Cemetery Tour, 4-H History Program Coming Up

As summer winds down, the Grayslake Historical Society has a full calendar of events for the fall season. 

Among the events, programs and items of interest for the coming months are several society-hosted history programs, a concert, a reminisce session about 4-H in Grayslake, a history tour of the Grayslake Cemetery, a visit from Jacqueline Kennedy, the openings and closings of museum exhibits and a holiday party that Santa Claus will attend. 

The society will host programs each month that will trace and relate the history of Grayslake, Lake County and the surrounding area. The first will be a program by Jerry Helgren who will talk about the Picket Fence Farm that was formerly located on Washington Street. The program will be held at 7:30 p.m., Wed., Sept. 11 in the Community Room of the Grayslake Heritage Center and Museum, 164 Hawley St., Grayslake.

Subsequent programs, which are free, all begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room, and include "Barns of Lake County by author and historian Nancy Schumm Burgess on Wed., Oct. 9; and a program on Wed., Nov. 13 by Grayslake High School students who will explain their history fair projects. Refreshments are served at all the special society programs.

Well-known Grayslake and Lake County musician and band leader Larry Leafblad and his Scotch Lads will hold a free Historical Society sponsored jam session at 7 p.m. Wed., Sept. 18 in the courtyard of the Heritage Center.

The society's popular Reminisce sessions, which are free, will resume at 10 a.m., Sat., Sept. 28 in the Community Room. The public is invited to share their experiences with 4-H and learn about the 4-H movement and experience. Refreshments will be served.

The Heritage Society's Annual Living History Tour, also known as the Cemetery Walk, at the Grayslake Cemetery on Lake Street has always been a popular event. This year, in addition to hearing local history, the public will learn the different ways people died. Two programs will be held on Sun., Oct. 6: 2:30 p.m. and repeated at 3:30 p.m. Donations will be appreciated.

The lives and times of several residents will be explored. Featured will be Dr. Rickey who committed suicide by morphine, Frank Wilkinson, who was killed by a dynamite blast, Theo Harvey who died from a hunting accident, Agnes Sorenson who died in an automobile accident, Frank Contos who drowned, Seth Turner who was asphyxiated and Orlando Young who died of disease.

In a Heritage Center program, Leslie Goddard will portray Jacqueline Kennedy at 2 p.m., Sat., Nov. 16, in the Community Room. Donations will be appreciated.

Santa Claus is expected to attend the Historical Society's Holiday Open House from 2 to 4 p.m., Sun., Dec. 8. The free event will include Santa's visit, music, children's activities and refreshments.

On the museum exhibit scene, there will be several changes in the next several months. The current museum exhibit, "Picture This: Celebrating Grayslake" in the Upper Gallery closes on Sat., Nov. 9. Closing on Sat., Jan. 25, will be the current exhibit "Farms: Seeds of Our Community."

The museum's Giving Tree exhibit will open in the Upper Gallery on Fri., Nov. 29. Area charitable organizations will be invited to decorate a tree in accordance will their missions. The public will be encouraged to vote with their dollars. The winning organization will keep all of the money they raised while the other organizations will share with the Grayslake Historical Society. This exhibit will close on Saturday, Jan. 4.

It will be followed by a display of local authors and musicians. Books by local authors are being collected with their biographies. Posters and pictures of musical groups who have performed outside the greater Grayslake area will be displayed.

The public is invited to submit books, posters and recordings for consideration.   This exhibit is being done as a prelude to an exhibit planned for the temporary gallery and opening in February. It will be titled "Made in Grayslake."

The exhibits and displays are a joint effort by the Grayslake Historical Society and the Grayslake Heritage Center.

Hours at the museum are noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and during the Farmers' Market on Wednesday evenings and during other downtown Grayslake events.

—Contributed by the Grayslake Historical Society.