An abstract illustration of a crowd of people next to black text on a yellow background. 

The State Street "People Week" is a week long celebration where businesses on State Street in Chicago take part in events and a sidewalk sale. "People Week" started in the 1960s and was celebrated annually through the 1970s and on. The event celebrated the businesses and the Chicagoans who frequented them with music, events, magicians, puppet shows, and sponsored booths from around the city. 

Illustration of a stick figure walking on a trail with another one riding on a bike in front of plants and trees above black text on a green background. 

The Old Plank Road Trail is a 22-mile paved recreation and nature rail-trail in northeastern Illinois.  It connects the towns of Joliet, New Lenox, Frankfort, Matteson, Richton Park, Park Forest, and Chicago Heights.  The Old Plank Road Trail has 128,000 users per year.

Blue text on a white background.

The Chicagoland Music Festival was annual spectacle that took place every August at Soldiers Field in Chicago. The festival was sponsored by the Chicago Tribune. The first Chicagoland Music Festival was in 1930, while the last Chicagoland Music Festival was in 1956. The music festival featured internationally renowned talent such as Louis Armstrong as well as local talent such as dance troupes, choirs that sang classical music, as well as marching bands. Many of these groups were composed of children who competed for the honor of being announced in the Chicago Tribune as the winners of their respective competitions.

An illustration of a blue dragon with a sun and clouds behind it. Blue and red text sits below the illustration on a white background. 

This button was created to promote Chicago's Chinatown's three day observance of the 30th anniversary of the Chinese Revolution and the inauguration of a festival for the United China Relief benefit drive in 1941. 

The dragon dance performance was the highlight of the festival. The dragon was 150 ft long and the dance engaged 35 men as its legs. Although Chinese immigrants had lived in Chicago for 75 years at the time, it was considered a rare event.

An illustration of the McCormick Place with an illustrated sky serving as a background, above trees, grass, and a body of water that serves as a background to black and red text (the red text is in a pink square). 

This button is a souvenir from McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America. Located in near Lake Michigan, McCormick Place hosts numerous events such as trade shows, meetings, and the Chicago Auto Show. The convention center consists of four main building, North and South Buildings, West Building and Lakeside Center. Its impressive size and versatility attracts major corporations to host their events at this venue.

Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, conceptualized the idea of a permanent exhibition hall for the city of Chicago. He campaigned feverishly for funds and the authorization from the state of Illinois to construct a building for exhibits. In 1955, the State approved the proposition and construction began. Unfortunately Colonel McCormick died in the same year and he never saw his efforts materialize. The facility was completed in 1960 and named after Colonel McCormick. The building was expanded, renovated, and reinvented over time. Now it attracts 3 million visitors each year.  

In the middle of the button is an illustration of a column with an eagle on top of it. To the left and right of the column are illustrations of houses and below the column is large black text against a white background. 

Logan Square Preservation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public of the architecture, history, and beautification of the community. Logan Square is a historic neighborhood on the northwest side of Chicago. The area consists of scenic gardens, architecturally elegant homes and churches. The community is characterized by its grand boulevards and sophisticated setting. 

There are five separate illustrations: A green four-leaf clover at the center, a shield embalm on the top left that shows a eagle wing on one side and a arm/hand holding a knife on the other, a shield emblem on the top right with a cross and hand, a shield emblem on the bottom left with three crowns,  and a shield emblem on the bottom right with a harp.  The background is made of red, white, and blue horizontal stripes.

This button was made for an Irish social center located in Chicago, Illinois. The Irish have a strong history in the city. By 1860, it had the fourth largest Irish population in the United States and the Irish had become entrenched in the city’s politics, religion, and workforce. Parishes and local pubs were often popular social centers for the Irish community.

The four coat of arms depicted in this button represent the four provinces of Ireland. Historically these provinces were loosely bordered kingdoms ruled over by separate monarchies. Today, all thirty two counties of Ireland can be found within the boundaries of these four cultural regions. The part eagle/part hand with sword represents Connacht in the west, with Galway as its main city. Ulster in the north, where the city of Belfast sits, is represented by a cross with a hand. The three crowns represent Munster in the south, with Cork as the main city. Finally, Leinster in the east is represented by the golden harp, where lies the capital city of Dublin.

Green text that is curved on the bottom and top of the button and straight in the center. Everything sits on a white background. 

This button is from "Hotel Greeters of America Day" at the Chicago Fair of 1950. For this special day, the hotel greeters were able to take part in special entertainment ventures at the fair, including: hotel waiter obstacle course races, bedmaking contests for maids, weight lifting competitions for bellmen, and a mock hotel where the visitors could win prizes when registering. 

The Chicago Fair of 1950 ran from June 24th to Labor day, 1950. The Fair highlighted innovation and the advancement of technology, taking time to highlight specifically advancement in the agricultural sector.

Black text of various sizes on a bright orange background. 

Hip Products was a Chicago-based printing company in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They produced many black light posters that are today considered collectibles.

Red text in the center with a red line curving around it. Red text in a blue box at the top of the button and white text in blue box on the bottom on a white background. 

Freedom Center is the enormous printing plant for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Opened in 1982, the complex stretches half a mile. The button is a souvenir item from the plant.