Use the quick links below to visit different sections of the calendar:
Special Exhibits
Members Only
Special Events
Youth and Scout Programs
Family Programs
Adult Programs
Time Traveler Bus Trips
Free Days

SPECIAL EXHIBITS

Click here for a list of special exhibits

MEMBERS ONLY

Member Opening: Woven and Spun
June 29, 2008 • 2:00 to 4:00 pm
Museum Members—come and view the new Special Exhibit, Woven and Spun, and be treated to an on-loom weaving demonstration. Light refreshments will be served.

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SPECIAL EVENTS

Boots & Bling
Party on the Rooftop
Saturday, June 21, 2008 • 7:00 pm to midnight
Join us for a rockin’, stompin’ good time. Ladies, don your favorite jeans and dazzling jewelry and accessories. Guys, round up a rootin’, tootin’ shirt and your most stylish denim. Most important—join us for a party full of fun, great food & entertainment, all for just $45.00. This event benefits the Museum’s exhibits and collections. A cash bar will be available.

Saturday, August 2, 2008 10:00 am–3:00 pm
Kidzfest/Downtown Joliet
Designed for kids up to age 12, KidzFest is an exciting adventure for both kids and their parents. Highlights include 'activity zones' that invite kids to interact hands-on. Add the live entertainment on the stage throughout the day, and you can safely keep the kids engaged all day. At Kidzfest, the Joliet Area Historical Museum will offer a “Cosmic” interactive area.

Black-Tie Gala • Tentative Date: October 4, 2008
Check back in summer, 2008, for information about the Museum’s annual Gala.

Meet our generous event sponsors!

View photos of our 2006 Gala Ball:
The Glamorous 50’s, and meet our generous Event Sponsors

View photos of our 2007 Gala Ball, Age of Aquarius, and meet our generous Event Sponsors

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YOUTH AND SCOUT PROGRAMS

Attention Scout leaders!
Check your manuals to see if any of the following programs would work towards any badge work for your scouts.
Please contact the education department for information on group rates.

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FAMILY PROGRAMS

International Museum Day
Sunday, May 17, 2008 - noon to 5:00 pm
Please see Free Days, below.

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ADULT PROGRAMS

Calendar Girls: The History of the Gerlach Barklow Company
Sunday, April 27, 2008    2:00 p.m.
Join Tim and Michelle Smith, curators of the special exhibit, “Calendar Girls,” for a lecture on the history of the Gerlach Barklow calendar company. Learn more about Ted Gerlach and Edward J. Barklow and how they worked together to build one of the largest calendar companies in the world right here in Joliet. A special emphasis will also be placed on the famous artists Zula Kenyon and Adelaide Hiebel and the images they created for these world-reknowned calendars. There is no charge to attend the lecture. Admission fees apply to those who would also like to tour the Museum Museum Members are admitted free of charge to the lecture and the exhibit.

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TIME TRAVELERS BUS TRIPS

The Joliet Area Historical Museum travels to historic sites throughout Illinois on monthly bus trips.
We travel by coach bus, and lunch is always included!
Visit our website in early May and see what we’ll be offering.
Participants must sign a Liability Waiver to participate in our bus tours.

Illinois Amish Country Arthur and Arcola, Illinois
Featuring the Raggedy Ann and Andy Museum
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 • 7:30 a.m.-6:00/6:30 p.m.
Join us as we venture south into the heart of Illinois Amish Country. On this trip, you’ll enjoy:

• Quaint downtown Arthur
• Lunch at Yoder’s Restaurant, home of Yoder’s “Famous Broasted Chicken”
• Arcola, the “Broom Corn Capital of the World”
• Raggedy Ann Museum
• Amish Interpretive Center
• Shopping in downtown Arcola

Cost: $70 for Museum members and $78 for non-members
Advance registration and payment is due by Friday, May 30.
Refunds cannot be issued after May 30, 2008.
Tour escort: Kim Shehorn-Martin.
Download complete details and registration materials— click here, or phone 815-723-5201 ext. 235.

Boats, Burgers, and Begonias!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 • 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Travel back in time with us to 1848. The I&M Canal has just opened, the first packet boats are being pulled upriver by horses, and YOU ARE THERE! Join the Museum for:

• A horse-pulled trip on a replica canal boat along the I & M Canal in LaSalle , Illinois .
• Lock 16 Visitor Center and gift shop
• Lunch at a Time Traveler’s favorite destination: Duffy’s Tavern, in Utica
• Quaint downtown Utica
• Illinois River Winery for a tour and tasting
• Weber House and Garden in Streator , Illinois (back by popular demand!)

Cost: $70 for Museum members and $78 for non-members
Advance registration and payment is due by Friday, June 27.
Refunds cannot be issued after June 27.
Tour escort: Kim Shehorn-Martin.
Download complete details and registration materials— click here, or phone 815-723-5201 ext. 235.

Lake Geneva Cruise
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 • 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Join us as we spend the day in beautiful Lake Geneva learning about the history of this popular resort community:

• Shopping in downtown Lake Geneva
• Two-hour luncheon cruise on Geneva Lake , with great views of the mansions
• Geneva Lake Museum where we’ll learn more about the mansions, cartoon character Andy Gump, the Potawatomi, and the nautical history of Lake Geneva
• Apple Barn Orchard and Winery for a wine tasting and, season permitting, to stock up on fresh picked apples!

NOTE: This trip requires a minimum of 40 participantsso grab all of your friends and register early!
Cost: $80 for Museum members and $88 for non-members
Advance registration and payment is due by Thursday, July 24.
Refunds cannot be issued after July 24.
Tour escort: Kim Shehorn-Martin.
Download complete details and registration materials— click here, or phone 815-723-5201 ext. 235.

Art and Architecture- Chicago Walking Tour
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 • 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Admit it—you’ve always wanted to go on the Chicago Architecture Foundation Architectural Boat Tour, but haven’t gone because you don’t want to deal with the downtown traffic. Well, here’s your chance to take the tour and leave the driving to us! Join Dr. Dennis H. Cremin, Public Historian, Assistant Professor at Lewis University , and author of Chicago: A Pictorial Celebration, as we explore the art and architectural treasures of Chicago by foot and boat. Sites we’ll explore include:

• Old Fort Dearborn
• Chicago Cultural Center and its Tiffany dome in Preston Bradley Hall
• Millennium Park
• Five large-scale sculptures by abstract expressionist sculptor Mark di Suvero
• 90-Minute Architectural Boat Tour complete with box lunches from world-renown Lawry’s, The Prime Rib

Cost: To be determined—check back soon!
Purchase an autographed copy of Dr. Cremin’s book, Chicago: A Pictorial Celebration, a $14.95 value for only $10—it’s a wonderful souvenir of your trip or an awesome gift for that hard-to-buy for friend or family member.

This is a walking tour so please come dressed and prepared to walk distances.
Advance registration and payment is due by Friday, August 29 .
Refunds cannot be issued after August 29.
Tour escorts are Dr. Dennis Cremin and Kim Shehorn-Martin.
Download complete details and registration materials— click here, or phone 815-723-5201 ext. 235.

Fall Colors: Riverboat Cruise on the Rock River
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 • 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
You asked for more fall colors—here they are. We’ll venture once again toventure Oregon , Illinois , for shopping and a paddle boat cruise on the Rock River , including:

• Conover Square , former piano factory turned shopping center
• Maxson Riverside Restaurant and two-hour luncheon cruise of the Rock River on an authentic paddle wheel boat
• Viewing of Laredo Taft’s famed statue of Chief Black Hawk perched above the river Entertainment includes old-fashioned tunes by a banjo player
• Bus fall color cruise with a drive through Starved Rock State Park
• Dollinger’s Pumpkin Farm, Minooka

Cost: $70 for Museum members and $78 for non-members
Advance registration and payment is due by Friday, September 26.
Refunds cannot be issued after September 26.
Tour escort is Kim Shehorn-Martin.
THIS TOUR FILLS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY~REGISTER EARLY TO AVOID THE WAITING LIST!
Download complete details and registration materials— click here, or phone 815-723-5201 ext. 235.

Milwaukee Family Fun- Holiday Folk Fair International
Saturday, November 22, 2008, 8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
The Holiday Folk Fair International is one of the coolest educational and cultural events you can attend with your family. Located at the Wisconsin Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park , you can spend the day exploring the customs and traditions of the world’s diverse cultures. Sample delicious traditional dishes (my favorite part), enjoy music and dance, and shop for beautiful gifts in the marketplace.
This event is great fun for everyone!!
The cost of this trip has not been determined and will be released once ticket prices are announced in June. Meals and snacks throughout the day are on your own.
Advance registration and payment is due by Friday, November 7. Please check back after June 25 for more details.

The Spirit of the Season-”White Christmas” at the Jacob Henry Mansion
Wednesday, December 10, 2008 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Join the Museum for a holiday trek to the Jacob Henry Mansion :

• History of the Henry family and the architecturally beautiful home
• Tour of the mansion
• Luncheon in the Victorian Ballroom and matinee performance of the holiday favorite, “White Christmas” concert
• Tour of the Old Central Church
• Afternoon holiday reception at the Museum with homemade Baklava by Mary Tucci
• Tour of the Museum’s galleries
• Shopping in the Museum’s gift shop—as a special gift to our Time Travelers participants, Museum members will receive a 20% discount in the gift shop and non-members will receive a 10% discount in the gift shop

Cost has not yet been determined; please check back after September 15.

Advance registration and payment is due by Friday, November 7.
Refunds cannot be issued after November 7.
Tour escort is Kim Shehorn-Martin.

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FREE DAYS

Mothers Day/Free admission for Mom
Sunday, May 11, 2008 - noon to 5:00 pm
Bring Mom to the Museum today – all moms get free admission! Visit our Gift Shop for wonderful gift selections.

International Museum Day
Saturday, May 17, 2008 – 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
In observance of International Museum Day (and Armed Forces Day), the Joliet Area Historical Museum offers free admission.

Fathers Day/Free admission for Dad
Sunday, June 15, 2008 - noon to 5:00 pm
Bring Dad to the Museum today – all fathers receive free admission! Visit our Gift Shop for great gifts, including the newer line of wildlife-themed mugs and soup bowls, and much more.

Flag Day/Free admission for Veterans and Active Service Personnel
Saturday, June 14, 2008 – 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Please present your valid Armed Forces or Veterans I.D. for free admission.

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HOLIDAY HOURS

The Museum will be open on Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day).
The Museum will be closed July 4, Independence Day.

For Museum hours and admission information, click here

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