Things to Do in Villa Park

It’s tough to know where to start when it comes to backyard or vacation-home renovation, but the experts on hand at The Cottage & Backyard Show are able to help. Over the course of the weekend, guests engage more than 200 exhibitors in shoptalk that may span topics from decorative concrete installation to landscape architecture. More than a dozen presenters also share their life’s work with the crowd during talks that walk people through project execution and making good choices when it comes to renovations and decor choices. The show will also feature builders and cottage designers, paving the way for participants to pick up on ideas for weekend cottages, as well as power-tool, chain-saw, and septic-system exhibitors.

Wines for Humanity's professional wine advisers lead in-home tastings that teach guests the finer points of a five-point wine-tasting technique, all while raising funds for local charities. As students sip several exclusive vintages, they learn to judge wines' colors, aromas, and voting records, as well as pick out suitable food pairings. Wine Advisors will arrive half an hour before the tasting begins bringing the tasting glasses and wine. Hosts are encouraged to prepare suggested cheese pairings and crackers to complement the wines. Wines that are selected for tasting run at an average of $20 per bottle. A portion of every bottle selected for your own enjoyment generates a donation for UMOM New Day Centers, a charity that supports the prevention of homelessness for families with children in Maricopa County.

Golfer’s Paradise’s friendly golfing confines foster year-round golfing within the indoor hitting stalls of their AboutGolf simulators. Using real clubs, players pulverize orbs into an immense screen that utilizes 3-D graphics to vividly emulate the immaculate greenery, calculated topography, and yellow-brick cart paths of some of the world’s most famous courses. Golfers can trace powerful drives into the windswept, simulated stratosphere of St. Andrews Old Course or evade the treacherous water hazards at Michigan’s Robert Trent Jones–designed course, The Heather. Along with technology that ensures each shot travels in a realistic manner, the simulators boast advanced swing-tracking sensors that collect data and even offer advice to correct unsound swings.

A staff of PGA-certified instructors oversees Golfer's Paradise's two executive-style lounges, offering expert advice to help transform swing imbalances into trustworthy motions. Pupils benefit from the instructors' hard-won wisdom combined with the computer-generated feedback of the simulators, which reveals detailed results of the position of one's clubface at impact and the effects of sweaty-palm syndrome.

Positive Focus Productions organizes motivational-speaking events that include discussions on world events and advice to enrich daily lives. Past workshops have tackled myths and scientific interpretations of the Mayan calendar, the effects of an uncertain economy, and coping with the continuing absence of new Spin City episodes. Founder and positivity adviser Carol uses her years of experience in public relations and event planning to coordinate morning and afternoon workshops, in which both virtual and physical communities learn to live more positively.

Following the aroma of freshly popped corn through Sundae’s Too Ice Cream Shop, guests find themselves standing in front of Bensenville Theatre’s two intimately sized, 130-person theaters. The twin screens flicker to life two to three times daily, showing a selection of recent Hollywood blockbusters during weekday matinees or nightly showings. A concession stand helps supply guests with popcorn for staving off hunger or stuffing shirts in an effort to emulate the muscular physique of Jean-Claude Van Damme.