Ways to Discovery Chautauqua Series – June 1 – Celebrating National Trails Day
The Chautauqua location is the Visitors Center Auditorium at New Salem State Historic Site, Petersburg, Illinois — 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The venue is fully accessible, ensuring everyone can participate.
Exploring Menard County
In celebration of National Trails Day, Dr. Michael Wiant and Terri Treacy will present a program titled Exploring Menard County Trails: Ancient, Historical, Present and Futuristic.
Long before roads, trails were traveled by foot between villages, favored hunting and gathering areas, and other points of interest by the Indigenous inhabitants of what we now know as Menard County. Many of these routes are unknowable, but some have persisted over centuries, if not longer, and have evolved into contemporary travel routes that crisscross Menard County and Illinois. Today, one can see Menard County on foot, by bicycle, boat, or motor vehicle. Menard County Trails & Greenways is developing digital applications to provide information about the nature and human history of various locations during your travels throughout the county. Soon, the phrase “take a hike” will encourage educational journeys, fulfilling the Trails & Greenways mission to provide “new ways to discovery.”
Ben Bedford
Based in Springfield, Ben Bedford’s influence is wide-reaching and has taken him around the world. His songwriting has earned him such accolades as the Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk Award and a spot on the list of “50 most significant Folk singer-songwriters of the past 50 years” by Rich Warren of WFMT-Chicago.
We gratefully acknowledge partial support for this event from the Illinois Arts Council and the Springfield Area Arts Council.