Community Calendar

An exhibition of twenty-four original paintings created by the Plein Air Painters of Rockford depicts Rockford iconic scenes and surprises. Artworks include views of Klehm, Sinnissippi Gardens, Midway Village, Indian Hill Manor and many more. The exhibit is located in the Visitor Center at Klehm Arboretum.

Take part in the 2026 City Nature Challenge and join the Boone County Conservation District on guided hikes to explore different habitats and see what's blooming!

Catch the buzz about the local birds, bees, and blooms with Brian Hale and Joel Neylon! Be prepared to explore nature right here in Belvidere at Spencer Conservation Area! An introduction to iNaturalist will precede the hike. Meet at the Rec Hall Pavilion by using the entrance at 1121 N Appleton Road.

iNaturalist is a free, fun, and easy app and website that allows people to post observations about wildlife and plants. Researchers from around the world can use the data uploaded to help them make informed land management decisions and better understand local plants and animals.

City Nature Challenge is a worldwide movement to document nature and help fight biodiversity loss! Every observation made of WILD nature is a data point that helps scientists and researchers understand and protect nature for all. It began in 2016 as a friendly competition between San Francisco and L.A. and quickly grew to 159 cities across 6 continents in 2019. Last year alone, City Nature Challenge had 35,000 participants that made nearly 1 million observations and documented over 1,000 rare, threatened, and endangered species. It is organized by California Academy of Sciences and Natural History Museum Los Angeles County.

A “Women of the Bible Fashion Show" will be held at the Sycamore United Methodist Church April 26th at 1PM. It will be a fun, faithful, and at times modern look at some famous and infamous women in the Bible. No tickets are needed. A free-will donation will be taken. All are welcome so bring family and friends. The Sycamore United Methodist Church is at 160 Johnson Avenue just north of Sycamore High School at Route 64.

Experience the refined artistry of Solisti di Camera, a dynamic string quartet featuring rich, expressive harmony. With four accomplished musicians – Ray Ostwald (1st violin), and Joseph Malmquist (2nd violin), Tom Havel (viola), and Mark Kuntz (cello) – the ensemble brings passion and precision to every performance. Journey through the elegance of the Baroque and the brilliance of the Classical era as Solisti di Camera breathes new life into timeless masterpieces. Their performances blend warmth, sophistication, and vibrant musical dialogue – captivating audiences with the intimate power only a string quartet can deliver.

As their tenth wedding anniversary party commences, Charlie Brock, Deputy Mayor of New York City, seems to have just shot himself through the ear. Now he lies bleeding in the master bedroom and his wife Myra is nowhere in sight. The first guests, lawyer Ken Gorman and his wife Chris, scramble to get “the story” straight before the other guests arrive. As the confusions, cover-ups, miscommunications, and rumors mount, the evening spirals into a classic farce. Neil Simon is the renowned master of American comedy. In Rumors he shows how even the rich and famous can be driven to ridiculous behavior when confronted with a possible scandal or even the “rumor” of a scandal. “Rumors” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

The musical, Paint Your Wagon, opens this weekend, April 17-19, at the Allure of Pinecrest Grove Theatre in Mt. Morris, IL. Performed by the Mt. Morris Performing Arts Guild (PAG), Paint Your Wagon is a Broadway musical that blends the rugged spirit of the American frontier with humor, romance, and memorable music. Premiering in 1951, the musical was written by the celebrated songwriting team of Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music). The surprisingly different screen version of Paint Your Wagon premiered in 1969, featuring Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood. A revival of the musical that remained truer to the original script occurred in 2015. The PAG production you will see this weekend is based on the revival of 2015.

Paint Your Wagon is directed by Mt. Morris native, Beth Nelson Chase, and features local actors from Mt. Morris, Oregon, Forreston and more. Reserved tickets are now available for purchase through the PAG website, www.performingartsguild.com or by calling 815-734-2103. Adult tickets are $20 each; student price is $18 each. Tickets may also be purchased at the door, which opens 30 minutes before each performance. The Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7:00 PM; the Sunday matinee starts at 2:00 PM.

Retired couple Ethel and Norman Thayer are spending their 48th summer at their vacation home on Golden Pond, in the woods of Maine.

Their delightful summer routine–fishing, picking strawberries, enjoying old mementos, listening to the loons call–is given a bitterly comedic edge by Norman’s unreliable memory and cantankerously morbid statements.

When their daughter Chelsea visits for Norman’s 80th birthday, bringing her boyfriend Bill and Bill’s teenage son, Billy Jr., the whole family must come to grips with Norman and Chelsea’s mutual bitterness, while Norman blossoms with his chance to mentor young Billy.

The turbulent relationship between father and daughter, the generation gap between young and old, and the difficulties of a couple in the twilight years of a long marriage, all combine in a play that effortlessly illustrates the hilarious, heartbreaking, human moments of which life is made.

April is Citizen Science Month, and the Library invites the community to take part in hands-on projects that contribute to 2.5 Million Acts of Science, a national America250 initiative celebrating civic participation and discovery. Citizen science empowers everyday people to support real scientific research by observing and sharing information about the world around them.

Featured projects include Stream Selfie, which helps document the health of local streams through shared photos; Globe at Night, an international effort to measure and raise awareness of light pollution; and iNaturalist, a global platform for recording plants and wildlife to help scientists monitor biodiversity. Information on how to participate in all three citizen-science projects is available at the Library. All projects are free and open to the public and are suitable for adults and families alike.

An exhibition of twenty-four original paintings created by the Plein Air Painters of Rockford depicts Rockford iconic scenes and surprises. Artworks include views of Klehm, Sinnissippi Gardens, Midway Village, Indian Hill Manor and many more. The exhibit is located in the Visitor Center at Klehm Arboretum.

Take part in the 2026 City Nature Challenge and join the Boone County Conservation District on guided hikes to explore different habitats and see what's blooming!

Join NRM staff Ben Davies and Aaron Minson to explore the habitats of Distillery Conservation Area while looking for different flora and fauna species! Expect a longer hike as we take the time to capture the beauty of this site. An introduction to iNaturalist will precede the hike.

iNaturalist is a free, fun, and easy app and website that allows people to post observations about wildlife and plants. Researchers from around the world can use the data uploaded to help them make informed land management decisions and better understand local plants and animals.

City Nature Challenge is a worldwide movement to document nature and help fight biodiversity loss! Every observation made of WILD nature is a data point that helps scientists and researchers understand and protect nature for all. It began in 2016 as a friendly competition between San Francisco and L.A. and quickly grew to 159 cities across 6 continents in 2019. Last year alone, City Nature Challenge had 35,000 participants that made nearly 1 million wildlife observations and documented over 1,000 rare, threatened, and endangered species. It is organized by California Academy of Sciences and Natural History Museum Los Angeles County.