There’s so much to do in our region! Here’s a look at upcoming lectures and educational enrichment.
February
Meditations on Cultural Displacement
Feb. 4, 6 p.m. Presented by RVC Humanities Instructor Dr. Robert D’Alonzo. 1st Tuesday Series, Student Center Atrium, Rock Valley College (RVC), 3301 N. Mulford Road, Rockford, (815) 921-4009, rockvalleycollege.edu.
MELD: An Evening with Lucille O’Neal
Feb. 6, 6 p.m. cocktails; 7 p.m. dinner. MELD fundraiser. Guest speaker Shaquille’s mother. Dinner, book signing, Q&A, live & silent auctions, raffle. Event: Giovanni’s Convention Center, 510 N. Bell School Road, Rockford. Tickets: rockfordmeld.org.
FAM Wine & Cheese Tasting
Feb. 7, 6-9 p.m. Tastings, silent auction, more. Proceeds benefit Freeport Art Museum. Freeport Art Museum (FAM), 121 N. Harlem Ave., Freeport, (815) 235-9755, freeportartmuseum.com.
Sky Rangers Night Sky Program
Feb. 7, 7 p.m. Rockford Amateur Astronomers group points out night sky sights. BYO telescope if you can. Weather permitting. Call for reservations. Severson Dells Forest Preserve, 8502 Montague Road, Winnebago, Ill., (815) 335-2915, seversondells.com.
PAWS Humane Society Fur Ball
Feb. 8, 5:30 p.m. cocktails; 6:30 p.m. dinner. Humane Society Fundraiser. Tickets: (815) 299-7297. Event: Giovanni’s, Rockford.
Dessert Mystery Theater & Wine Tasting
Feb. 8, 6-7 p.m. Fundraiser for the Freeport Children’s Dyslexia Center. Sample local wines, enjoy dessert and solve a whodunit of love. Masonic Temple, 205 W. Stephenson St., Freeport. freeportcdc.bpt.me.
Fresh and Local-Grocery Gardening
Feb. 8, 2-4 p.m. A local food expert shows how to find fresh produce in winter. Rockford Public Library (RPL) East Branch, 6685 E. State St., Rockford, (815) 965-7606, rockfordpubliclibrary.org.
Jane Addams
Feb. 9, 2 p.m. Amy Nyman as Jane Addams in her one-person presentation. Winter Lecture Series. Midway Village Museum, 6799 Guilford Road, Rockford, (815) 397-9112, midwayvillage.com.
Created Equal, Part One
Feb. 12, 6:30 p.m. Four-part series by Dr. Elizabeth Jozwiak on the Civil Rights Movement, with excerpts from the film The Abolitionists. Free. Rock County Historical Society (RCHS), Helen Jeffris Wood Museum Center, 426 N. Jackson St., Janesville, (608) 756-4509, www.rchs.us.
Alzheimer’s: The 10 Signs
Feb. 13, 10 a.m. A basic overview of the disease, risk factors, diagnosis and benefits of early detection. Video footage of people living with dementia addresses the fears and myths associated with it. NorthPointe Health and Wellness Center, 5605 E. Rockton Road, Roscoe, Ill., (815) 484-1300, alz.org.
Winter Photo Walk
Feb. 15, 9 a.m. Join the Rockford Photo Club on a winter stroll to discuss all things photography, meet new people and enjoy the grounds at Klehm. Event included with admission; 2014 Klehm members free. Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden, 2715 S. Main St., Rockford, (815) 965-8146, klehm.org.
The Ku Klux Klan & Immigration
Feb. 16, 2 p.m. Learn about how the Ku Klux Klan operated in Rockford in the 1920s, and whom they opposed. Winter Lecture Series. Midway Village, Rockford, midwayvillage.com.
The Man Who Knew Lincoln
Feb. 17, 7 p.m. Actor Ron Halvorson as William Herndon, Lincoln’s law partner shares Lincoln’s private side and early life. $20/reservations required. Midway Village, Rockford, midwayvillage.com.
Go Red For Women Luncheon
Feb. 19, 10:30 a.m.-noon, pre-lunch activities/auction; noon-1 p.m. luncheon. Benefit for the American Heart Association. Tickets/Info: (925) 705-5287. Event: Giovanni’s, Rockford.
Arc Chocoholic Frolic
Feb. 20, 5:30 p.m. Social hour, all-you-can-eat chocolate, silent auction, 50/50 raffle. Proceeds benefit the Arc of Winnebago, Boone and Ogle counties. Tickets: arcwbo.org, (815) 965-3455. Event: Clock Tower Resort, 7801 E. State St., Rockford.
So You Think You’re A Rockford Historian?
Feb. 23, 2 p.m. Hear Auburn High School teacher Amanda Becker and test your historian/detective skills about Rockford. Winter Lecture Series. Midway Village, Rockford, midwayvillage.com.
Create “Bench Strength” on a Shoestring Budget
Feb. 26, noon to 1 p.m. NICNE Leadership Cafe. Lisa Novak, Northern Illinois Hospice and Grief Center, on thinking strategically about future potential staffing scenarios. $15/NICNE members free. Grace Roper Lounge, Rockford University, 5050 E. State St., Rockford, rockford.edu.
March
Seed Starting and Propagation
March 1, 9:30-11:30 a.m. John Moors of Klehm Arboretum discusses seed selection, growing supplies, artificial lights and caring for tender young plants. Klehm, Rockford, klehm.org.
20th Annual Cruise
March 1, 6-8 p.m. SwedishAmerican Foundation’s annual fundraising gala, with dancing. Tickets: (815) 961-2496. Event: Giovanni’s, Rockford.
HOPE Foundation: “Touch of Spring”
March 1, 5:30 p.m. Fundraiser for student scholarships, teacher grants and projects to benefit Hononegah High School. “Mardi Gras” theme. Cocktails, dinner, dancing, cash raffles, silent auction, Gem Shop ring raffle. $100/2 people. American Center, 221 W. Main St., (815) 624-5005.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail
March 2, 2 p.m. Greer Black of Byron, Ill., shares stories of his seven-month journey. Severson Dells, Winnebago, seversondells.com.
The Role of Humor Against Oppression
March 4, 6 p.m. RVC Philosophy Professor Chris Kramer believes that humor can be used in revealing hidden errors in our stereotypes. 1st Tuesday Lecutre Series, RVC, Rockford, rockvalley.edu.
The Laurent House
March 9, 2 p.m. Winter Lecture. Jerry Heinzeroth, a personal friend of Kenneth and Phyllis Laurent, on how he came to appreciate the beauty and importance of their Frank Lloyd Wright home. Midway Village, Rockford, midwayvillage.com.
Get to Know NAMI
March 11, 3 p.m. Presentation on programs of support, advocacy and education regarding mental illness. Free. Klehm, Rockford, klehm.org.
Created Equal Part Two
March 12, 6:30 p.m. Dr. Elizabeth Jozwiak discussing the Civil Rights Movement. Excerpts from the film Slavery by Another Name and discussion. Helen Jeffris Wood Museum Center, Janesville, RCHS
LCCOA Annual Chili Supper
March 12, 4:30-6 p.m. Enjoy chili and chicken noodle soup and help support LCCOA. 50/50 raffle drawing. Tickets available at the door or before event at the LCCOA. Post House Ballroom, 100 W. Main St., Dixon.
Pi Day
March 14, 11 a.m. Join the worldwide celebration as we play with circles and shapes and puzzles and games based on the number that results when dividing the circumference of a circle by it diameter. Discovery Center Museum, 711 N. Main St., Rockford, (815) 963-6769, discoverycentermuseum.org.
Finding Grants for a Non-Profit Organization
March 13, 2-3:30 p.m. Ages 18+. Learn to search the Foundation Directory Online to find grants for a non-profit organization. NOT businesses or individuals.Phone number or email address required. Must be Internet proficient. RPL Main Branch, 215 N. Wyman St., Rockford, (815) 965-6731, rockfordpubliclibrary.org.
Alley Blues and World War Tunes: Music of the 1910s
March 16, 2 p.m. Winter Lecture. Amber Viegel takes us back musically to a time when doughboys and young beaus in uniform said good-bye to their sweethearts to the music of the George M. Cohan and Tin Pan Alley. Midway Village, Rockford, midwayvillage.com.
GiGi’s Playhouse Gala
March 21, 5:30 p.m. Annual fundraiser for the area’s Down Syndrome awareness and support center. Tickets: (815) 654-7529, gigisplayhouse.org/location-rockford.asp. Event: Giovanni’s, 610 N. Bell School Road, Rockford.
Fresh and Local-Non-GMO Gardening
March 22, 2-4 p.m. East Branch / Friends Community Meeting Room Ages 15 and over Meet with a local food expert to learn which plants to grow in your garden and understand the real issue surrounding GMO foods. RPL East Branch, Rockford, rockfordpubliclibrary.org.
Teambuilding
March 26, noon. NICNE Leadership Café. Jessica Steinberg, Rockford Park District shares strategies and fun activities for building a strong team within your nonprofit organization. Grace Roper Lounge, Rockford University, rockford.edu.