DuPage County Historical Museum welcomes Chicago legend Geoffrey Baer
DuPage County history comes alive this November courtesy of one of Chicago’s favorite historians as the DuPage County Historical Museum Foundation presents “A Night with Geoffrey Baer” on Thursday, Nov. 7.
Baer, the eight-time Emmy Award-winning host and producer of WTTW’s “Chicago By Boat,” “Chicago By L” and “Chicago From the Air” television tours, will delve into DuPage County architecture and history in a special one-hour presentation at the museum.
The evening also will feature museum tours and a live demonstration of the museum’s HO gauge model railroad from members of the DuPage Society of Model Engineers.
Tickets, which are $75 per person, include light appetizers and two drink tickets. The fundraising event will be 6 to 8 p.m. at the museum, 102 E. Wesley St. in Wheaton.
The evening is hosted by the DuPage County Historical Museum Foundation. All proceeds will support the museum. Tickets can be purchased at dupagemuseum.org/events/baer/. A portion of each ticket is tax-deductible.
“You don’t have to be a hard-core history buff to appreciate Geoffrey’s wild stories about Chicago and its suburbs,” said Troy Rodman, a member of the DuPage County Historical Museum Foundation’s board — and himself a longtime fan of Baer’s. “He’s fun; he’s witty; he’s insightful — his lectures draw you into the rich history of our area. He truly brings stories to life.”
Baer has served as a docent for the Chicago Architecture Center since 1987. In addition to his Emmy Awards, he has been honored by the American Institute of Architects Chicago, the Society of Architectural Historians, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Chicago Headline Club.
“To welcome Geoffrey to our house, the museum, is a great honor, and we’re excited to have him join us,” Rodman said. “Our guests will take away unique insights into the community and the county that we live in and a greater sense of understanding and pride in how we became who we are.”
The DuPage County Historical Museum, which operates as a facility of the Wheaton Park District, is housed in a stately Richardsonian Romanesque-style building that opened in 1891 as Adams Memorial Library. It is home to more than 40,000 artifacts and a photography archive of more than 10,000 images.
The museum hosts both permanent and rotating exhibits as well as a range of educational programs throughout the year and is dedicated to the collection, preservation, interpretation, and exhibition of materials which document the history of DuPage County.
The museum, with free admission, is open 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Details about “A Night with Geoffrey Baer” and other upcoming special events and programming can be found at dupagemuseum.org/events/baer/.
For questions and partnership opportunities, contact Kaitlin Lizik at klizik@wheatonparks.org or call (630) 510-4961.