Des Plaines History Center Hosts Art Historian to Discuss Chicago Traditions

The Des Plaines History Center's next guest in their "Coffee Talk" series will be art and architecture historian Krista August. She will present "Chicago Holiday Traditions: Old and New." This program will take place Thursday, December 13 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm. Ms. August has years of experience both as a historical researcher and tour guide. She is the author of the nonfiction book Giants in the Park: A Guide to Portrait Statues in Chicago's Lincoln Park. Ms. August's lecture grew out of a walking tour she used to lead downtown Chicago: "It will be a slide presentation and an adaption of a Millennium Park/Chicago Loop walking tour that I gave a few years back. Downtown Chicago is one of the best places to experience architecture. Since this time of year is often bitter cold, I brought the tour inside. It is a surprising and enchanting subject." Popular winter traditions Ms. August will discuss include wreathing the Art Institute lions, the holiday train, ice skating at Millennium Park, and the Christkindlmarket.

All members of the public are invited to attend. Holiday treats and warm drinks will be provided. Attendance is free with a $3.00 suggested donation. The History Center's Coffee Talk series began in the winter of 2003. It is an adult program meant to invite public participation and discussion on a broad range of historical topics per the History Center's mission. Our next Coffee Talk will feature author William Hazelgrove, best-selling author of Al Capone and the 1933 World's Fair: The End of the Gangster Era in Chicago, Thursday, January 10 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm.