Look backi n time at DuPage County Historical Museum

DuPage County Historical Museum For details, call (630) 682-7343 or visit the Web site at www.co.dupage.il.us/museum/.

The DuPage County Illinois Historical Museum, 102 E. Wesley St., Wheaton, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission for adults is $3; children, students and seniors over 65 are $2; children under 4 are admitted free. Individual and family memberships are available.

Wacky Wednesday:Keeping Cool is the topic from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. July 25 as visitors will create a take-home fan.

• Punch tin and decorate a lantern the way pioneers did from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 1.

•Rubber stamping to create cards or stationary and using quill pens is planned from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 8.

•Visitors will be able to create their own Pet Rock to use as a paper weight from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 15. Rocks and paint will be provided.

Model railroad in action: The museum's HO gauge model railroad will be in action from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. July 21 and 22, Aug. 12, 18, 26, and Sept. 15, 29 and 30. The layout covers more than 2,000 feet and depicts the Chicago and Northwestern, Burlington Northern and the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin railroads as well as artifacts, stories and a panel exhibit.

Lectures:Ã…'Jody Crago, museum executive director, will discuss A Walk Down the Midway of Chicago's Columbian Exposition in 1893 from 2 to 3 p.m. July 29 for all ages.

• His fall lecture will focus on Save Your Heirlooms from 2 to 3 p.m. Sept. 23 for all ages. The talk will include tips on haw to store and care for them.

Saturday specials:Ã…'Preschoolers are invited to Zoo Time Fun for stories at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Aug. 4. They will create a zoo animal to take home.

•All ages are invited to learn how to use a quill and write on old-fashioned paper from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 11.

•Toys that Move is the topic for all ages from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 25. The drop-in program includes time to create jumping jacks and pinwheels.

•Preschoolers will hear a Back to School storytime at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sept. 1.

• Twirling Tops is the focus from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 8 for all ages.

• Silhouettes will be traced, cut out and mounted during a program for all ages from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 22.

•Visitors will create their own Corn Husk Dolls during the program for all ages from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 29.

Artifactology:Ã…'The exhibit, Artifactology: Stories Uncovered, offers the stories behind some of the museum's most interesting artifacts. The stories include a doll that appeared five decades later, a playful cat, a prolific poet, a misunderstood washing machine and possibly Pancho Villa's hat.

Quilts:Ã…'An exhibit of quilts from the 1800s and 1900s is ongoing at the museum. The exhibit will feature a selection of quilts spanning more than 150 years and the variety of materials and techniques used

to create these items including cotton, silk and wool.

A Walk in the Woods: The exhibit of the history of wood in DuPage County will include a view of the wooded landscape and different ways wood has been put to use.

Made to Measure: Measurement surrounds us in everyday life, whether at home, school, work, leisure or play. We measure all kinds of things in relation to standards, including ourselves. Come see how your world and you "measure up" and be sure to try all the activities. An exhibit for all ages in Inside History.

Changes in DuPage: DuPage County History and Overview 1830 to the Present covers the settlement of DuPage County through the present. Visitors will learn about the richness of life in DuPage County; enjoy a mini documentary, "The Changing Face of DuPage" and listen to a soldier's Civil War experiences.

Laundry & Bicycling: A favorite in the new "corner" exhibits in the auditorium. Learn about laundry in the era of wash tubs, wringers and sad irons and then get your hands in the water and try it. Check out when bicycling first became a craze in DuPage County, then hop up on the high-wheeled bicycle and pedal away.

Sitting room: In the exhibit "Family Sitting Room of the Late 1890s," visitors of all ages can try one of the "I Spy" games, solve a history mystery with "Be A Sitting Room Detective," or just relax in the comfort of the window seat.