On Tuesday, March 31 at 5:30 p.m. Northwest Illinois Bird and Nature Alliance will be hosting their 43rd annual banquet featuring Chris Benda (a.k.a Illinois Botanizer) presenting Botanical Humor: You Never Knew Plants Were So Funny.

Chris has been teaching about plants for over 12 years and during that time has developed a unique teaching style that includes lots of puns, jokes, and whimsical pop culture references. The program is sure to keep you entertained and equipped with fun ways to learn about plants and teach others about plants.

The event includes a silent auction that features nature related items with proceeds from the auction used to support activities at the Chapters two preserves, Elkhorn Creek Biodiversity Preserve and Silver Creek Biodiversity Preserve. The silent auction starts at 5:30 p.m.

The banquet takes place at Highland Community College Student Conference Center in Freeport and includes a full turkey or vegetable lasagna dinner with delightful desserts for $32 for adults (kids 12 and under are free). The meal will be served at 6:00 p.m. with the program following the meal.

The deadline for reserving your meal for this event is March 21st, however reservations are not necessary to attend the program (no meal) which starts at 7:30 p.m. The cost for the program only is $5 for adults with no charge for children and students. Further details about the banquet including the registration form can be found at www.nwilbirdnaturealliance.org