Blooming Fusion returns to The Next Picture Show after its successful debut in 2024, bringing back a vibrant 2D art exhibition inspired by flowers, plants, and gardens. Running February 18 through March 28, 2026, this juried show highlights fresh perspectives and creative connections rooted in the natural world. The exhibition features original works in watercolor, oil, acrylic, mixed media, pen & pencil, and charcoal.

The gallery is open 10-4 Wednesday-Saturday or by appointment.

The surprising story of how one of music’s biggest icons helped establish a memorial to the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. Elvis Presley’s benefit concert on March 25, 1961, drew national attention to the unfinished memorial and helped galvanize the public support needed to complete the USS Arizona Memorial as it stands today. The film runs 60 minutes, is rated PG, and is made possible through the WWII Foundation. The program is free and open to the public.

The Prairie Arts Council hosts an exhibit of paintings by Princeton native Brian Taylor during the month of March in the Prairie Arts Center Gallery.

Brian Taylor says about his works, "The art presented is a reflection of doodles and patterns practiced over many years. As time evolved, the practice was refined into its own colorful and unique style, evoking influences of various concepts from surrealism, abstract and indigenous art. The natural world is also an influence through travel, time working in arboriculture and landscape design.”

The gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays, March 7 - 29 from 1:00-3:00 PM.

www.PrairieArts.org
Facebook.com/prairiearts

Step into Illinois’s rich firearms-making past with local historian Curt Johnson in this educational presentation exploring the skilled gunmakers who produced long rifles throughout the Illinois Valley during the mid- to late-1800s. The program features original rifles crafted by local makers from communities including Magnolia, Hennepin, Henry, Peru, LaSalle, Princeton, and Ottawa, bringing regional craftsmanship and history vividly to life.

Featured makers include Henry Tope, who worked in Magnolia from 1844 to 1848 before relocating to Peru, where he died during the 1849 cholera epidemic, and Morris Wood of Hennepin, whose rifles date to the late 1860s. The presentation also highlights the work of many other craftsmen from Putnam, Marshall, Bureau, and LaSalle Counties, regions that collectively supported dozens of independent gunmakers, with LaSalle County alone home to nearly sixty.

This program includes the display of antique firearms as part of a historical and educational exploration of craftsmanship and local history. It is not a gun show. The program is free and open to the public.

Sarah Taylor from the Colonel Palmer House will teach the fascinating history of the origins of ink and papermaking, presenting the models and meanings behind ancient and modern texts, origins of fonts, and popular time-period written works. Plus, attendees will have hands-on practice with ink-making with natural materials and create a quill-written monogram.
Free to attend, but advance registration is required.

Take Root: A Farm Business Class Farmers Rising - The Land Connection - Food Works

January 13 – June 6, 2026
Tuesday and Thursdays
6-8pm
Four quarters · Four weeks each · One-week break between sections
Final presentations on June 6
(Last official class day: May 21, followed by a two-week break)

Mentorships to follow (optional)

About the Program

Take Root is a comprehensive virtual training program designed for people exploring farm business ownership and farmers in their first 1–5 years. This guided, step-by-step course helps participants build the confidence, clarity, and practical skills needed to launch or strengthen a farm enterprise.

The course follows a structured 4-section curriculum, each lasting four weeks. Between each section, participants take a one-week pause to reflect, catch up, and prepare for the next phase. After the final session on May 21, students will have two weeks to finalize their plans before returning on June 6 for peer presentations. Once presentations are complete, students will have the opportunity to join a mentorship program specialized to each person.

What are the benefits of Take Root?

✔ Build a complete farm business plan

✔ Join a supportive community

✔ Learn from experienced farmers

✔ Strengthen your business knowledge

Course Sections:

Quarter 1: The Dream: Foundations of Farm Life

Quarter 2: Enterprise: The Business of Farming

Quarter 3: Operations: Building it Out

Quarter 4: Finance: Keeping and Maintaining the Farm

Tuition & Accessibility

Total cost: $500 (not including mentorship)
Enrollment fee: $25 (applied toward tuition)

To ensure the program is accessible to all, we offer:

Payment plan

Need-based scholarships (based on current grant-supported scholarship fund availability)

Mentorships to follow

We can not wait for a great year with Take Root!

Jillae- Farmer Training Program Facilitator at Farmers Rising