By Rick Karlin

Contributing writer

With all the back to school shopping I’m certain that you’ve been doing, time flies by quickly. Get that trusty old wall calendar hanging on the fridge and mark down the dates for the following events.

On Saturday, Sept. 15, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., on Wells between North and Schiller in the heart of Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood, the 5th annual “Wine Crush in Old Town” offers an opportunity to sample more than 150 wines from around the world. Admission donation is $6 and includes wine and food pavilions serving the cuisine of popular neighborhood eateries. It also includes cheese samplings, arts and crafts and a live music stage. A fun-filled grape stomping contest (shades of Lucy!) with teams of two takes the spotlight at 2:50 p.m.  Attendees can purchase a wine glass that may be used to sample (free of charge) 10 wines provided by leading distributors or, for an additional $30, 10 premium wines. Proceeds from The Wine Crush in Old Town benefit the Y-ME Breast Cancer Organization-Illinois Affiliate and the Old Town Merchants and Residents Association. Get more information at (773) 868-3010.

If that’s not enough wine for you, the Lake Geneva Wine Festival presents its inaugural schedule of events this Sept. 8-9. Fine dining, wine tasting and seminars are centered on the beautiful lakeside campus of George Williams College of Aurora University in Williams Bay, Wis., as well as in downtown Lake Geneva and surrounding lakeside homes and restaurants. Tickets are for sale online at lakegenevawinefestival.com. Purchase tickets for each day in advance or at registration during Sip and Shop hours.

SushiSamba Rio, 504 N. Wells, hosts a celebration to mark Brazil’s Independence Day Sept. 7. The River North restaurant features a spectacular evening of samba and capoeira, a 400-year-old Brazilian dance that incorporates martial arts, dancers and Brazilian drummers in live shows at 9 and 10 p.m., along with a special menu. Dinner reservations can be made at (312) 266-7677.

The Fairmont Chicago and Aria restaurant, 200 N. Columbus Drive, salutes the Chicago Sinfonietta on its tribute to “Duke” Ellington for its 21 season with a special jazz-inspired pre-concert menu. The three-course, $38 menu features grilled jumbo shrimp and andouille sausage gumbo, blackened escolar filet with black beans and rice and cocoa nib “moon pie” with mascarpone cocoa cream, espresso ice cream dark chocolate coffee beans. The menu is available Sept. 16-17.  For reservations call (312) 444-9494 or visit ariachicago.com.

Starting Oct. 1, HB Home Bistro, 3404 N. Halsted Street, features a new North African menu every Thursday for $50 a couple. The menu was inspired by HB Home Bistro’s chef Joncarl Lachman’s extensive travels in North Africa. Call (773) 661-0299 for reservations.

Before going to see television’s former Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter’s night club act at the Apollo Theatre, Sept. 11-16, stop by Kit Kat, 3700 N. Halsted, for its “bullets and bracelets” menu specials. Two dinner packages and a variety of special items are available. In addition, Kit Kat’s divas give away tickets to the Lynda Carter show, as well as DVD box sets of Wonder Woman Sept. 12-13. Past Wonder Woman episodes air throughout the week on 5 large screens. For reservations and information on packages, call (773) 525 -1111.

Le Lan, 749 N. Clark, offers a special $33 three-course dinner for three days (Sept. 10-12) in celebration of the third anniversary of the River North French-Asian restaurant. Guests may choose one soup or salad, one entree and one dessert from the dinner menu. Call (312) 280-9100 for reservations.

On Sept. 20 Carnivale, 702 W. Fulton Market, presents a “hands-on” class featuring three different mouthwatering mojito recipes from Carnivale’s signature drink menu. Participants learn the history of this classic Cuban cocktail, while creating and sampling mojitos and appetizers. Cost is $25 per person—call (312) 850-5005 to reserve a spot in the class.