[FEB. 3, 2006]
HAVANA -- The
Havana Eagle Days Festival is making a name for itself as one of
the best eagle-watching events on the Illinois River, with
eagle-watching at the riverfront, guided hikes, shows and
presentations featuring up-close-and-personal looks at native
Illinois wildlife (including eagles), art and photography shows, and
hot food. The sixth annual Eagle Days Festival in Havana will be on
Saturday.
Early-bird breakfast, 6-10 a.m.
Enjoy "Breakfast with a Raptor" at
the First United Methodist Church on the corner of Main Street and
Broadway. Pancakes and sausage will be served, and a special "guest
raptor" will visit with breakfast-goers from 8 to 9:30 a.m.
Breakfast will be $4 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under.
Riverfront, 8 a.m. to noon
Volunteers will be ready to help spot eagles at Riverfront Park
and answer questions. Several spotting scopes will be set up for a
really good look at the eagles that can usually be found in the
trees on the west side of the river. Complimentary hot beverages
will be provided by The Nature Conservancy. Ride the Clip-Clop
Cruise, a horse-drawn carriage, to get around to all the Riverfront
Park activities. Take a unique interpretive tour of the Bellrose
Island Nature Trail and discover another great spot for eagle
viewing. Stop by the Illinois Natural History Survey's Havana Field
Station for a tour of their facility and to learn about some of the
Illinois River's critters. Visit Emi the Eagle at Riverfront Park
from 9 to 11 a.m. and have your free souvenir picture taken with her
in her larger-than-life eagle's nest.
The Perch, 9 a.m. to noon
A new information center will be open just above the riverfront,
on the corner of Main and Schrader streets. Festival passports will
be available there and at the riverfront. Find out details of how
the passport may be used to get free admission to the "Live Birds of
Prey" presentation. Marge Bjorklund, education outreach manager for
Lakeview Museum in Peoria, will be at The Perch with an assortment
of her wildlife friends. Each one has a story for Bjorklund to tell.
Her appearance is sponsored by the Havana National Bank and Emiquon
Audubon Society.
Eagle art, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Winners of the 2006 Mason and Fulton County Eagle Days Festival
Art Competition will be on display at the David Alan Badger Gallery
on Main Street.
Stop in and warm up with hot beverages, chili and hot dogs, and
funnel cakes at the south end of Riverfront Park, at the end of Main
Street. Visitors may cast a vote for their favorites in the Illinois
Winter Wildlife Photography Show and meet the special wildlife
guests from Wildlife Prairie State Park, appearing from 9 a.m. to
noon. Restrooms are available.
Family story hour, 10-11 a.m.
Enjoy an hour-long program of eagle games, crafts and prizes at
the Havana Public Library District, and hear American bald eagle
legends and folk tales at the library, located on the corner of Plum
and Adams streets. For information call (309) 543-4701.
The Havana Park District gym, on the corner of Jefferson and
Pearl streets, serves as the Eagle Days Festival Center. Doors open
at 11:30 a.m., and refreshments and nature-related merchandise will
be available before and after each performance. Members of the
Central Illinois Herpetological Society will also be on hand with
live displays. Tickets are $3 per person for the performances by the
Illinois Raptor Center, sponsored by Dynegy Midwest Generation,
Havana Station, Cargill AgHorizons and the Havana National Bank.
However, festival passports that have been stamped from at least
five activities will provide free admission. For ticket information
call The Nature Conservancy at (309) 547-2730.
