— Coffee Talk —
Carl Sandburg:
Poet of the People
Wed., Nov. 19 • 1:30p
Award-winning singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Barry Cloyd weaves together Carl Sandburg’s poetry, stories of Lincoln, and American folksongs, including some of Cloyd’s original material, to bring to life one of America’s best loved poets.
Coffee Talks are free for members. $10 for non-members.
CLICK HERE to register via email, or call 847-391-5399
Non-members can pay in advance online HERE or at the door.
This Coffee Talk will be presented at the History Center.
781 Pearson Street Map & Directions
— Coffee Talk —
Christmas in the Trenches: WWI
Wed., Dec. 10 • 1:30p
Step into the trenches of World War I this December with nationally known historic interpreter Ernie Klapmeier, portraying a soldier’s life at Christmastime. Explore the extraordinary Christmas Truce of 1914 and subsequent trench Christmases, when the brutalities of war made peace unthinkable. Authentic artifacts, including an antique pistol and a non-firing Vickers machine gun, bring the harsh realities of the Western Front vividly to life.
A volunteer with the Coldstream Guards Living History Museum in Aurora, Mr. Klapmeier has traveled the country bringing to life the stories of American and British soldiers from the 1800s to today.
Coffee Talks are free for members. $10 for non-members.
CLICK HERE to register via email, or call 847-391-5399
Non-members can pay in advance online HERE or at the door.
This Coffee Talk will be presented at the History Center.
781 Pearson Street Map & Directions
Video of Ernie Klapmeier discussing the
340th Encampment at EAA AirVenture in 2024
Illinois Archaeology:
Deep Roots of the Prairie State
January 14 through February 19, 2026
In the Gallery
We are thrilled to bring this extraordinary traveling exhibit to Des Plaines. Featuring multiple displays that provide a concise look at where and how people lived in Illinois over the past 12,500 years, it highlights how factors like conflict, climate change, and new technology influenced the lives of those communities. Visitors can explore these changes through the archaeological evidence people left behind, including cooking pits that reveal the diets of people who lived in Illinois centuries ago.
The exhibit is free to enjoy. Donations are gratefully accepted to help defray operational costs.
Donate online. Thank you for your support!