shows at the United Center are:
Wednesday November 14 at 7pm - $12 opening night tickets
Thursday and Friday November 15 and 16 at 10:30am and 7pm
Friday November 23 and Saturdays November 17 and 24 at 11:30am, 3:30pm, and 7:30pm
Sundays November 18 and 25 at 1pm and 5pm - special Spanish language concert after the 5pm show and tickets are $5 more
Tuesday November 20 at 7pm
Wednesday November 21 at 2pm and 7pm

The show is fun for all ages, with a free all-access preshow for 90 minutes before the start of the performance.  All ticket holders are invited to the arena floor for the Power Party where you can meet your favorite performers and animals.

Tickets range from $13 to $90 for the Circus Celebrity tickets (where you and your family are actually a part of the circus and which sell out quickly!), but I have a 40% discount code for weekday shows and 20% off all weekend shows.  Simply enter the promo code MOM when you order your tickets. (Fine print: Weekday is defined as any show Monday through Thursday or Friday matinee, not including holidays such as the day after Thanksgiving. Discount does not apply to Circus Celebrity, Front Row, or VIP seats. No double discounts. Service charges, handling, and facility fees may apply.)

So are you ready to head off to the big top?  I have a family pack of tickets to give away for your choice of shows: at Allstate Arena on Thursday, November 1 at 7pm or Friday, November 2 at 10:30am or at United Center on Wednesday November 14 at 7pm.  First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Thursday October 25 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me - what is your favorite circus act?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):
1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® is coming to Chicago.  Win tickets via @honestandtruly. http://bit.ly/W7STUf #ChiRingling" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.
4) Earn one additional entry by liking Honest & Truly! on Facebook. (Yay, it's legal again, so long as you know you have to leave a comment here to enter and that simply liking me isn't the entry, along with acknowledging the fact that Facebook has nothing to do with this giveaway whatsoever.
5) Earn an additional entry by putting me in your Google Plus circle. Am I already in your G+ circle? No problem - just leave a comment letting me know that you've added me or already have me there.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Feld Family Ambassador.  As such, I am receiving complimentary tickets to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus as part of my outreach.  I am not otherwise compensated.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own.

Naperville's Ribfest with Ty Pennington and #CBias

So do you know where I was on Saturday?  What?  You don't have my schedule memorized?  I was at Ribfest in Naperville.  It's a local Chicago event that I've heard about for years but just never made it to before.  I mean, c'mon, Ribfest.  What a great way to celebrate summer, and I had the delight of spending the majority of my time in the Sears #GrillingIsHappiness tent with their celebrity demonstrations from Ty Pennington, Robyn Landars, George Hirsch, and Perry Perkins.

Personally, I love to grill, and we do it year 'round.  At the pre-event reception on Friday night, one of the Sears folks said something about how they don't want to be there just for the sale of the grill and outdoor living items for the four months we can grill in Chicago, but developing a relationship via #GrillingIsHappiness.  I love almost all that idea - except that part about grilling only four months a year in Chicago.  In our house, we grill all year, and that includes shoveling a walkway to the grill in February!

But Sears is doing it right with the Grilling Is Happiness website.  The four celebrities we got to hang with on Friday and Saturday - who were beyond nice - aren't the only contributors.  The site is filled with constantly updated information on decorating and bbq parties and recipes and everything you need to spend your summer in your outdoor kitchen from all sorts of experts.

Ribfest itself was a hoot.  I had a great time hanging with Laura from Mom Mart, another blogger attending.  This is is one of the great Chicago annual events, and there was far more than just ribs there.  The Steve Miller Band played on Friday night - and all concerts are included in the admission - and there was also Joe Walsh and ZZ Top, amongst others.  And just like any other festival, Laura and I found all sorts of other vendors, from the rubber chicken Laura managed to have fly into a grill to every newspaper in Chicagoland to the usual carnival rides and games.  I felt mildly guilty that I hadn't brought the wee ones when I saw the children's area - children 11 and younger are free - but then I remembered how hot it was, and I was ok again.

The carnival games make me giggle as always.  It was fun to watch other people play - neither Laura nor I had any interest in lugging around a prize for the rest of the day - and they were definitely having fun.  Our emcee in the Sears #GrillingIsHappiness tent, Alex, had no such issues and came back from the carnival tent with a giant stuffed husky.  He admitted that he'd beaten out six kids at Whack-A-Mole for it, though he claimed not to have known he was playing kids because they were on the other side.  It made us giggle, and that's what carnivals are for, right?

I loved the whole atmosphere of the day.  It was far too hot to eat much of anything, but I made sure to have a few ribs.  As I was on my way out for the day, I found a woman who had the right idea.  A vendor somewhere was selling watermelon or strawberry smoothies - or strawberry daiquiris - in a hollowed out watermelon.  I wish that I'd found it earlier, but I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed my own lemonade(s).  Tell me that isn't one of the coolest things you've ever seen.

At the actual Ribfest tent, I had a blast.  Of the hours I was at Ribfest, I spent the vast majority of my time hanging out there - and not only because it had shade.  The four chefs each had a demonstration that provided all sorts of neat tips - many of which I recapped in a Google+ album about my Ribfest experience.  When they weren't cooking, they were a hoot.  I loved having a little "behind the scenes" time with them where I could chat with them and see what they were doing to prep their food - extra tips for me!

This was such a neat experience, and I got so many great tips.  The whole event was a big draw for me, and I love that this is something local to me.  The big draw for most people, however, appeared to be Ty Pennington.  Ty was at the Sears #GrillingIsHappiness Tent on Saturday with us, and oh did the people line up for their photos with him!  He was so gracious to everyone, which was great.  One lucky person even had the opportunity to grill with him, and yes, Sears gave away grills and other great prizes, too.  We all had to get our photos taken with Ty of course.  Proof that he's a good guy?  When the fan next to us kept blowing my hair into my face,  Ty took care of it - he was my fan blocker with his hand!

Yes, that is sweat on his shirt.  He had promised to wear shorts, but then didn't.  He regretted it.

The best part of the whole experience is that is isn't over.  Ribfest goes through Tuesday night where they'll have what I've been told are awesome fireworks to close it down.  I'm tempted to go back again this year, but I know no matter what I'll be back again another year.  I just hope it's a little bit cooler so I can try out some more ribs!  Unfortunately, when the winners were announced on Sunday, the ribs Laura and I tried didn't win best ribs or best sauce.  But we were happy with them anyway.  So who's heading to Ribfest with me next year?

Before I forget, I have a winner to announce, too!  In my Father's Day Grilling post, I had a grill tool set to give away from Sears.  Thank you to everyone who entered, but congratulations go to Debi Jackson who was the winner as chosen by Random.org!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Sears.  As always, all opinions expressed remain my own. #CBias #SocialFabric

Giveaway: 4 Pack of Ringling Bros Tickets (Chicago)

This year, Ringling is coming back to Chicago for their annual trek through the United Center and the Allstate Arena (so hard for me not to call it the Rosemont, STILL). Fully Charged - the name of this year's Ringling Brothers show - is at the Allstate from November 3 to 13 and at the UC from November 17 to 27.

The show includes the usual suspects from animal trainers to clowns, but the focus is on the power of the circus. You will see Tabayara with his animal acts from riding a rearing stallions to performing with twelve tigers. There is also the strongmen with their feats, including acrobats balancing on the very items they're lifting. Personally, I can't wait to see the human crossbow. And yes, yes there will be clowns, as always!

One of the parts that really makes the circus special for the wee ones is the all access pre-show where all ticket holders are invited into the floor for an hour before the circus to meet selected performers, try on clothes, and more. It's always a highlight - and another reason to be sure we get there early!

Does it sound like a show you want to attend? Get your kids excited about it, too. Tell them that you're going by printing out the coloring sheet so they have something to get excited about. I know this is one of Little Miss's favorite things to do.

I know you've been waiting for the "what's in it for me" moment, and there is a great discount available again this year. You can get 4 Tickets for $44 on Weekday Shows OR Save $4 on Weekend Shows! (Weekday shows include any performances Monday through Thursday. Weekend shows include any performance Friday through Sunday.) To take advantage of this offer, use the offer code "MOM" at Ticketmaster.com, at the box office, or call 800-745-3000. Note that this offer is not valid on Circus Celebrity, Front Row or VIP seating. No double discounts. Service Charges, Handling and Facility Fees may apply.

And don't forget my very favorite part of seeing family events at the UC - free parking! Yep, you don't have to pay an additional fee to park when you see the Fully Charged show downtown, and that's something that I know makes lots of people happy, not just me.

There's more than just the discount though! I have a family four pack of tickets to give away to someone. The winner gets to choose the date: Thursday Nov. 3 @ 7:00 pm, Wednesday Nov. 9 @ 7:00 pm, Wednesday Nov. 10 @ 7:00 pm, Wednesday Nov. 16 @ 7:00 pm, or Thursday Nov. 17 @ 7:00 pm. So what do you have to do to win? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Monday October 23 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 24 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what your favorite circus act is.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter, then tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Ringling is coming back to #Chicago, and it's time for a ticket #giveaway from @honestandtruly. Win a 4 pack http://bit.ly/qpWQab" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

And no, you won't earn any extra entries for it, but you will get good karma for liking me on Facebook!

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received tickets for my family to attend the circus. I was not compensated for this campaign. That said as always, all opinions expressed remain my own.