5 things to do in the Illinois Valley: Take a step back in time at Canal Day, or fiddle presentation

1. Canal Day in Ottawa: There will be several activities 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday along the Illinois and Michigan Canal, as well as at Reddick Mansion, 100 W. Lafayette St., and the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum, 1100 Canal St. A group of “voyageurs” from the Chicago area will set up a camp on the banks of the canal, in a demonstration of the trip explorers Louis Joliet and Father Marquette made to the Illinois Valley in the 1670s. There will be musical performances by Katie Bell and Dufflebag Joe from noon to 2 p.m., then another by Bluegrass musicians Coffee Creek from 2 to 4 p.m. Demonstrations and races by radio-controlled boats in the east and center canal pools, and there will be rubber band-powered paddle boats for children participants that can be bought and assembled for use in one of the pools near the tollhouse or at the Scouting Museum, which will feature a “Rain Gutter Waterway Race.” There will be an ice cream social at the museum 5 to 7 p.m. at the museum and a vendors market 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Washington Square.

2. Fun Days in Marseilles: The five-day festival will continue with the carnival on Lincoln Street 5 p.m. to midnight Friday; noon to midnight Saturday. There also will be inflatables and face painting on Aurora Street. Fireworks will be displayed at dusk along the riverfront. Additionally, there will be a parade at 1 p.m. Sunday. There will be live music, food vendors and a beer tent Friday and Saturday at Knudson Park. Abbynormal will play from 8 to midnight Friday; and The Blooze Brothers 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, as well as Poison’d Crue from 9 to midnight Saturday. The Seattle Sutton Museum, 151 Washington St., will have free train rides and popcorn 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. The 10th annual Dr. Sutton Memorial Bridge Walk is scheduled to begin 10 a.m. Saturday at Marseilles Nursing Service, 227 Main St.

3. Fireworks in Utica: There’s another chance to catch fireworks. The annual fireworks celebration will take place at dusk Friday at Carey Memorial Park, after its initial date was postponed. The celebration will begin at 5 p.m. with free food and drinks under the shelter, along with bounce houses, inflatables and face painting, among other activities for children.

4. Starved Rock Saplings: A story time, crafts and educational activities is set 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Starved Rock Visitors Center. The event is called Starved Rock Saplings - P is for Prairie. The public is welcome. Email lisa.sons@illinois.gov for more information.

5. Play That Hot Fiddle: La Salle Public Library, 305 Marquette St., will host, in-person, musician-historian Dennis Stroughmatt playing fiddle and discussing the instrument’s history at 1 p.m. Saturday. Stroughmatt’s program is titled, “Play That Hot Fiddle: Old Time Radio, Rural Music, and the Life of Southern Illinois Swing Fiddler, ‘Pappy’ Wade Ray.” The program discusses Illinois native Wade and the influence he had on Stroughmatt and other musicians. This program is free and open to the public.

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