Allerton Park & Retreat Center

Is there a better place to hear a ghost story than around a campfire at Allerton Park? Join us for Fireside Fridays: A Día de los Muertos Celebration on Friday, Nov. 1 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Meadow Picnic Area.

University of Illinois Assistant Professor Dr. Emma Velez will share the magic of indigenous stories and lead attendees in making their own cempasúchil (pronounced sem-pa-soo-cheel), a paper marigold commonly displayed on the ofrenda (offering) during Día de los Muertos.

$6/person (5 & under free).* All sales are final.

*Participants should bring their own lawn chairs.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email sputman2@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

Dr. Emma Velez is an Assistant Professor of Gender & Women’s Studies with an affiliation in Latina/O Studies at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Velez is interested in the role that our social imaginaries play both in shaping and reimagining ethical commitments, geopolitical responses to racialized and gendered colonial violence, as well as the politics of knowledge production.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science from Oklahoma City University, a Masters of Arts in Philosophy from SUNY Stony Brook and a PhD in Philosophy & Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies from Penn State University. Dr. Velez is an U of I LAS Impact Award Winner and is currently working on a book, Orienting Historias for a Decolonial Latinx Feminism.