As Halloween fanatics across the Midwest well know, an outdoor event in late October can always be a bit of a gamble. Autumn can provide a beautiful backdrop of color and pleasant temperatures — or demand winter coats, hats and gloves in a battle against the elements.
On Sunday, Oct. 23, Homewood Science Center’s 2022 Walk Walton lucked out, landing in the heart of a weekend warm streak. The event hasn’t always been so lucky since starting in 2016, according to Edie Dobrez, executive director of the Science Center.
“We had a good streak, then the last two years were terrible,” she said. “This is awesome.”
And Walk Walton took advantage of the opportunity. While the three-hour morning event offered a pair of shows with Dave DiNaso’s Traveling World of Reptiles inside Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve’s Senior Center and Ms. Dominique’s Spooky Science in the Black Bear Lodge, most of the activities were outside and often hands-on, including the chance to explore nature with the Forest Preserves of Cook County.
By the pond, University of Chicago Professor Cathy Pfister and graduate student Maddie Tanda helped attendees investigate marine biology. They pulled up fish such as bass and bluegill to see what exists in the lake and how that marine life changes.
“It’s really about getting kids out and figuring out how you sample species, how to try to identify them, etc.,” Pfister said. “It’s really important.”
The day also provided an opportunity to the middle school conservation ecology interns who worked on fall projects related to the wetlands to explain that work to guests. The interns were stationed around the grounds of the preserve, giving presentations, answering questions and leading activities related to a variety of work they did.
Among them was Darby Van Vliet, of Chicago Heights. The youth was having fun in the final week of the program showing off what participants did for family, friends and other members of the community.
“I like getting immersed in nature at least once a week,” Van Vliet said. “It keeps me sane.”
Members of the Lego Robotics team at the Homewood Science Center also presented their work near the entrance. That program has two parts, with one asking them to design a robot and the mechanisms that go on it to do different tasks on a game board, such as lifting, pushing and pulling, according to co-coach Connie Fritsche. The second component of the competition is an innovation project, this year focused on energy.
“They’ve decided to focus on rechargeable batteries,” Fritsche said. “The lithium ion batteries that are in your phones, your laptops, your iPads, a lot of times people don’t know where to take them because regular recycling facilities a lot of times won’t take them.”
The group is trying to find a place locally that will take batteries, while also educating people about the importance of recycling and giving them easy ways to do it. Fritsche said that is important because of how the metals in them are mined, often far away, and shipped around the world for a variety of components.
“That’s hard on the environment,” Fritsche explained, adding the rise of electric vehicles makes this mission even more important. “They take an enormous amount of resources. In order to keep up with demand, we’re going to have to start recycling some of the materials.”
When Kiora Krystosek, 5, of Homewood, first arrived at Walk Walton, she was faced with a tough decision: unicorns, cats or spiders? The choice determined which pumpkin-decorating kit she would take home in a swag bag given to every child attending the event. As she weighed her options, her mother Jennifer got information to prepare for the family’s first Walk Walton. She said they had been to the preserve once or twice, but never in the height of fall.
“I’m excited to see it,” she said. “We’re big fans of the Science Center.”
That the family has been to the Izaak Walton Preserve before was music to the ears of Dobrez. Part of her mission is to expose more people to the local resource.
“It’s surprising how many people have not been to the preserve that live in Homewood and Flossmoor and the surrounding area,” she said. “You’re not going to protect what you don’t know, so we have to get them out here.”
The preserve also provides fertile ground for the Homewood Science Center’s activities.
“We really appreciate the partnership with Izaak Walton preserve,” Dobrez said. “They’re always so accommodating to us and embracing our programs. … What better classroom to talk to kids and families about the natural world than Izaak Walton?”
In addition to the activities, Walt’s food store provided hot apple cider and donuts. Tawny Falae, of Homewood, her son Joshua, 3, stopped to grab some treats before heading to the pumpkin patch. Every child could pick a pumpkin there and head to picnic tables loaded with supplies to decorate the gourds. Tawny Falae said the family is involved with the Science Center and was having a great time at Walk Walton.
“It’s a beautiful day today,” she said.
While it is not Homewood Science Center’s biggest fundraiser of the year — that would be Summer Fest — Walk Walton also raises money for the organization. The Weglarz Company sponsored the 2022 Walk Walton, with individual activity sponsors including State Rep. Will Davis (D-30), ComEd and Tonja Cook, The Learning and STEM Specialist. Dobrez said their support is vital to Walk Walton.
“If we didn’t have the sponsors, we wouldn’t be able to do the event,” she said.