Museum Programs

The Museum

Location:                    117 S. Linden Ave.
                                  Next to the Park District Offices

Phone:                        630-960-3392
                                  630-963-5252

Fax:                            630-963-5259

Archive Office:             Westmont Centre                                         
                                   South Cass Ave.

Research Hours:           Tuesday - Thursday
                                    By appointment only

Public Tours:                Wednesdays & Sundays
                                   1:00 - 3:00 PM

Group Tours:                Monday through Friday
                                   By appointment only

Admission:                   FREE

Westmont’s Down To Earth Garden Club Notes

Meetings are held the first Monday of each month (except January) at 7 pm.  Most meetings are held at the Westmont Community Center. Memberships are $20 and include membership to the Garden Clubs of Illinois (GCI), the quarterly publication of “Garden Glories”,  and participation in a variety of special  programs. Please call Nadine at 241-1644 for more information. 

Next meeting dates:
February 5, 2007
March 5, 2007
April 2, 2007
May 7, 2007

Victorian Tea Party 

Let’s step back in time to discover the grand Victorian days.   Miss D., our fashionable hostess, will treat us to cucumber sandwiches, lemonade and cookies while teaching about good manners.   We’ll play a parlor game and create a Victorian keepsake to take home. Afterward, we’ll take an optional mini-tour of the Gregg House Museum.  Register at the Westmont Community Center.  Girl Scout Troops welcome. (This program meets G.S. badge requirements.)  

Age:          6 - 10
Min/Max:   10/20
Location:  Linden (Admin. Building)
Fee:          R $10   NR $ 12 Historical Soc. Members $8 

173-3-1
March 13 (Tuesday)
4:00 pm - 5:15 pm

Reflections of Love

Flowers, lace trim and angel adorned – nothing says romance like a Victorian Valentine.  Can you read your valentine flowers? In Victorian times, the flowers on the cover of each valentine spoke volumes to the lucky woman who received it. Daisies, for example, indicated innocence or loyal love. Peonies signified a happy marriage. Red tulips declared new love. Come see examples of beautiful valentines as well as post cards, mechanical cards and penny dreadfuls from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, and learn more about the language of flowers.

Age:          All Ages Welcome
Location:   Gregg House Museum
Date:        January 28 - February 25
Wednesdays and Sundays 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Fee:           FREE

History Hoopla Programs

What’s all the hoopla at the museum? Find out when you bring the entire family for some hands-on, fun filled activities that let you experience favorite pastimes, games and crafts of our ancestors. These family drop-in programs are held during regular museum hours from 1:00 – 3:00 pm on the dates below and generally do not require registration unless noted. (Allow about 20 minutes)

Rose Heart Potpourri Card – This simple, yet elegant card will brighten the day of that special someone. We’ll use potpourri, foil and markers to create a scented Victorian style valentine card.

Date:   February 4 (Sunday)
Fee:  $1

Dancing Paper Dragon – Help us usher in the Chinese New Year, 4073, year of the pig. We’ll use straws, rods, colored paper and feathers to create a moveable toy.

Date:  February 18 (Sunday)
Fee:  $1

Victorian Bottle Art – Shimmering, iridescent bottles were popular in the early 1900’s. This spring break, come and create your own Art Nouveau style glass bottle.   All materials included. Please make a reservation by calling 969-8080 x 104 so we have enough materials.

Date:  March 28 (Wednesday)
Fee:  $3 (payable at the door)

Paper Kites- With spring come blustery breezes that are perfect for launching and flying a homemade kite--1830s style! All materials included. Please make a reservation by calling 969-8080 x 104 so we have enough materials.

Date: April 15 (Sunday)
Fee:  $2 (payable at the door) 

Tussie Mussie – We’re using doilies, flowers and ribbon to create small round flower arrangements  like those popular in the Victorian times. These charming bouquets are fun to make for any occasion. All materials included.

Date:  May 6 (Sunday)
Fee:  $3

SEASPAR, the South East Association for SpecialParksAnd Recreation, is a special recreation association which provides programs for residents with disabilities who reside in Westmont and nine neighboring communities.  Programs are offered to improve physical and emotional well-being and are offered to children as young as three years of age through senior citizens.  Programs are offered in SEASPAR’s 10 communities as well as nearby places of interest.  For additional information regarding SEASPAR’s programs and special events, or to inquire about volunteer and employment opportunities, contact SEASPAR.

Westmont Historical Society Annual Memebership Drive

Become a member of the Westmont Historical Society during Holly Days and receive a free poinsettia plant while supplies last.  This is a great opportunity to show your community support for the Gregg House Museum and to share in the rich heritage of Westmont! Family memberships are $15 and individual memberships are $10.  Call the museum for more information

Volunteer Opportunities

The museum and the garden club are seeking people of all ages who would like to make a difference in Westmont. Be a docent, archive artifacts, or design a garden plan. We have volunteer opportunities to fit your interests. Call the museum for additional information.

Education Programs & Scout Programs

Calling all teachers, students and scouting groups!  The Gregg house now offered programs for elementary school aged children that fulfill state standards.  Programs are available September through May.   Scout groups may also earn badges for local lore and local history.  Programs that include a craft will require a small fee.  Programs can be held at the museum or are offered as an outreach program.  Please contact the museum for information and reservations.

The Excelsior Experience

This hands-on, problem based architecture program is designed for grades 3-5 and meets state standards math, social sciences and fine arts.  Four components of the program include indentifying common architecture features, creating a time line of local history, measuring, estimating, identifying geometric shapes, solving math problems to determine area, using building bloacks to create patterns and learning about brick making.  The length of the program is determined by the teacher and can range from 90 minutes to a full day.  There is a wide range of field based activities.

Gregg's Mystery Gadgets
(Grades 2-5)

We'll try to identify various household items of the past and compare them to items used today.  This program is available as an out-reach program.

Rural Westmont
(Grades 1-3)

Learn about Westmont at the turn of the century (1900).  We'll discover what life was like as a farmer, see different farm tools, and hear a story.  Butter churning is optional.  This program is available as an out-reach program. 

Optical Toys
(Grades 2-5)

Thaumatropes, Zoetropes and Kaleidoscopes.   Let's learn about persistence of vision, illusions of movement, angles, geometry and design.  Create your own optical toy.  Fee: $2 for materials.  This is available as an out-reach program.

Architectural Walking Tour
(Grades 3-5)

Take a walk along Cass Ave. and see what makes Westmont historically important.  See old photos of Westmont and Cass Ave.   Decide what you think will be a future landmark!  Available fall and spring only.

Westmont Park District Brochure

| History | Facilities | Brochure |  Fitness Club | Golf Club |
| Pre-School | Job Opportunities | Board & Staff | Seasonal Info | Links | Home| Breaking News

Site Powered By: Chicago Webs