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As part of celebrations marking the nation’s Semiquincentennial, the Mount Prospect Public Library and the Mount Prospect Historical Society will jointly welcome Gerald Savage, an elder of the Ho-Chunk Nation, to the Library’s meeting room at 10 S. Emerson St. at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 11.

Savage will present his program, “A Brief Reintroduction of Native Americans into Illinois,” exploring Ho-Chunk history, traditions, and contemporary Native experiences in Illinois. The presentation will address the Ho-Chunk Nation’s forced relocation from Illinois, treaties, residential schools, the Native American Religious Freedom Act, and the lasting impact of these events on Native communities. Savage will also discuss tribal customs, traditional regalia, and the history of Ho-Chunk settlements in Illinois, including his family’s relocation to the Starved Rock area.

An Illinois Humanities Road Scholar and Professor Emeritus at Illinois State University, Savage is a Bear Clan Chief whose traditional Ho-Chunk name is Ho-Chunk Ska Ga (White Winnebago). He learned about Ho-Chunk culture and traditions from his grandparents, Chief Walks with the Wind (Sam Sine) and Stands on a Cloud (Ruth Sine), whose teachings inspired his commitment to educating others about Native history and culture in Illinois.

This program is generously sponsored by Van Driel’s Medical Specialties, 720 E. Northwest Highway, Mount Prospect.

Join us for a delightful spring bus trip on May 2 featuring two fascinating destinations in Wisconsin and Illinois! We’ll begin the day with a visit to the iconic SC Johnson Wax headquarters in Racine, designed in 1936 by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Departing MP at 8:45 a.m., we’ll spend the morning exploring this extraordinary campus—an ambitious collaboration between Wright and H.F. Johnson that was considered bold and unconventional at the time. Today, the SC Johnson Administration Building is celebrated as one of the top 25 buildings of the 20th century, admired worldwide for its innovative design.

A group lunch stop is planned at the Waterfront Warehouse restaurant in Kenosha, with guests welcome to select and purchase their own meals.

In the afternoon, we’ll travel to Waukegan for a visit to the “Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie,” including the room dedicated to the city’s most famous native son, acclaimed author Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451, Dandelion Wine, and numerous short stories). We’ll enjoy a guided tour and an engaging talk about Bradbury’s life and formative years—right in the historic library that helped inspire his imagination.

Cost:

• $110 for MPHS members
• $125 for non-members

To reserve your seat, please register and pay online here. We hope you’ll join us for this enriching day of architecture, history, and literature!

Tickets go on sale November 1 for the Mount Prospect Historical Society’s 37^th annual Holiday Housewalk which will highlight the neighborhoods around Weller Creek, east of Route 83.  The walk will be held from 3:30 to 9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5.

The interiors of six private homes, built between 1954 and 1989, will be featured on the tour this year.

The homes which will have their interiors featured this year are: 310 E. Hiawatha Trail, owned by Brian and Devon Wojciechowski; 311 E. Berkshire Lane, owned by Bill and Anne Barrett; 400 E. Berkshire Lane, owned by Tom and Stacy Dubinski; 700 S. Emerson St., owned by Jason and Lisa Royal; 1 W. Orchard Place, owned by Mark and Katie Szarmek; and 3 W. Orchard Place, owned by Keith and Amy Saddler.

All of the homes will be exciting to tour in their own ways, whether because of the lovely decorating, Mid-Century Modern touches or renovation work that has been done, according to JP Karlov, Housewalk co-chairperson.

The tour will begin in a tent at the corner of Lonnquist Boulevard and Main Street where last minute tickets will be sold; refreshments will be offered; and watercolors of the featured houses will be displayed.  Museum store items and tickets for a raffle will also be sold there. The “will call” table for tour tickets ordered online will also be located in the tent.

As usual, this walking tour will be accented by beautifully lit luminaria.  Parking will be available along neighborhood streets.

Commentary in the homes will be provided by volunteers from local organizations, businesses, schools and the community.  Homeowners will provide the decorations. 

Non-refundable tickets will be sold for $30 each through Dec. 4 at the Mount Prospect Village Hall, 50 S. Emerson St.; River Trails’ Weiss Center, 1500 E. Euclid Ave.; the Central Community Center, 1000 W. Central Rd.; Millie’s Hallmark, 1024 S. Elmhurst Rd.; and the Dietrich Friedrichs House museum, 101 S. Maple St.

Tickets are also available online. Those tickets can be picked up at a “will call” desk located at the tent headquarters during the walk.

Last-minute decision-makers may also purchase tickets on the day of the walk, beginning at 3 p.m. at the headquarters tent, but the cost will be $35 per person at that time.

“The Housewalk is the Society’s largest fund-raiser of the year,” Karlov explained.  “Its proceeds support the many educational endeavors of the Society and help to pay for upkeep on our museum.  We urge the public to support our effort to preserve local history through enjoying the Housewalk and our other activities throughout the year.”