Historic site joins in celebrating Sandburg

The Carl Sandburg State Historic Site will present music, children’s activities, hikes and tours, and a writers workshop April 29 and 30 for the finale of Galesburg’s annual Sandburg Festival.

Other festival activities that weekend include a play about Sandburg, a poetry slam and the dedication of a Carl Sandburg statue.

The site’s Penny Parade takes place Friday, April 29, at 1 p.m. This annual event recognizes schoolchildren who have raised money to support the Sandburg historic site. Last year, they collected more than $2,300.

The children will enjoy a short lesson about Sandburg, a poetry reading and guitar-accompanied singing of old American songs that he loved so well. They also get refreshments and a copy of the “Carl Sandburg Prairie Town Activity Book.”

The next morning, Saturday, April 30, the historic site will be the starting and ending point for children – particularly Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts – to hike around Galesburg. The hikes start at 9 a.m., and there are three-mile and five-mile routes. An adult must accompany any child who hasn’t pre-registered as part of a scouting program.

At 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., free, narrated tram tours of “Carl Sandburg’s Galesburg” depart from the historic site.

Then at 11 a.m., the Carl Sandburg State Historic Site welcomes author John Hallwas for a “Writing Nonfiction” workshop. Hallwas is an emeritus professor at Western Illinois University and author of many books and essays on Illinois, the Midwest, literature and history. Reservations are no longer being taken for this event.

And Saturday night, the site presents the return of the Roundstone Buskers, a popular trio specializing in Celtic music. The concert begins at 7 p.m.

The schedule for Sandburg Festival events throughout the community is below. It can also be found at bit.ly/SandburgFestival2016.

The Carl Sandburg State Historic Site, 313 E. Third Street, includes the home where the famed poet and biographer was born. For more information, visit www.sandburg.org.

The site is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (www.IllinoisHistory.gov). IHPA protects the state’s historic resources, which contribute to education, culture and the economy. IHPA sites include ancient burial mounds, forts and buildings erected by settlers, and homes connected to famous Illinoisans.

Sandburg Festival

Friday, April 29

• Penny Parade and children’s activities at Carl Sandburg historic site, 1 p.m.
• Announcement of photo contest winners at Galesburg Public Library, 4 p.m.
• Presentation of the play “Sandburg Among the Goats” at Prairie Players Civic Theatre, 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 30

• Children’s hikes through Galesburg, beginning at Carl Sandburg historic site, 9 a.m.
• Photography seminar at Knox College’s Ford Center for the Fine Arts, 10 a.m.
• Tram tours of “Carl Sandburg’s Galesburg” depart from the historic site at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
• Writers workshop at Sandburg historic site, 11 a.m.
• Dedication of Sandburg statue in Galesburg Public Square, 3 p.m.
• Presentation of the play “Sandburg Among the Goats” at Prairie Players Civic Theatre, 4 p.m.
• Roundstone Buskers concert at Sandburg historic site, 7 p.m.
• Poetry slam at 156 East, 9 p.m.