Kids Day is a free special event for kids of all ages. Hands-on activities foster cultural preservation and an appreciation for prehistoric life-ways in the youth of our community. Activities will include: flintknapping, making pinch pots, throwing spears with an atlatl, grinding corn, identifying animal pelts and tracks, playing Indian games, and fingerweaving bookmarks. Marilyn Kinsella will be here storytelling and the Kahok Dancers will perform Native American-influenced dances. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. In case of inclement weather, the events will be moved indoors.

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is located off I-55/70 & IL 111 on Collinsville Rd, Collinsville, Illinois. For more information call 618/346-5160, email cahokia.mounds@sbcglobal.net, or visit www.cahokiamounds.org.

WOODn’t it be lovely to see some things made of wood that are no longer in use? Or if they are, they are now made of metal or plastic.

The Metamora Courthouse State Historic Site in concert with the Myers, Smyth, Keely Library have put together a show of things made of wood from the 1700s into the early 1900s -- things that are rarely seen these days. From toys to tools to domestic items that might be hard for some to identify, items will be on display throughout the museum, although, most of the show is in the first floor display room which is handicap accessible.

There is a quiz with prizes for those who would like to try their hand at identifying some of the stranger artifacts. See if you can figure out which is the schmoosher, the peel, shillelagh, the triptych, the kneading trough, weasel, and the "husband beater." Also, there is a slaver's whip woven out of one piece of wood, an inlaid music box, and Native American weaving shuttles.

The show will be available during regular visitors' hours, 1-5pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays and other times by appointment. For more information, contact Mr. Jean Myers, Curator, at 309/367-4470 or at metcourt@mtco.com. Admission to the show and museum is free. Groups of ten or more please call ahead.

The Midwest’s largest gathering of 1700s era soldiers, settlers, traders and campers, the Annual Rendezvous at Fort de Chartres, will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3 at Fort de Chartres State Historic Site near Prairie du Rocher.

Rendezvous features 1700s military units, traditional craft demonstrations, period music and dancing, black powder shooting events, cannon firings and more from the time when France controlled what is now the State of Illinois. All activities are free and open to the public, and many feature public participation. Scores of period artisan and craft demonstrations will include pottery, blacksmithing, silversmithing, coopering, pewter casting, felt making, silk ribbon embroidery, weaving, woodworking, basketry, treenware making, silhouette cutting, and cordwaining. Many items will be for sale. Period music and dance will be offered both days.

Fort de Chartres State Historic Site is located four miles west of Prairie du Rocher and 37 miles south of Belleville. Take Route 3 to Route 155 and follow the signs. For more information call 618/284-7230, email ftdchart@htc.net, or visit www.ftdechartres.com on the web.

The National Library of Medicine exhibit “Life and Limb: The Toll of the Civil War” will be on display May 14 through June 23 at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in downtown Springfield.

The traveling six-panel exhibit was developed and produced by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. More than three million soldiers fought in the Civil War from 1861-1865. More than half a million died, and almost as many were wounded but survived. Hundreds of thousands were permanently disabled by battlefield injuries or surgery, which saved lives by sacrificing limbs. “Life and Limb: The Toll of the Civil War” explores the experiences of disabled Civil War veterans who served as symbols of the fractured nation and a stark reminder of the costs of the conflict.

The exhibit coincides with the annual Civil War Medical Encampment, sponsored by Memorial Medical Center, scheduled for June 8 - 10 at the Old State Capitol.

During the 1840s and 1850s, the Old State Capitol was the scene of debate over issues that led the nation to war in 1861. During the Civil War, the statehouse was the center of the state’s efforts at wartime mobilization. The capitol also provided space for local events aiding the needs of local residents as well as soldier relief efforts.

The Old State Capitol State Historic Site is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week through Labor Day.

"Prologue to Presidency: Abraham Lincoln on the Illinois Eighth Judicial Circuit" is the first such major exhibit to be created and will be housed in the Lincoln-era barn on the grounds of the David Davis Mansion. It was funded by a total of $33,000 in grants from several organizations.

A traveling version of the exhibit will begin statewide circulation in June.

The project was one of several legacy programs sponsored by the former Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of McLean County as part of the celebration of the Lincoln Bicentennial. The exhibit development was also supported by the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition. The newly-established Heritage Association of McLean County will work with the Davis Mansion staff and Foundation to promote the exhibit and create related educational programs and special events.

For more information, contact the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site at 309/828-1084 or visit www.daviddavismansion.org.