Join us in the Chicago area for this year’s annual meeting and conference!  Plans are in place for a fun, educational, and energizing event in Evanston this spring. 

Location

Our home base is the Holiday Inn Chicago North Evanston at 1501 Sherman Avenue. Our negotiated NFO rate has expired, but you can still contact them for rooms. Click here or call the hotel directly at (847) 491-6400. Parking is an additional $18/night.  Your reservation can be canceled up to two days before.

If you want us to help you locate a roommate, please mark either registration form accordingly. 

Our other event and dance venue, the First Presbyterian Church, at 1427 Chicago Avenue, is two blocks away. This will include a parlor for our annual general meeting, a meeting room with a flat-screen monitor for presentations, and a gym for our dance parties and workshops. There is limited parking here, only available during our events at the building. A car should not be necessary for most attendees.

Getting there

NFO recommends buying refundable tickets at this time.

By Air: There are two airports in the Chicago area. O’Hare Airport (ORD)  is southwest of Evanston and has a full range of airlines. Midway airport (MDW), served by Southwest Airlines, Delta, and a few others, is south of downtown Chicago. If you share your arrival information on the registration form, we will see if anyone else is arriving around the same time and will allow you to connect with them and potentially share rides or other transportation to Evanston.

From the Airport:

Bus: The 250 Bus leaves every 30 minutes from the O’Hare Transportation Center and brings you within walking distance of the hotel. It takes about 60 minutes to travel from ORD to Evanston.

Train: There are no direct trains or buses from MDW, but connections can be made. Allow 1.5 hours.

Amtrak: Amtrak services downtown Chicago and the closer suburb of Glenview, Illinois, and there are local transport options from both stations to Evanston. A rideshare will be 20 minutes and $20.

Lyft and Uber: Both are available at all airports and train stations. From both airports, Evanston is approximately 40 minutes and $45-50 via ride share.

Full-time Registration

Full-time online Registration: Your registration fee of $130 members/$150 non-members covers all NFO activities including the welcome reception, all presentations and workshops, the Awards Banquet (meal order deadline of March 12), and evening dance parties. Access to selected session recordings will be made available for free after the event.

Your registration fee will be refunded if canceled by either of us for any reason (minus the $10 processing fee and any pre-ordered meal charges).

Part-time Registration

Part-time online registration lets you register for Thursday, Friday, or Saturday events.  The deadline to order Thursday, Friday, Saturday lunches, or the Saturday Banquet has passed.

The cost for part-time NFO events is also refundable if you cancel before the conference starts (minus the $10 processing fee). We will only be able to refund your meal cost if we find someone else to take your order.

If you want to register for something different than the choices above, please contact the registrar.

Please note that if your group or organization is a member of NFO, you are considered a member and will qualify for the member rate. Check with your group to see if you belong! Or click on Money Matters to become a member.

Meals

Breakfast is available at the hotel restaurant or there are other nearby options. Or deadline for ordering catered lunches has passed. There are plenty of restaurants and grocery stores within walking distance.  Most evening meals will be on your own, though we are curating a list of nearby (no car needed) welcoming and safe restaurants.

Consider inviting family and friends in the area to our Awards Banquet Saturday night in the Hotel’s Ballroom (NFO’s COVID protocols will be in place). See part-time registration on the website. Deadline for those meal orders is March 12.

Questions? If you have any concerns or difficulties with the online registration. please let Linda Bernfeld, Registrar, or Jo Crawford, Vice President know.

COVID-19 disclaimer and protocols

To attend in-person events, the NFO requires participants to be fully vaccinated (as defined by the CDC) and boosted against COVID-19 if your last shot was before July 2021. We will require proof of vaccination for all attendees, a signed waiver, and will also be collecting your contact information for tracing should it be necessary. 

NFO also currently requires participants wear an N95 or equivalent mask at all conference events.  People can unmask briefly for eating or drinking. The hotel requires mask-wearing in its public areas.

Please read the entire COVID policy here and keep checking back for the latest version of this document which may include changes regarding COVID testing, masking, and other protocols.

Schedule Highlights 

Wednesday, March 30:
Afternoon & Evening; Check-in and Welcome Reception at the Holiday Inn 

Thursday, March 31:
Morning: General Membership Meeting and Elections at FP Church
Afternoon: Presentations/Workshops with Susan Snyder-Kotansky, Marcie Van Cleave, Adony Beniares, and Al & Sharon Durtka
Evening: Pourparler Music & Dance for All Ages evening of dance

Friday, April 1:
Morning: Keynote/Presentations/Workshops with Ferne Caulker and others
Afternoon: Presentations/Workshops with Dit Olshan, Edie Spear, and Jeanette Geslison
Evening: Folk Dancing hosted by the Argonne and Ethnic Dance Chicago groups

Saturday, April 2:
All-day dance workshops with Stephen and Susan Kotansky, Alex Marković, Marcie Van Cleave, Adony Beniares and Roo Lester
Evening: Banquet – Preserving our Heritage Awards, followed by dancing hosted by the Evanston Monday Night Folk Dancers

Sunday, April 3:
Morning: Planning session for 2023 Conference 

If you enjoyed last year’s virtual NFO Conference, come join us in person!

Area Attractions

Note that the Holiday Inn NFO room block rate can be used (if space is available) for a day or two before or after the conference dates.  If you have the time, there are several non-NFO events and locations that could be added to your visit.  Let us know if you are interested in coming early or staying late and perhaps we can line up some group tours.

In Evanston:

• The Evanston Monday Night Folk Dancers will be featuring some special guests at their regular dance on April 4.
• Chicago Israeli Dancing meets Thursdays at Beth Emet in Evanston.
• The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian and the Halim Museum of Time & Glass (clocks and stained glass).
• The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University.
• American Toby Jug Museum.

In Chicago

• Downtown Chicago boasts great theaters, restaurants and museums. Chicago Loop Alliance.
• Visit the Chicago Art Institute, the Field Museum (especially First Nations and Asia collections), the Museum of Science and Industry and the National Museum of Puerto Rican Art and Culture.
• Frank Lloyd Wright designed buildings are scattered throughout the area. 
• Many ethnic Chicago neighborhoods — Irish, Haitian, Ukrainian, Greek, Polish, etc., boast their own museums.
• Jane Addams Hull-House Museum was a settlement house founded in 1889 by Ellen Gates Starr and Jane Addams. The Hull House served as a place for European immigrants to call home after landing into the United States.
• Take a walk to the shore of Lake Michigan and visit the Mars Longden Memorial Bench – directions available at the Conference
• See also the Chicago Travel Guide from Travel & Leisure