There’s so much to do in our neck of the Old Northwest Territory! Here’s a sampling of some upcoming events.
October
Haunted Rockford Bus Tour
Oct. 6-27, Sat. 6-9 p.m. Bus ride to visit local legendary sites, hear slightly scary and historic tales. $15 in advance: hauntedrockford.com, (815) 871-4239. Rockford Public Library (RPL), Main Branch, 215 N. Wyman St., Rockford (815) 965-7606, rockfordpubliclibrary.org.
“Charles Dickens, Superstar: The Man, The Works, The Birthday”
Oct. 23, noon. Presentation with readings/discussion of Dickens’ works, characters, sites in England. Free. Student Center Atrium, Rock Valley College (RVC), 3301 N. Mulford Road, Rockford, rockvalleycollege.edu, (815) 399-2346.
Crazy Pete Earley
Oct. 25, 7 p.m. Former Washington Post reporter and author of 13 books, including Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness, speaks. Forum Series. Maddox Theater, Rockford College, 5050 E. State St., Rockford, (815) 226-4100, rockford.edu.
Stories in the Sky
Oct. 27, 6-9 p.m. Get a great view of the stars, stories by the campfire and treats. $5/family rates available. Main pavilion, Beckman Mill County Park, 8606 S. County Road H, Beloit, Wis., (608) 361-1377, weltycenter.org.
12th Annual Bake Sale & Craft/Vendor Show
Oct. 26-27, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. A benefit for United Way, with 36 crafters and vendors, baked goods and raffle items. Free admission. SwedishAmerican Hospital, 1401 E. State St., Rockford, (779) 696-7171.
Paranormal Tour
Oct. 26, 10 p.m. Tour with paranormal experts, hear audio clips from the cottage. Advance $20/$15 for members/$25 at the door. Tinker Swiss Cottage Museum, 411 Kent St., Rockford, (815) 964-2424, tinkercottage.com.
“Lemurs of Madagascar”
Oct. 28, 2 p.m. Abigail Ross shares research on maternal-infant relationships and stress responses in an endangered lemur of northwestern Madagascar. Middle school age and up. Free to members or with museum admission/$5 lecture only. Burpee Museum of Natural History, 737 N. Main St., Rockford, (815) 965-3433.
“Light the Fundraising Fire Under the Board”
Oct. 31, noon-1 p.m. Find fundraising success with strong leadership, clear expectations, diverse methods, training. $15/NICNE members free. Grace Roper Lounge, Rockford College. Info: Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence (NICNE), (815) 394-4384.
November
Soap Making Workshop
Nov. 3, 9 a.m.-noon, 1-4 p.m. Make several bars of gentle soap to take home using the farm’s goat milk. Bring an apron. $60. Registration: (815) 389-8455, learngrowconnect.org. Angelic Organics Learning Center, Caledonia, Ill.
Behind the Scenes Tours
Nov. 4, 1 & 2:30 p.m. See more than 100,000 items from 1830s Rockford to today and hear stories that go with them. $10. Registration req.: (815) 397-9112, x108. Midway Village Museum, 6799 Guilford Road, Rockford, midwayvillage.com.
Narratives of Native American Princesses
Nov. 6, 6 p.m. Dr. Daniel Blumlo on the roles of Uleleh, Pocahontas and Hononegah in Native American relations and the popular archetype of the Indian woman. First Tuesday Lecture Series. Student Center Atrium, (RVC), Rockford, rockvalleycollege.edu.
Protecting Birds in Your Backyard
Nov. 8, 7 p.m. Ways to make backyards safer for birds and other wildlife. North Central Illinois Ornithological Society (NCIOS) meeting. Visitors welcome. Severson Dells Nature Center, 8502 Montague Road, Winnebago, Ill., ncios.org.
Cricut Swarm Thanksgiving
Nov. 10, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Create placeholders and décor for Thanksgiving using Cricut, the popular home die cut machine. RPL East Branch, 6685 E. State St., Rockford, rockfordpuliclibrary.org.
Midway Harvest African American Dinner
Nov. 10, TBA. Unique African American food from Zammuto’s and Sweet Ambrosia Catering. Speaker: Alene Munyemana, a recent Rockford immigrant from Rwanda. $35 Advance purchase req.: Midway Village, Rockford, (815) 397-9112, x105.
Winter Bird Feeding Workshop
Nov. 17, 9-10:30 a.m. Bill Hoople leads this bird feeding workshop to benefit beginners as well as long time feeders. Free. Registration req. Severson Dells, Winnebago, (815) 335-2915.
Kids Event: Dreamswept Alpaca Farm
Nov. 17, 3-4 p.m. See local alpacas and learn all about their amazing fur. Jarrett Prairie Center.
Free. Sponsored by Exelon. Jarrett Center, Byron Forest Preserve, 7993 N. River Road, Byron, Ill., (815) 234-8535, byronforestpreserve.com.
Land of the Great Bears
Nov. 17, 6-8 p.m. David C. Olson presents a multi-media presentation of his Alaska trip photographing brown bears. $10. Registration req: (815) 873-1777, [email protected]. Event: Olson Photography Studio, The Clock Tower Resort, 7801 E. State St., Rockford, davidolsonphoto.com.
“Dinosores: Injury and Behavior in Cretaceous Dinosaurs”
Nov. 25, 2 p.m. Dr. Joseph Peterson discusses various injuries in Cretaceous dinosaurs, like the mighty T-rex and the horned Triceratops, which provide insight into their behaviors. Burpee Museum, Rockford, burpee.org.
NICNE Leadership Café
Nov. 28, noon-1 p.m. Learn how to market your impact and results vs. your programs and services from Linda Gerber, CEO, Rock River Valley Blood Center. $15/free to members. Grace Roper Lounge, Rockford College, (815) 394-4384.
Hypnotist Frederick Winters
Nov. 30, 8-9:30 p.m. Voted “Entertainer of the Year” by colleges nationwide, this comedic hypnotist puts audiences under his spell in more than 200 shows per year. Lion’s Den, Rockford College, rockford.edu.