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The Farms: An Allerton Folk School
Mountain Dulcimer: Jam Session (March 22)
with Lou Ann Koebel
Experience Level: Beginner
Gather with your fellow dulcimer musicians and create some music at Mountain Dulcimer Jam Sessions on March 22 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. in the Studio. This gathering is perfect for those who have taken Beginner Mountain Dulcimer at The Farms and want a space to practice with fellow players.
$5/person. Register a day prior to each jam session. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About the instructor
Lou Ann Koebel currently leads a weekly dulcimer jam for the East Central Dulcimer Illinois Dulcimer Club at Lincoln Square. She also plays in a local band that visits and performs at local assisted living facilities.
Last fall, she taught a beginning dulcimer class for The Farms, where she had a wonderful time teaching the group and realized her love of teaching and passing on the tradition of playing a mountain dulcimer. Lou Ann also plays at area music festivals.
Woodcarving for Beginners
with Lance Noone
Experience Level: Beginners
Join us for Woodcarving for Beginners Monday through Friday, March 24-28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in The Studio.
Experienced woodcarver Lance Noone will lead this week-long course on the basics of woodcarving. Students will learn about the proper tools, safety measures and carving techniques to be successful. By the end of the course, students will have carved a small turtle or bear and raccoon figurine.
Wood and patterns will be provided.
$450/person*. Register by March 10. All sales are final.
*Students should bring their own beginner carving set (palm carving or regular handle) and carving gloves. Suggested kits:
— Ramelson Basic Set— Ramelson Basic Palm Set— Cut-Resistant safety gloves
Course participants can also stay overnight in the Mansion or other guesthouses for a discounted rate ($80/night + tax). View rooms here and call 217-333-3287 to make a reservation.
If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email 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.
Beginning Weaving I (March, Morning)
with Sharon Bowles
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn the basics of working with a loom at Beginning Weaving I on Saturdays, March 29 through April 26 from 10:30 a.m to 1:30 p.m. in the Greenhouse Auditorium.
This 5-week class led by Sharon Bowles will encompass all aspects of beginner weaving as students create a table runner. Participants will become familiar with weaving terminology, parts of the loom, figuring the weaving pattern for the width of the loom and project, measuring out the warp, beaming the warp back to front, threading heddles, threading the reed, tying on the warp, and winding bobbins.
$250/person*. Register by March 22. All sales are final.
*Students should bring a 4-shaft loom if they have one. All other supplies will be provided, including a loom if needed.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About the instructor
Sharon Bowles has been weaving for 34 years and has taught beginning weaving for almost 33 years. She was taught to weave in a one-on-one class and wove two table runners in 12 (approximately) 2-hour lessons, and she teaches the same method when she teaches. Sharon has experience in weaving with silk, lace weaving, 8-shaft pattern weaving, parallel weaving, block weaves, and Shaker reproduction towels.
She has taught many workshops and classes to weavers’ guilds in Florida, Ohio, and Champaign-Urbana. She earned her Journeyman certification from the Weavers Guild of Boston in 2021 and a master’s certification in April of 2022. Most recently, Sharon taught Beginning Weaving I at The Farms, and a 2-day workshop in four shaft patterns for the Champaign-Urbana Spinners and Weavers Guild.
Foraging Walk (March 29)
with Michael Baker
Former Allerton In-Residence naturalist Michael Baker will return to the Park to conduct a Foraging Walk from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 29. Location TBD
Baker, a professional forager, will give demonstrations of the current uses of edible plants and mushrooms during the walk. Participants will be introduced to a variety of wild edible plants and mushrooms and be instructed on which plants to avoid.
$35/person (all ages). Register here by March 26. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About the instructor
Michael Baker is a professional foraging educator and podcaster in the Chicago suburbs. His show, the Wild Edible World podcast, seeks to educate anyone who will listen on edible plants and fungi, what they taste like, and where you can find them. He is also a co-founder of Remnant Roots non-profit which seeks to adopt vacant lots and turn them into native plant sanctuaries.
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.
Beginning Weaving I (March, Afternoon)
with Sharon Bowles
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn the basics of working with a loom at Beginning Weaving I on Saturdays, March 29 through April 26 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Greenhouse Auditorium.
This 5-week class led by Sharon Bowles will encompass all aspects of beginner weaving as students create a table runner. Participants will become familiar with weaving terminology, parts of the loom, figuring the weaving pattern for the width of the loom and project, measuring out the warp, beaming the warp back to front, threading heddles, threading the reed, tying on the warp, and winding bobbins.
$250/person*. Register by March 22. All sales are final.
*Students should bring a 4-shaft loom if they have one. All other supplies will be provided, including a loom if needed.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About the instructor
Sharon Bowles has been weaving for 34 years and has taught beginning weaving for almost 33 years. She was taught to weave in a one-on-one class and wove two table runners in 12 (approximately) 2-hour lessons, and she teaches the same method when she teaches. Sharon has experience in weaving with silk, lace weaving, 8-shaft pattern weaving, parallel weaving, block weaves, and Shaker reproduction towels.
She has taught many workshops and classes to weavers’ guilds in Florida, Ohio, and Champaign-Urbana. She earned her Journeyman certification from the Weavers Guild of Boston in 2021 and a master’s certification in April of 2022. Most recently, Sharon taught Beginning Weaving I at The Farms, and a 2-day workshop in four shaft patterns for the Champaign-Urbana Spinners and Weavers Guild.
Foraging Walk (March 30)
with Michael Baker
Former Allerton In-Residence naturalist Michael Baker will return to the Park to conduct a Foraging Walk from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 30. Location TBD
Baker, a professional forager, will give demonstrations of the current uses of edible plants and mushrooms during the walk. Participants will be introduced to a variety of wild edible plants and mushrooms and be instructed on which plants to avoid.
$35/person (all ages). Register here by March 26. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About the instructor
Michael Baker is a professional foraging educator and podcaster in the Chicago suburbs. His show, the Wild Edible World podcast, seeks to educate anyone who will listen on edible plants and fungi, what they taste like, and where you can find them. He is also a co-founder of Remnant Roots non-profit which seeks to adopt vacant lots and turn them into native plant sanctuaries.
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.
Intro to Beekeeping
with Maggie Wachter
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn about honey bees, one of the most unusual insects in the world, at Intro to Beekeeping from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 23 in The Studio. Bees can survive under diverse climate conditions and are one of the few insects that produce food for humans. And such a food! Keeping honey bees happy and healthy is essential.
In this class taught by Maggie Wachter, learn the basics of starting a new hive: how to get bees, the honey bee life cycle, nutrition, equipment and what to do about mites. Would-be beekeepers and others with a lively interest in nature are welcome.
$20/person. Register by March 20. 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.
Along the way, she met fellow beekeeper Steve Halfar. Together, they pollinate apple orchards, chase black locust honey and keep their 50-odd hives thriving. They have participated in honeybee research at the U of I and USDA.
During the summer, you can find Maggie and Steve selling honey at the Urbana Market at the Square on the first Saturday of every month. They are thrilled to be at Allerton to share their enthusiasm for nature and honey bees with others.
Needlefelt Bumblebee
with Stephanie Block
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn the art of needlefelting at Needlefelt Bumblebee on Wednesday, April 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. in The Studio.
Instructor Stephanie Block will teach students how to make an a needlefelt bumblebee to honor the efforts of this very important pollinator. Participants will work through the step-by-step process and leave with a completed needlefelt bumblebee.
$65/person. Register by March 30. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email 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
Stephanie Block is the co-owner of Sundrop Alpacas near Bement. She has been producing popular yarn from her own alpacas for more than eight years. Stephanie’s spinning style is self-taught, and she is continuously learning so that she can share that knowledge with others.