Lake Katherine Brings Art And Nature To Families At Free Festival

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL -- Live music from Lee Murdock, arts and crafts, ‘story foraging’ and tea tasting will all be offered at the 2019 Nature and Arts Festival at Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens in Palos Heights. On Saturday, April 27, between 11am and 3pm, Lake Katherine and Palos Heights Public Library will host the community event celebrating creativity and an appreciation of nature through art, stories and music.

The event will feature activities for all ages including arts and crafts, story time, bookmark designing, clay imprinting, chalk decorating, a scavenger hunt, and a poetry wall. Festivalgoers can also enjoy a performance by singer and songwriter Lee Murdock, recognized as ‘the premier interpreter of songs about the Great Lakes,’ who will perform songs celebrating the spirit of wind and water on acoustic guitar.

Local author and ‘storyforager” Gavin Van Horn will give a presentation about how animals can help us rethink and re-story our urban areas. Other highlights include Harvest Room owner Carri Sirigas presenting different types of tea and their healing qualities with iced tea to taste, and Martha and Jered Zubaty, owners of Repurpose Midwest demonstrating how reclaimed wood can be crafted into different decorative signs.

"Many people come to the library wanting to learn more about nature and how to connect with it so planning events and working together with Lake Katherine to host a nature and arts festival is a good solution,” said Jeannine Kacmar, head of public services for Palos Heights Public Library. "People not only are entertained by the programs on offer, but they walk away excited because they learned something new about how they can connect to nature."

The idea for the festival was conceived after Lake Katherine and Palos Heights Public Library joined forces to offer local residents ways to connect with nature.

“This event stemmed from the idea that we wanted people, both children and adults, to connect with nature through different art forms which is important because it helps develop empathy for the natural world," says Lake Katherine’s Director and Chief Naturalist Gareth Blakesley.

Nature and Arts Festival, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 27 schedule of events:

11 a.m. -- Singer and songwriter Lee Murdock, recognized as ‘the premier interpreter of songs about the Great Lakes,’ will perform songs celebrating the spirit of wind and water on acoustic guitar.

Noon – Tea 101 – Harvest Room owner Carri Sirigas will talk about the different types of teas and their healing qualities. A special blend of iced tea will be available to taste.

1 p.m. – Creating with Repurposed Wood – Owners of Repurpose Midwest, Martha and Jered Zubaty, will show how to use reclaimed wood in different decorative signs in this woodworking demonstration. Attendees will be entered into a drawing for special repurposed wood designs.

2 p.m. -– ‘Storyforager’ and author of The Way of the Coyote: Shared Journeys in the Urban Wilds, Gavin Van Horn will discuss how animals can help us rethink and re-story our urban areas.