The backpacks are back on the porch and the Route 59 school-zone flashers are blinking again — the first week of the new year is officially in the books. But summer isn't done with us yet. There's one more loaded weekend standing between here and Labor Day, and the calendar is stacked: a note-for-note Pink Floyd laser show, a seven-acre parish block party, and telescopes pointed straight at the sun.

Grab the camp chairs — here's everything worth leaving the house for.

In today's issue:

Let's get to it.

🐰 Gabby's Dollhouse MEOWseum Discovery Days The DreamWorks cat crew takes over DuPage Children's Museum all three days with hands-on craft and play stations themed to the show. It's folded right into regular admission — an easy call if there's a Gabby superfan at your house.

🎬 Chicago Bengali Film Festival The Chhobighar film society brings its eighth annual celebration of contemporary Bengali cinema to the Yellow Box for two days of screenings — and the all-in ticket even covers Friday dinner and Saturday lunch, so it's a night out and a meal in one.

🎸 The Australian Pink Floyd Show

The world's biggest Pink Floyd tribute plays the whole catalog note-for-note under a full laser-and-LED light show — arena-scale spectacle that lands a lot closer than the city.

FRI 8:00 PM · RIVEREDGE PARK, AURORA · FROM $39.50

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🎬 A Night at the Movies – Shrek

Pack the camp chairs for a free outdoor screening of Shrek on the Riverwalk, with a round of bingo to warm up the crowd before the sun goes down.

FRI 8:30 PM · RIVERWALK GRAND PAVILION · FREE

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🧸 Kids Night Out: End of Summer Extravaganza

Drop the 4-to-12 crowd at Fort Hill for a face-painting, dance-party, popsicle send-off to summer — dinner included — and reclaim a Friday night for yourselves.

FRI 6:00 PM · FORT HILL ACTIVITY CENTER · $25–$45

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🎉 Saints Peter & Paul Homecoming Fest

The downtown parish throws open its seven-acre campus for live music, food trucks, a beer garden and a kids' zone — a proper end-of-summer block party right off Ellsworth.

SAT 2:00 PM · SS. PETER & PAUL, NAPERVILLE · $5 PRESALE, $10 AT THE GATE

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☀️ Solar Saturday

The Naperville Astronomical Association sets up filtered telescopes along the Riverwalk so you can safely stare straight at the sun — sunspots, flares and all. Free, and genuinely cool.

SAT 9:00 AM · NAPERVILLE RIVERWALK · FREE

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🍅 5th Avenue Farmers Market

Peak-season tomatoes, sweet corn and fresh bread at the train station — the Saturday-morning ritual that makes the weekend feel official.

SAT 7:00 AM · FIFTH AVENUE STATION · FREE

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🎹 Windy City Dueling Pianos

Two piano players, zero setlist — you shout the requests, they battle it out. Spartan Ale House turns into the loudest sing-along in town for one night.

SAT 8:00 PM · SPARTAN ALE HOUSE · $15

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🎸 Third Eye Blind

The '90s alt-rock heavyweights — yes, "Semi-Charmed Life" — close out RiverEdge's summer season, with indie duo feel trip opening. Gates at six.

SUN 8:00 PM · RIVEREDGE PARK, AURORA · FROM $71

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🎉 Neighborhood Block Party

St. Timothy Lutheran opens its lot to the whole neighborhood for free food, games and music — no agenda beyond meeting the people down the street.

SUN 11:30 AM · ST. TIMOTHY LUTHERAN CHURCH · FREE

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🕵️ Speakeasy Escape Room

Naper Settlement hides a Prohibition-era puzzle room on its grounds — round up a crew, crack the clues and talk your way into the speakeasy in under an hour.

SUN 1:00 PM · NAPER SETTLEMENT · $15/PERSON

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🏀 Candace Parker The Naperville Central grad and two-time state champ was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 on August 15 — her old high school has already retired her No. 3.

✨ L.L.Bean The outdoor-gear icon set an opening date for its new Naperville store: September 25 at Westridge Court on Route 59, the brand's fourth in Illinois.

🎶 Dianne Hutchison The flutist just marked 50 years with the Naperville Municipal Band — only the 23rd musician in the band's history to reach the half-century mark.

🎨 ArtForum Naperville Six giant illuminated lotus sculptures by French artist Nicolas Paolozzi will float on Paddleboat Quarry this fall (Sept 26–Oct 24) in the installation's U.S. debut.

🏅 Naperville's OCR athletes Two young locals — Jeremy Lauff, 16, and Claire Mattern, 11 — brought home gold from the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships in Limerick, Ireland.

Get your business, service, event, or announcement in front of engaged Naperville readers — locals who actually open every Thursday.

Naperville Nova is free because people pass it on. If a friend would like this, send it their way — and come say hi on Instagram, where we post the week's best between issues.