The following was published in the On the Town section of the Chicago Tribune, July 14, 2006:

A French Accent for Bastille Day

Friday is Bastille Day, the French national holiday commemorating the storming of Paris’ Bastille prison in 1789. The event marked the beginning of the French Revolution, and the French celebrate the day in grand style, with fireworks, parades, dances and other festivities.

Closer to home, you can feter (celebrate) this weekend even if you’re not French. Here are a few events around town to get you into a francais state of mind:

The Alliance Francaise (54 W. Chicago Ave.) will have its annual Bastille Day celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Sample appetizers, drink French wine, and listen to Gypsy jazz ensemble Alfonso Ponticelli and Swing Gitan. At 7:30 p.m., join in the singing of the Marseillaise, the French national anthem. Admission is $15 for members of the Alliance Francaise and $20 for others. Reservations are required; call 312-337-1070.

Pops for Champagne (2934 N. Sheffield Ave.) will from 5 to 10 p.m. host its last Bastille Day street festival at its current location. (Pops will reopen in mid-September at 601 N. State St.) There’s no cover for this melange of food, Champagne and music that includes Chicago-based quintet Jazz Conspiracy; and the Rhythm Rockets.

The Art Institute of Chicago (111 S. Michigan Ave.) will have two France-themed talks, “Art and the French Revolution” (12 noon in Gallery 100) and “Express Talk: French Impressionism” (7 p.m. in Gallery 100). Both are free with $7-$12 admission, and admission is free after 5 p.m. Fridays. ◼