Celebrating 10 Years of the Chicago Author Series

Lisle, IL – It's the 10th Anniversary of the Chicago Author Series! The Museums at Lisle Station Park are excited to offer this semi-annual event series in a virtual format from the comfort of your own home.

Since the buildings on the museum campus are not currently open to the public, this popular, free event series is being offered online! Join The Museums at Lisle Station Park for a free, thought-provoking, virtual discussion about our regional history and culture with local authors and those who write about it. Authors from around Chicagoland present their books in a fun and informal fashion live on Zoom with time for you to interact and ask questions.

This Saturday, October 24, at 10am, explore Chicago through the eyes of Juliette Kinzie, one of Chicago’s forgotten founders, with Dr. Ann Durkin Keating as she presents her book The World of Juliette Kinzie: Chicago Before the Fire. Early Chicago is often presented as “a man’s city,” but women like Juliette worked to create an urban and urbane world, often within their own parlors. Ann Durkin Keating is the Dr. C. Frederick Toenniges Professor of History at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. She is the author of numerous books about Chicago and is one of the editors of the Encyclopedia of Chicago. To join this free, virtual discussion with Dr. Keating, make sure you pre-register to receive online access via Zoom at bit.ly/annkeating.

Many thanks to Kermit Eby, the Chicago Author Series' first presenting author in 2010, who discussed his book The Changing Educational Landscape of Chicago on Saturday, October 17, at 10am live on Zoom and Facebook. Kermit Eby is completing his PhD in education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Eby is a former history teacher at Naperville North and currently teaches methods of courses and supervises student teachers at several local universities. To view author Kermit Eby’s talk on the changes in education across Chicago over the past century, visit bit.ly/kermiteby.

The Museums at Lisle Station Park is a Lisle Park District facility and operates as a joint effort between the Lisle Park District, the Village of Lisle, and the Lisle Heritage Society. Conveniently located at 921 School Street in Lisle within walking distance of the Lisle Metra Station, making it easily accessible from anywhere on the BNSF railroad line. While the museum’s doors are shut, you can wander the grounds and take a walking tour using a connected device at bit.ly/lislemuseumwalkingtour or explore more than 160 artifacts and exhibits through a virtual experience of each building at bit.ly/lislemuseumvirtualtour.

Operations and staffing at The Museums at Lisle Station Park are temporarily suspended due to circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to preserve fund balances and limit the park district's overall tax levy for the 2021 fiscal year, expenditures have been reduced to necessary building maintenance and content preservation only. Virtual exhibits, tours, and other resources are available on the museum’s website at LisleParkDistrict.org/museumsatlislestationpark while on-site access to the buildings is not available. Text LISLEMUSEUM to 22828 to receive The Museums at Lisle Station Park’s newsletter and discover opportunities to explore Lisle’s dynamic history and culture no matter where you are around the world!

The Lisle Park District provides a variety of leisure activities for people of all ages throughout the year. Park district facilities include Lisle Community Park; the Recreation Center which houses Gentle Learning Preschool, SEASPAR, the Senior Center, and multipurpose rooms; Sea Lion Aquatic Park; River Bend Golf Course; Wheatstack – A Midwestern Eatery & Tap and numerous neighborhood playgrounds and parks offering amenities such as tennis courts, ball fields, walking paths and picnic areas totaling close to 400 acres. It is the mission of the Lisle Park District to enrich the quality of life for people of all ages by providing constructive and creative leisure opportunities. For more information about the Lisle Park District, please call 630-964-3410 or visit lisleparkdistrict.org.

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