HOMEWOOD ARTS COUNCIL (HAC) PRESENTS: SECOND ANNUAL WHO’S BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE SHOW
(HAC) welcomes Dolph Chaney, Preston Pisellini (The Webstirs), and Bart and Miranda Winters (Melkbelly) as special guests to Senior Hall for the second annual WHO'S BIRTHDAY tribute show to Pete Townshend. Each musician will perform a mini-set of selected Townshend tunes spanning his solo and Who catalog.
Doors open at 6:15pm. Event starts at 7:00pm. Advanced tickets are $20.00. Day-of-tickets at the door are $25.00. This is a 21+ show.
Soft drink, adult beverages, and pizza slices will be available for purchase (Cash/Card accepted). Follow https://www.facebook.com/newhomewoodartscouncil/ for ticket purchase, any updates and more specific information about the musicians.
NATIVE PLANT SALE
Our annual native plant sale co-sponsored by the Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve (HIWP) and Thorn Creek Audubon Society (TCAS) is coming up soon. Thirty-seven different plants will be offered, including trees, shrubs, flowers, and ornamental grasses. Plants are chosen to represent different colors, textures, sun exposures and bloom times. All are native to Illinois. Judy Johnson, a member of both organizations and plant sale organizer, stresses that native plants support the environment in several ways. Local wildlife, including pollinators, depend on native plants for food and shelter. Native plants thrive without pesticides or fertilizers and once established do not require watering. The very deep root systems help prevent erosion and flooding.
The deadline for pre-orders was long ago but plenty of plants will be available for sale on the days of sale (with expanded hours) indicated above. Arrive early for the best choices. Check our website for the plant list of what may be available.
MAY GENERAL MEETING: ALL ABOUT THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
We recently met Dr. Karen Klyczek who came to the cabin to become a member. We learned of her background and upcoming trip to the Galapagos Islands and within a week Karen agreed to share her extensive and up to date knowledge about those world famous islands with our members.
The Galápagos Islands are home to hundreds of species that are not found anywhere else in the world. However, centuries of human activity have degraded habitats and caused many of these species to become endangered or nearly extinct. Scientists have recently been ramping up their efforts to reverse this trend and restore habitats so that native species can thrive. Dr. Klyczek is visiting the Galapagos in early May and will observe some of these projects. In her talk, she will describe the current strategies being used and the success of these projects so far, and relate these efforts to those taking place at Izaak Walton Preserve.
Karen Klyczek is a Chicago Heights native who recently returned to the South Suburbs after retiring from a 34-year career as a Biology Professor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She and her husband, Jim Schreiber, a Homewood native, now live in Homewood and enjoy spending time at Izaak Walton. We are so fortunate to have an informative presentation of this quality from a local resident ! Come out to the cabin to learn and enjoy !
AUDUBON BIRD WATCHING TOUR'S WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY
On May 2, 2026, the Village of Homewood will celebrate International World Migratory Bird Day at the Izaak Walton Preserve. At 7:00 a.m., wake up with coffee and muffins in Senior Hall and view the permanent exhibition of local bird and insect photography. At 8:00 am, join a bird-watching tour led by Thorn Creek Audubon during the Spring peak bird migratory season. During past Springs, observers have documented over 70 species at the Preserve. See our website for more specifics about birds seen at the Preserve.
The May 2 event will be Homewood’s fourth celebration of WMBD after qualifying as a Bird City Illinois (Illinois Audubon Council), based on Homewood initiatives to create and maintain native habitat to support birds and insects and educational programs for residents, such as the Green Thumb Saturday programs. For more information, go to Facebook (see Rethinking Lawns: Understanding the role of lawns, native plants, and the potential for native lawn on Facebook). To maintain its status as a Bird City Illinois, Homewood must sponsor a yearly program to celebrate WMBD.
The international theme for 2026 is “Every Bird Counts – Your Observations Matter!” Environment for the Americas sponsors community-based work to protect and persevere migratory birds across the hemisphere. Take time to explore the grounds following the bird-watching tour.
HOMEWOOD ARTS COUNCIL PRESENTS A MUSIC CONCERT FEATURING WESLEY STACE AND CASEY McDONOUGH
Once again we are pleased to present another music concert brought to us by the Homewood Arts Council (HAC). This concert feature two well known musicians:
Wesley Stace was born in Hastings, East Sussex in 1965. He released many albums under the name John Wesley Harding before switching back to his birth name for more recent recordings, including 2021’s Late Style and the monumental limited-edition Secret Series, for which he revisited his entire discography for new solo acoustic releases. Stace has recorded duets with Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed and Rosanne Cash, among other contemporaries. He has published four novels, including the international bestseller Misfortune, and recently co-wrote Mark Morris’ memoir Out Loud. He also created and is the impresario of Cabinet of Wonders, a cabaret-style multi-artist show that plays at New York City’s City Winery, and which The New Yorker called “one of the finest nights of entertainment this city has to offer.”
Stace has taught at Princeton, Swarthmore and Fairleigh-Dickinson, and writes regularly for the Times Literary Supplement and the Wall Street Journal. He lives in Philadelphia.
Casey McDonough is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist born and raised in and around Chicago (Homewood native and a disciple of Aurelio's Pizza).
Casey has logged studio or stage time with the likes of Robbie Fulks, Jack Scott, Linda Gail Lewis, Jake LaBotz, and a memorable run of shows singing lead with hero Brian Wilson.
When not on the road playing bass with NRBQ, Casey can be found in Chicago with bands such as The Flat Five, The Western Elstons, Phil Angotti, Rami and the Reliables, the Possum Hollow Boys, and Little Calumet & the Tributaries.
Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased at this website link:
Doors open at 6:15p. Izaak Walton volunteers will be selling pizza, gourmet wraps, water and soft drinks. Adult beverages will also be provided
TRAIL MIX CONCERT: SPOTLIGHT ON LOCAL BANDS
Yep, we’re at it again! Trail Mix is excited to bring some of our favorite local artists together for another evening of great music and good times — all in support of the Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve and Trail Mix !
Steve Ploum, the manager of Trail Mix was able to arrange (with a great deal of effort) for some of our favorite bands to entertain us on the same night. Some are returning and some are brand new to the Trail Mix stage at Izaak Walton. In all cases, we’re thrilled that these amazing musicians will generously donate their time and talents and on a date that worked for all four acts. That date is Saturday, March 28th, in Senior Hall at the Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve. It’s a great way to kick off the season, and it’s going to be a blast, just like in years past — so mark your calendars and c’mon out with all your friends for a super fun time.
Doors open at 6:15pm, and the music starts at 7:00pm, featuring:
● Annabelle Rudan
● Patti, Santyna & Doug
● Butterfield Creek
● The Southside Ukeladies
All donations will go directly to the Preserve (and shared with Trail Mix) and will be collected at the door via cash or credit card ($10 or more suggested). Concessions will be available (pizza, gourmet wraps and soft drinks served by IW volunteers) along with adult beverages provided by Flossmoor Station.
For more information, you can see details about the bands and all things Trail Mix by visiting www.trailmixmusic.org
FEBRUARY GENERAL MEETING: ALL ABOUT MUSKRATS
How many of you have actually seen the unheralded muskrat at the Preserve without confusing it with a beaver or some other mammal? From our observations over the years, we know that their populations fluctuate from year to year.
Did you know muskrats may be natural conservationists by creating bird habitat through building their homes? Muskrats are native ecosystem engineers, changing the structure of wetlands by building their homes, or lodges and creating openings within dense vegetation. To understand how muskrats transform wetlands and impact use by other animals, we placed cameras in wetlands pointed at muskrat lodges. We have invited two experts on muskrats to inform us about the muskrat and to share the results of their work, and the potential to harness the positive effects of muskrats to improve bird conservation.
Dr. Leo Chan Gaskins is a community ecologist, David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow at University of Chicago, and research partner with Audubon Great Lakes. He is a former NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and earned his PhD from Duke University. Kayla Lindsay Fisher is the Senior Stewardship Associate for Audubon Great Lakes. She works closely with habitat restoration interns, volunteer stewards, landowners, funders, and partner organizations to implement stewardship strategies as a key component to sustainable conservation across Audubon’s key geographies, with a particular focus on the wetland complexes of the Calumet Region of Illinois and Indiana. We are quite fortunate to have two experts of this stature come to our historical cabin for this general meeting. Come join us for an informative program!
CONSERVATION COMMITTEE COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Members of the HIWP Conservation Committee will have a table at the Homewood Indoor Farmer's Market on Saturday, February 28, 2026. Have a conversation with our team members about recent projects at the Preserve; removal of invasive species, controlled burns, and restorative planting efforts. Pick up information about adapting those efforts in your own backyard. The Market is held at the Homewood Auditorium, 2010 Chestnut Road from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM.
GENERAL MEETING: ALL ABOUT NATIVE PLANTS AND GARDENS
First of all, Happy New Year to everyone and a great 2026 to all ! For our first general meeting of the year, we are again featuring Tristan Shaw, the owner of Possibility Place, which is the nursery that provides native plants and trees for our Preserve and many others. We are presenting this program again since it was so popular and well attended last year. On Thursday, February 26 at 7 PM. Tristan and other members of our board will conduct a short presentation about the business of Possibility Place and a general discussion of native gardens and native plants. Tristan will introduce some new native plant species available this year. Plenty of time will be available for Q and A. As we all know, native gardens are becoming increasingly popular throughout the country if not the world. This is a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of this high level of expertise all gathered at once for you to plan your native garden. You are invited to bring pictures of your planting areas with an assessment of how much sunlight they get so we can help you choose the appropriate native plants. Free Milkweed seed packets will be available for all attendees.