On Oct. 27, 2002, a surprise guest appeared in my yard: a hummingbird. Of course, I'd seen many hummers in the yard before then, and many since. But never in October. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared. I'd put away my hummingbird feeder a few weeks...

There is a tiny gray and white bird with a longish tail that you might know. If you don't, it's probably just a matter of time. I'm referring to the blue-gray gnatcatcher, an avian sprite nicknamed the "twig fairy" by birding guru Pete Dunne for it...

This Saturday, the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park in Wheaton will reopen its doors after a 10-month redesign, part of Cantigny's ongoing Project New Leaf. The updated museum includes a new gallery showcasing the post-Vietnam history of the U...

Fueled in part by stellar revivals of “Smokey Joe's Cafe” and “Chicago the Musical,” Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace received 19 equity Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, more than any other theater including Aurora's Paramount and Glencoe's...

Cantigny Park will commemorate the birthday of its benefactor, Col. Robert R. McCormick, with a day of art activities, a living history performance, golf games and a "pop-up" First Division Museum. McCormick Day is Cantigny's annual gift to the com...

I'm far too young to have a “senior moment,” and if I've ever had one I don't remember it. But I experience Jurassic moments for sure. They happen to me every year, in fact, usually in early spring and late fall. I'm referring to the semiannual sand...

If there's one constant this summer at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, it's change. On one side of the park, crews are working to renovate the First Division Museum to place a greater emphasis on the role of the Army's Big Red One since the first Gulf Wa...

Something special is blooming this weekend among the gardens at Cantigny Park - fine art. The Art in Bloom Cantigny Fine Art Festival, a Father's Day weekend tradition at the park, will feature more than 75 juried artists in a variety of media, disp...

I couldn't have known The Search would end in Chesterton, Indiana, the last stop on a 15-year chase after a brownish little bird. In fact, when 2017 began, I was blissfully unaware of the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival. The story begins in January, ...