Visitors can get a taste of what farm life was like in bygone days at Spring at the Dickson-Murst Farm in Montgomery from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 5.
The free event at The Conservation Foundation’s Dickson-Murst Farm will feature children’s crafts, activities and play spaces, live farm animals to observe and pet, hayrides, barrel train rides, farm demonstrations, face painting and more, organizers said.
Antique trucks and tractors will be on display and all of the restored historic farm buildings at the site will be open for exploration.
Students from the Newark Chapter of Future Farmers of America will have their farm animals at the event and will also be selling flowering annuals and hanging baskets. The Kendall County 4-H clubs will be offering craft projects and activities as well, according to organizers.
Free parking is available and the event will go on rain or shine. The Dickson-Murst Farm is at 2550 Dickson Road in Montgomery.
For more information, go to www.theconservationfoundation.org.
Senior Services of Aurora plans activities
Senior Services of Aurora will celebrate Older Americans Month during the month of May with many programs and activities scheduled, officials said.
The group is planning special events on Fridays during May at its activity center at 2111 Plum St. in Aurora. The events include a Cinco de Mayo party on May 3, a Mother’s Day ice cream social on May 10, live music and a luncheon on May 17, a fried chicken lunch and music on May 24 and the city of Aurora luncheon on May 31.
Each event will begin at 11:30 a.m. Bingo will be played at 1 p.m. after all the events and finish at 3 p.m.
Most events have a small charge to help cover the cost of the luncheons, officials said.
Senior Services has many sponsors promoting its activities including Aurora Township, the city of Aurora, Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain, the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Asbury Gardens, Alden of Waterford, Oak Street Health, Aurora Public Library and Divine Hospice, officials said.
Also at the Senior Services activity center, the city of Aurora and the FBI will give a presentation for seniors on staying safe from scams at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 15.
For a complete calendar or more information on the events offered by Senior Services of Aurora, drop by its offices, call 630-897-4035 or go to www.seniorservicesassoc.org.
Old-time radio in the spotlight
Old-time radio expert Steve Darnall, host of radio’s “Those Were the Days,” will be at the St. Charles Public Library at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, to speak about Chicago’s importance in early radio.
The St. Charles Public Library is at 1 S. Sixth Ave. in St. Charles.
The program, called “The Windy City on the Air,” will focus on how Chicago was a major radio epicenter during the medium’s early years.
In his presentation, Darnall will explore Chicago’s many groundbreaking contributions to radio, including soap operas, juvenile adventure serials, early morning radio shows and local legends that became national sensations.
For more information or to register for the program, which is being held in partnership with the St. Charles History Museum, go to www.scpld.org or call 630-584-0076.
Session focuses on doing business with Aurora
The city of Aurora’s Purchasing Division is hosting a workshop for the community to better learn how to do business with the city.
The session will begin at 10 a.m. May 7 at Aurora City Hall, 44 E. Downer Place.
The workshop is open to the public and is designed for large companies, small businesses and individual vendors. It will include an overview of the city’s procurement process and bidding process, the steps to be taken to become a registered vendor with the city, a preview of upcoming city projects in 2024, available business resources and more.
To register to attend, go to www.aurora-il.org/DoingBusiness2024
Will County Forest Preserve District selling cicada T-shirts
The Forest Preserve District of Will County is celebrating “the summer of the cicada” with a commemorative T-shirt.
Available on www.outsiderthreads.com, the shirt features an illustration of the bug with the words, “Be Loud, Be Proud.”
Shirts are $20 and are available in adult and children’s sizes. Proceeds benefit the Nature Foundation of Will County, which funds conservation, restoration and nature education efforts for the forest preserve district.
This year, broods of 17-year and 13-year cicadas are going to emerge simultaneously, which hasn’t happened since 1803 and won’t happen again until 2245, district officials said in a news release. While the brood overlap will mostly occur in central and southern Illinois, it is still likely to be noisy locally, officials said.
Other shirts with nature-themed designs, such as skunks, otters and hummingbirds, are available as well.
Some nature merchandise also will be sold at the Fun and Food Truck event planned for 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 14, at Whalon Lake in Naperville.