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Allerton Park & Retreat Center



Our Classes

Intro to Pastel Painting

$85

with Mandy Roeing

Calendar Jul 27, 2025 at 1 pm

Experience Level: Beginner (ages 12+)

Learn about soft pastels and ways to use them through basic mark-making techniques at Introduction to Pastel Painting on Sunday, July 27th from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Mansion Library.

Serious artists ages 10 and older can sign up for this course, where award-winning artist Mandy Roeing will help students learn about pastels and paint to create a simple still life to take home. More than just a one-time painting project, this class is intended to give you basic pastel painting skills and knowledge that you can build on to continue creating.

$85/person (Ages 12+. Ages 12-15 need to be accompanied by a registered adult). Register by July 24th. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the instructor

Award-winning artist Mandy Roeing resides in Downs with her husband and their two daughters. Inspired by the beauty and tranquility of nature, Roeing creates color-filled landscapes and beachscapes that go beyond representation to capture the emotion of a place.

All of Roeing’s paintings are done in soft pastels, a beautiful and versatile medium that she is passionate about sharing with others through both her work and classes. She is an instructor at the McLean County Arts Center and the Peninsula School of Art and holds regular classes in painting and drawing at her own studio and gallery space in downtown Bloomington.

Mandy earned her BFA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina in 2004. She is the Vice President of the Illinois Prairie Pastel Society and an active member of the Peoria Art Guild. Her work has been published in The Pastel Journal magazine and the IAPS Globe and is in numberous private collections throughout the country and abroad.

7/28-81 Day Camp for 5-7yrs: Conservation Superheroes

$200

with Acorns Instructor Team

Calendar Jul 28, 2025 at 8 am

Ages: 5 - 7

Week 7: Jul 28 – Aug 1

Ages: 5-7 (Acorns)

Oh no, the environment is in peril! What would Captain America do? Campers will suit up to be the superhero that we need while they explore all the different ecosystems at Allerton Park!

Camp hours are 8am to 3pm. Early Arrivers and After Care extended day options are available for an additional fee, with earliest drop off at 7am and latest pickup at 5:30pm. Extended day option - $15/AM; $35/PM (includes an afternoon snack)

Two snacks, a camp T-shirt and all necessary materials are included. Campers will need to bring their own water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, and a change of clothes/shoes.Lunch can be purchased for the week as an add-on to the registration or a lunch can be sent from home. Lunch - $25/week

A limited number of partial scholarships will be available this year. Scholarships will be awarded as a percentage of camp fees, based on need, as decided by Allerton. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the application here: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1676504062

Payment plan available: $50 deposit plus 2 payments of $75.00, paid every four weeks.

Will run

7/28-81 Day Camp for 8-11yrs: Conservation Superheroes

$200

with Adventurers Instructor Team

Calendar Jul 28, 2025 at 8 am

Ages: 8 - 11

Week 7: Jul 28 – Aug 1

Ages: 8-11 (Adventurers)

Oh no, the environment is in peril! What would Captain America do? Campers will suit up to be the superhero that we need while they explore all the different ecosystems at Allerton Park!

Camp hours are 8am to 3pm. Early Arrivers and After Care extended day options are available for an additional fee, with earliest drop off at 7am and latest pickup at 5:30pm. Extended day option - $15/AM; $35/PM (includes an afternoon snack)

Two snacks, a camp T-shirt and all necessary materials are included. Campers will need to bring their own water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, and a change of clothes/shoes.Lunch can be purchased for the week as an add-on to the registration or a lunch can be sent from home. Lunch - $25/week

Adventurers go to the Monticello Family Aquatic Center twice a week. Rider intake forms and payment directly to Piattran are required for pool transportation. Pool entrance is included in camp registration fees.

A limited number of partial scholarships will be available this year. Scholarships will be awarded as a percentage of camp fees, based on need, as decided by Allerton. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the application here: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1676504062

Payment plan available: $50 deposit plus 2 payments of $75.00, paid every four weeks.

Will run

Intuitive Yoga & Journaling (July 31)

$20

with Olivia Tasch

Calendar Jul 31, 2025 at 5 pm

The Intuitive Yoga & Journaling class includes 1 hour of yoga followed by 30 minutes of journaling. The class will begin with intention setting and meditation before easing into a gentle yoga sequence that emphasizes intuitive flow and following the rhythm of your own body. Each class will end with dedicated time for reflection and journaling. Prompts will be offered but yogis will also be encouraged to write about anything that came up for them during their practice. Journals and writing utensils provided!

Barn Quilt Painting (August)

$90

with Jane Cade

Calendar Aug 2, 2025 at 8 am

Experience Level: Beginner

No barn? No problem! Join the barn quilt movement by creating your own painted quilt block to use at your own home at Barn Quilt Painting on Saturday, August 2 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Studio.

The workshop will start with a pre-primed board with a design already drafted (choose one of the 2 options). Students will tape and paint at their own pace, choosing from a wide variety of colors.

Instructor Jane Cade will also share history of barn quilts, techniques, tips, and discuss how to properly seal your finished piece after the paint has dried for 48 hours. Leave with a 20×20″ wooden ‘quilt block’ to keep for yourself or share your talents and give someone a handmade gift.

$90/person. Register by July 25. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

About the Instructor

Jane Cade is a retired teacher from Clinton Junior High School. She has been painting barn quilts for eight years and sells her work online and at craft festivals. She teaches classes at Parkland Community College and will be teaching classes at her workshop beginning next year.

Bee Hive Observation 8/3

$20

with Maggie Wachter

Calendar Aug 3, 2025 at 1 pm

Join us on a bi-monthly basis as we observe how honey bees manage hive activity during the summer at Bee Hive Observation on August 3. Classes will include an overview of seasonal influences, followed by a peek inside the hives to observe honey bees at work. Traditional and Flow Hives will be discussed.

Participants should wear long sleeves and pants, loose-fitting garments and no open shoes. You should also bring a protective bee veil and unscented rubber gloves.

$20/class. Register two days before each individual class. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

When Maggie Wachter began her social work degree at the University of Illinois in 2008, she had no idea that she would become a beekeeper. As for honey, she kept a single jar in the back of her kitchen cabinet for recipes. Today she is a master beekeeper who never eats sugar.

Maggie received her first hive as a gift in 2008. By 2010, she was enrolled in the Master Beekeeper course at the University of Florida. From there, things happened quickly to turn her life around. In 2012, she started teaching beekeeping for Parkland Community Education and today she is a beekeeping teacher, honey judge, mead maker and master beekeeper.

She has also participated in honeybee research at the University of Illinois and the USDA.

About The Farms

The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, wellness, outdoor education, storytelling, and science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.

See the complete summer session here.

8/4-8/8 Day Camp for 5-7yrs: Summer Celebration

$200

with Acorns Instructor Team

Calendar Aug 4, 2025 at 8 am

Ages: 5 - 7

Week 8: Aug 4-8

Ages: 5-7 (Acorns)

It’s the last week of camp and that means it’s time to celebrate all the classic things we think of as part of summer. Campers will enjoy water activities, gardening, reading, drawing with sidewalk chalk, playing games, eating summer food, and doing lots of exploring at Allerton Park!

Camp hours are 8am to 3pm. Early Arrivers and After Care extended day options are available for an additional fee, with earliest drop off at 7am and latest pickup at 5:30pm. Extended day option - $15/AM; $35/PM (includes an afternoon snack)

Two snacks, a camp T-shirt and all necessary materials are included. Campers will need to bring their own water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, and a change of clothes/shoes.Lunch can be purchased for the week as an add-on to the registration or a lunch can be sent from home. Lunch - $25/week

A limited number of partial scholarships will be available this year. Scholarships will be awarded as a percentage of camp fees, based on need, as decided by Allerton. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the application here: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1676504062

Payment plan available: $50 deposit plus 3 payments of $50.00, paid every four weeks.

Will run

8/4-8/8 Day Camp for 8-11yrs: Summer Celebration

$200

with Adventurers Instructor Team

Calendar Aug 4, 2025 at 8 am

Ages: 8 - 11

Week 8: Aug 4-8

Ages: 8-11 (Adventurers)

It’s the last week of camp and that means it’s time to celebrate all the classic things we think of as part of summer. Campers will enjoy water activities, gardening, reading, drawing with sidewalk chalk, playing games, eating summer food, and doing lots of exploring at Allerton Park!

Camp hours are 8am to 3pm. Early Arrivers and After Care extended day options are available for an additional fee, with earliest drop off at 7am and latest pickup at 5:30pm. Extended day option - $15/AM; $35/PM (includes an afternoon snack)

Two snacks, a camp T-shirt and all necessary materials are included. Campers will need to bring their own water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, and a change of clothes/shoes.Lunch can be purchased for the week as an add-on to the registration or a lunch can be sent from home. Lunch - $25/week

Adventurers go to the Monticello Family Aquatic Center twice a week. Rider intake forms and payment directly to Piattran are required for pool transportation. Pool entrance is included in camp registration fees.

A limited number of partial scholarships will be available this year. Scholarships will be awarded as a percentage of camp fees, based on need, as decided by Allerton. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the application here: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1676504062

Payment plan available: $50 deposit plus 3 payments of $50.00, paid every four weeks.

Will run





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