Volunteer Luncheon & Workshop - Cancelled
Friday, April 3 VOLUNTEER LUNCHEON & WORKSHOP
Salt Fork Center, Homer Lake Forest Preserve, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Join us as we show our sincere appreciation for our present and future volunteers. Learn more about ticks, mosquitoes, and vector-borne illnesses in Illinois with Holly Tuten, Ph.D., a vector ecologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey. Find out how you can become involved in their research as a citizen scientist. Even if you are a new volunteer, come enjoy this luncheon in honor of you! Please RSVP by April 1: (217) 896-2455 or jwick@ccfpd.org.
Spring Trout Season Opening Day
Exhibit Opening - Our One True Home: The 50th Anniversary of Earth Day - Canceled
Saturday, April 4
EXHIBIT OPENING
OUR ONE TRUE HOME: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF EARTH DAY
Interpretive Center, Homer Lake Forest Preserve, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Earth Day has been called the “least understood famous event in modern American history.” It spontaneously emerged on a truly grassroots level in response to “a time when people could see, smell and taste pollution” in their daily lives. On the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, 20 million people participated in thousands of events throughout the U.S. Locally, leaders in Champaign County emerged – average citizens who passionately worked to make the world a better place. Learn more at this year’s exhibit! Stop by throughout the day to do fun crafts and activities related to Earth Day. FREE. For more info: (217) 896-2455 or pleiter@ccfpd.org.
Fairies & Gnomes & Trolls, Oh My! - Cancelled
FAIRIES & GNOMES & TROLLS, OH MY!
Museum of the Grand Prairie, Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Come enter the world of make-believe! Kids will design their own magical fairy gardens using live plants, colored gems, stones and other accessories. $10 per garden. Ages 3-14. Register by March 27 at ccfpd.org; for more info: (217) 586-2612 or mmontez@ccfpd.org.
Boneyard Arts Festival - Cancelled
Sunday, April 5
Boneyard Arts Festival
Museum of the Grand Prairie, Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 1-4 p.m.
This year’s Boneyard artists will include works by local young women and girls, featuring Franklin STEAM Academy Sisterhood participants responding to themes present in our new exhibit How Long Must Women Wait? Woman Suffrage and Women’s Rights in Champaign County. At the same time you can come enjoy a visit to the Museum and make your own art. We will have multimedia materials available for you to make and take your own amazing masterpiece! All ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. FREE. For more info: (217) 586-2612 or ksnyder@ccfpd.org.
Botany Basics for Homeschoolers - cancelled
Tuesday, April 7
BOTANY BASICS FOR HOMESCHOOLERS
Museum of the Grand Prairie, Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 9:30-11 a.m.
Join us to understand the importance of plant growth and how it affects the environment through an interactive discussion and hands-on experiment. We will enjoy a nature walk behind the museum through the Mabery Gelvin Botanical Garden and visit the outdoor exhibit, Vanishing Acts: Trees Under Threat. Ages 9-13. Parents are welcome, but not required to stay for the program. $5 per child. Register by March 31 at ccfpd.org; for more info: (217) 586-2612 or mmontez@ccfpd.org.
Frog Call Survey Field Training - cancelled
Wednesday, April 8
FROG CALL SURVEY: FIELD TRAINING
Interpretive Center, Homer Lake Forest Preserve, 6:30-8 p.m.
This optional training session is intended for those who attended the first Frog Call Survey training session, and are looking to get some field experience. One of the best times to listen for frogs is at dusk, and many species are just beginning to become active at this time in early spring. This is a perfect opportunity to get an idea of what to listen for during frog call monitoring. We will begin with a brief indoor review, and then head outside to practice our frog call monitoring skills. FREE. Register by April 7 at ccfpd.org. For more info: (217) 896-2455 or jwick@ccfpd.org.
Thursday, April 16
Museum of the Grand Prairie, Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 6:30-8 p.m.
This optional training session is intended for those who attended the first Frog Call Survey training session, and are looking to get some field experience. One of the best times to listen for frogs is at dusk, and many species are just beginning to become active at this time in early spring. This is a perfect opportunity to get an idea of what to listen for during frog call monitoring. We will begin with a brief indoor review, and then head outside to practice our frog call monitoring skills. FREE. Register by April 15 at ccfpd.org. For more info: (217) 896-2455 or jwick@ccfpd.org.
Champaign County Dark Sky Week Celebration - Cancelled
Saturday, April 18
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY DARK SKY WEEK CELEBRATION
Activity Center, Middle Fork River Forest Preserve, 6 p.m.-12 a.m.
Join us as we kick off the first annual Champaign County Dark Sky Week at Illinois’ FIRST and ONLY International Dark Sky Park! Members of the Champaign County Audubon Society will lead guided hikes and discuss the environmental impact of light pollution on migratory birds and other wildlife. Following the hike, there will be a presentation about preserving the night sky, and the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society will have telescopes set up for participants to look through as the sky darkens. We will also have craft and activity stations set up for kids! This program is rain or shine, but the Night Sky Observation may be cancelled if skies are cloudy. FREE. All Ages. No registration required. For more info: (217) 896-2455 or jwick@ccfpd.org.
Lincoln the Great Communicator - cancelled
Sunday, April 19
LINCOLN, THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR
Museum of the Grand Prairie, Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 2 p.m.
Join us for this theatrical style program featuring live music and America’s 16th president! In collaboration with Looking for Lincoln and the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, we will host this program featuring Lincoln impersonator George Buss and Illinois folk musician and folklorist Chris Vallillo. The program combines live period tunes with conversation and narrative by President Lincoln (using Lincoln’s own words) to explore Lincoln’s use of communication as a personal and political tool. The program will be presented as a casual conversation between President Lincoln and Vallillo discussing Lincoln's gifts as a communicator and way he used those skills for the betterment of mankind throughout his lifetime. FREE. For more info: (217) 586-2612 or pcain@ccfpd.org.
Fishing for Beginners - Cancelled
Saturday, April 25
FISHING FOR BEGINNERS
Walnut Hill Shelter, Homer Lake Forest Preserve, 9 -11 a.m.
Join us at Homer Lake for a lesson on all of the basics of fishing! An instructor from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will be on site to teach you everything you need to know when it comes to fishing in Illinois. Cane poles and bait will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own. FREE. Recommended for ages 6 and up. Register by April 24 at ccfpd.org. For more info: 217-896-2455 or jwick@ccfpd.org.
History on Tap: Women, Alcohol, and the Vote - Cancelled
Wednesday, April 29
HISTORY ON TAP: WOMEN, ALCOHOL, AND THE VOTE
25 O’Clock Brewing Company, 208 W Griggs St, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m.
Did you know that Prohibition was instituted by the 18th amendment and women were allowed to vote by the 19th amendment? Prohibition was ratified in January 1919, Woman Suffrage in August 1920. Some suffragists promoted Prohibition and that may have pushed forward their voting rights. Ironically, we can now toast women’s right to vote at this “History on Tap.” It will include a short talk, slide show and discussion about the national movement and local players, led by Barb Garvey, Director of the Museum of the Grand Prairie. This talk is a companion to our special exhibit, How Long Must Women Wait? Woman Suffrage and Women’s Rights in Champaign County, open March 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. “History on Tap” is a new series that travels the county to some of the area’s finest establishments for learning and libatious liquids. Program FREE; drinks available for purchase. For more info: (217) 586-2612 or pcain@ccfpd.org.