Save The Date For National Parks Quilt Exhibit In June

For the first time since it debuted in 2016, the entire national parks quilt exhibit will be on display in Illinois when it opens to the public in June at four Forest Preserve District of Will County locations.

People who love the national parks, quilting – or both – should save the date for this fantastic fabric fete to the country’s natural areas. Though portions of the quilt exhibit were displayed in Illinois in 2016 and 2017, this will be the first time in the state that all 177 quilts included in the collection will be available for viewing.

Four Forest Preserve visitor centers will each host around one-quarter of the quilts starting Sunday, June 17, and running through Tuesday, July 3. The free "Inspired by the National Parks" quilt exhibition was spearheaded by Donna DeSoto, a member of the Fairfax, Va., chapter of Quilters Unlimited. DeSoto and quilters across the country created the collection to demonstrate their love of nature and the national parks in honor of the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary in 2016.

Each quilt is a work of art incorporating materials and objects reflective of the park it represents. The collection highlights 59 national parks in all, with three quilts representing each park’s flora, fauna and landscape.

Quilts will be on display simultaneously from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon, Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville, Plum Creek Nature Center in Crete Township near Beecher, and Sugar Creek Administration Center in Joliet.

Please note, the exhibit at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center will be closed on two Saturdays, June 23 and June 30, due to private events at the facility.

Registration is not required for this free, all-ages event. Visit ReconnectWithNature.org for information on Forest Preserve District of Will County programs and events.