Flashback Fridays – Meet a Curator
Meet the museum’s curatorial staff, hear about their work and see real artifacts from the museum’s collection from 1 to 2:30PM Friday, Sept. 4 at the Collections Care and Storage Facility, City of Naperville Department of Public Works Buildings, 180 Fort Hill Drive, Naperville, Door F. This month’s presentation features the archival collection of Naperville builder Don Tosi. Admission is $10 per person; $8 Settlement-6 members. Space is limited to the first 20 registrants. Registration is required.
Naperville Jaycees Family Fun Land
The Naperville Jaycees Family Fun Land, which is part of the Last Fling, provides a family-friendly atmosphere with bouncy rides, pony rides, an entertainment stage, arts and crafts area, food and beverages, family-focused business expo booths and much more from 10AM to 7PM Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5-6 and from 11AM to 4PM Monday, Sept. 7 at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville. Admission is free, visit www.lastfling.org.
Playscape Pioneers Day Camp
Enjoy four sessions of hands-on learning and story time during the Playscape Pioneers Day Camp that will be held from 9 to 10:30AM Wednesdays, Sept. 9, 16, 23 and 30 at Naper Settlement’s Harvard Early Learning Playscape. The camp is for ages 4-7 and the fee is $75 for all four days or $22 per camper per day. Themes include Building a New Life, Frontier Fun, Frontier Wildlife and Daily Life as a Pioneer. Registration is required.
Playscape Programs for Preschoolers
Find a seat on the quilt for an engaging story time featuring changing seasonal themes during free drop-in programs for children ages 2-7 are included with regular museum admission at the Harvard Early Learning Playscape at Naper Settlement. Playscape Readers will be held from 11 to 11:15AM for ages 2-5 and from 1 to 1:15PM for ages 5-7 on Wednesdays, Sept. 9, 16, 23 and 30. After story time, stay for Pioneer Picnics from 11:30 to 1PM also on Wednesdays at the Playscape. Pack a picnic lunch and join other parents and children to play with pioneer toys and games.
Blacksmithing 101
Learn the art of blacksmithing with an introduction to safety, tools and the forge in this two-session class that will be held from 8 to 11AM Saturday, Sept. 12 and 19 in Naper Settlement’s Blacksmith Shop. Participants will learn hammer techniques while making an item to take home. For ages 18 and up. The fee is $150 and includes both session and all materials. Registration is required.
History Speaks – The Essential Great Chicago Fire
The 2015-16 History Speaks Lecture series kicks off with “The Essential Great Chicago Fire” that will be held from 4-5PM Sunday, Sept. 13 at Century Memorial Chapel. Storyteller and author William Pack weaves together technical details of the fire with vivid firsthand accounts from those who lived through the conflagration of 1871, bringing alive all the excitement and terror in a multimedia storytelling event that will not soon be forgotten. Day of event tickets are $7 adults; $6 youth and Settlement-members. Advance tickets save $1 each.
Sheep Sunday
Flock to Naper Settlement for a fun day of wild and woolly activities from 1 to 4PM Sunday, Sept. 20, including sheepdog herding demonstrations at 1:45PM and 2:45PM at Naper Settlement. See knitting and drop spindle demonstrations, a make-it-take-it station and more. All activities are included with paid admission: $12 adults, $10 seniors (62+) and $8 youth ages 4-12. Naperville residents and members are free.
Weed Ladies Fall Floral Design Show
The Weed Ladies fall sale features creative seasonal floral arrangements with silk and dried florals and the popular dried bouquets from 10AM to 4PM Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 10-12 and from 1 to 4PM Sunday, Sept. 13. Admission to the sale is free, which is held in the historic Daniels House at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville. For custom arrangements, call (630) 305-5289.
Third Thursday Thinkers
Drop by Naper Settlement’s Harvard Early Learning Playscape, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville, for Third Thursday Thinkers to be held Sept. 17 from 10 to 10:30AM for children ages 2 to 5 and from 2 to 2:30PM for children ages 5 to 7. Take your young thinker on a museum adventure, where they will use their senses and discover what makes Illinois unique. This drop-in program is free with paid admission: $12 adults, $10 seniors (62+) and $8 youth ages 4-12. Naperville residents and members are free.
Quality Hill Walking Tour
The architecture and history of the homes located east of Washington Street and north of Chicago Avenue will be highlighted during this tour that will be held from 2 to 3:30PM Saturday, Sept. 19. The mansions in this area of Naperville overshadowed the modest homes of old Naperville and showed the affluence of the Industrial Age. The concentration of prestigious homes led this area to be dubbed “Quality Hill” by local residents. The tour includes about 24 blocks of walking and originates at the Jefferson Hill Shops, 43 E. Jefferson Ave. Registration is required; space limited to the first 20 registrants. Tickets are $12 per person, $10 for Settlement-members.
Chinatown Bus Trip
Get on the bus with Naper Settlement for an adventurous guided tour of Chinatown in Chicago. The tour departs from the Pre-Emption House Visitor Center at 9AM and returns around 2PM Saturday, Sept. 26. A journey for the senses, guests will be immersed in Chinese art and architecture on a Chinatown Walking tour, hosted by the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. After the tour, shop and explore the Chinatown Square Mall for shopping, then it’s off to the award-winning Phoenix Restaurant for an authentic Dim Sum lunch. This program will include walking (about 1 mile) and standing for long periods. Transportation, tour and lunch included in fee of $69 per person. For ages 12 and up, registration is required.
Harvest Pow Wow
Celebrate Native American culture with dancing and drumming, Native flute playing, craft and food vendors and a children’s activities area from 11AM to 10PM Saturday, Sept. 26 and from 11AMto 5PM Sunday, Sept. 27. Presented by Midwest SOARRING Foundation. For more info, call (773) 585-1744, e-mail soarring@aol.com or visit www.midwestsoarring.org. Gate admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors 62+ and $7 for children 3-12. Kids under 3 are free. Purchase advance tickets at a discount by Sept. 18. Tickets purchased online are not combinable with any other discounts. Pow Wow admission includes access to Naper Settlement during the museum’s regular hours.
History comes to life at Naper Settlement, Chicagoland’s outdoor history museum, located at 523 S. Webster St. in Naperville. Visit www.napersettlement.museum or call (630) 420-6010 for tickets and info.
