Daring flight of WRP’S male woodcocks at dusk

Saturday, March 23rd @ 7pm
Free event @ the Historic Prairie House, 11225 Constitution Drive, Westchester


Join our Woodcock experts at dusk to see the male woodcocks perform their daring courtship flight.

Every spring, our male Woodcocks return to an area a little north of the Prairie House deck. From that vantage point, one can watch their dramatic and dangerous flights. It is their way of attracting a female. They are showing off their courage. Just before the male takes off, he makes loud nasal peent calls that are preceded by soft throaty notes. Periodically, the male launches into flight flying higher and higher, about a hundred feet from the ground.

No other bird performs a more dangerous courtship flight. Join us and see and hear this unique and daring courtship flight from the deck of the Prairie house.

The Hummingbird Effect – PBS Nature Film (55m.)

Sunday, February 25, 1:00pm
Free event @ the Historic Prairie House, 11225 Constitution Drive, Westchester


See how the tiny hummingbird plays an extraordinary role in supporting the thriving rainforests of Costa Rica.

Learn how these amazing birds, the only able to fly backwards, evolved as pollinators to a diverse ecosystem of flowering plants, supporting other animals like monkeys and macaws featured here in their native habitats.

 

Genealogical Workshop

Sunday, January 28, 1:00 – 5:00pm (drop-ins welcome!)
Free event @ the Historic Prairie House, 11225 Constitution Drive, Westchester


Explore your family history with research sources, aids and guidance provided by genealogist and historian, Patricia Reaves.

  • Local History
  • Passenger Lists
  • Historical and Local Plat Maps
  • Property Histories
  • Township Information
  • German Script Translations
  • Local Census Information (Starting 1850)
  • Genealogical Project Ideas

Share with other family historians! Beverages and treats provided. Rain date: Sunday February 4, same times.

 

History of Holiday Songs & Carols

Sunday, December 3, 1:00pm
Free event @ the Historic Prairie House, 11225 Constitution Drive, Westchester


Come celebrate the holiday season with a presentation on the “History of Holiday Songs & Carols” from STPS Director Patricia Reaves. Open house and holiday treats to follow!

Initial Reactions to Rachel Carlson’s 1962 Pesticide Exposé Silent Spring

Sunday, November 12, 2:00pm
Free event @ the Historic Prairie House, 11225 Constitution Drive, Westchester


The Power of One – 45min · Documentary

Come see and discuss the early 1960s network TV documentary reacting to the firestorm unleashed by one marine biologist’s unrelenting struggle to halt the widespread use of pesticides and the danger to wildlife and humans that her studies revealed.

Our weekly open house to follow at 3pm.

Illinois Heritage Music with Chris Vallillo

Sunday, October 8, 1:30-2:30pm & 3:00-4:00pm
Adults $10, Seniors (62+) $8, Children under 12 $5
@ the Historic Prairie House, 11225 Constitution Drive, Westchester


Chris Vallillo is a folk artist like no other who shares his enthusiasm and knowledge of Illinois and the heritage of the Midwest from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. Hear the songs, stories, and vintage instruments of the pioneers and farmers and the time of Abraham Lincoln. Clap your hands and sing along while you learn and have fun at the same time! (Lawn chairs are also welcome.)

Chris will be performing two sets, one from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, and a second from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Separate tickets for each performance can be purchased ahead of time (at the Prairie House during Open House on Sundays from 3:00 to 5:00 pm) or at the door, starting at 1:00 pm on Sunday, October 8, 2023.

Refreshments will be available. Please bring your lawn chairs with you if you’d like. This event will be held outdoors, if weather permits. If not, the performance will be held indoors, with smaller capacity limits.

 

Insect Safari

Sunday, September 17, 1:00pm
$5 for adults, children are free @ the Historic Prairie House, 11225 Constitution Drive, Westchester


Join in the fun with Professor Michael Rush. Using the nets provided by Save The Prairie Society, participants will be able to catch a variety of insects. We will then identify and study them. In the end, we will release them back onto the Prairie. Two guides will be leading the Safari.

Note: wear sturdy shoes and long pants.

The Annual Old Fashioned Prairie Fest

Saturday, September 9, 10:00am to 4:00pm
Free event @ the Historic Prairie House, 11225 Constitution Drive, Westchester


Save the Prairie Society’s invites you to a free community event: The Annual Old Fashioned Prairie Fest! at the parkway of the Prairie House. Rain date September 23.

Events:

  • Join The Natural Naturalist, Kim White, as she shows animals, common and uncommon, from 11am to 2pm
  • The Dulcimer players will be sharing the music of the Appalachian Mountains on the front porch of the Prairie House
  • STPS local historian will give tours of the 1870s farmhouse and the historic 1853 Schoolhouse Museum within
  • Prairie Society experts will offer Prairie Walking Tours

Outdoors & More:

  • Vendors will offer Arts and Crafts and Native Plants for sale
  • Ledo’s Pizza will offer Food and Beverages
  • Lovely Handmade Quilts will be on display
  • Our Information Booth will have more details on Prairie Events, Restoration Efforts and other Save the Prairie Society Volunteer Opportunities

Bird Migration and the Importance of Insects During Their Migration

Sunday, August 6, 1:00pm
Free event @ the Historic Prairie House, 11225 Constitution Drive, Westchester


Speaker: John Cebula, Member of the DuPage Birding Club

Birds start migrating towards the end of August. Find out more about the coming migration and the role that insects play.

Hope you can come. Luckily, we have a good air conditioner!

We are located 11225 Constitution Drive in Westchester. Take 31st, turn right on Wolf Road and turn left at the end of the prairie. We are in the first and only house on the left side. Feel free to share this event.

Remnants of Illinois Wilderness

Sunday, July 23, 1:00 to 3:00pm
Free event @ the Historic Prairie House, 11225 Constitution Drive, Westchester


Speaker: James Rowan

He will discuss prairies and deciduous forests, state parks and wildlife preserves.