Bring beauty to your life with plant sale, art exhibits

Welcome to The Herald-News’ Will County Inside/Outside Guide. Each week, Features Editor Denise M. Baran-Unland (@Denise_Unland61) highlights a few ideas for you to enjoy your weekend in Will County.

This week, I’m highlighting ways to enjoy beauty in your life: through a special plant sale and enjoying locally created artwork. And if you’re in the mood for some theatrical entertaining, the Morris Theatre Guild will present “Momologues2: Off to School” at Morris Theatre Guild through March 14.

And let’s not forget it’s also Lent for many Christians. And with Lent comes area fish fries.

Many of them this year are carryout only. Some have limited seating.

Find some good ones in Will County at shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/features/2021/02/18/friday-fish-fries-and-lent-still-go-together-even-in-a-pandemic/.

Enjoy your weekend!

Order spring plants online through the Bringing Nature Home Native Plant Sale

From March 13 through May 1, gardening enthusiasta can order plants from the Will County Nature Foundation website at willcountynature.org.

The spring sale will feature three pollinator garden collections for three soil types and a tallgrass prairie collection.

Plants are affordable ($2.50 each), easy to plant and require less water once they are established. And there’s no plastic waste because the plants don’t have a plastic outer container, Foundation Executive Director Cindy Harn said in a news release from the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

A storefront for orders will pop up online on opening day. The foundation’s storefront also will feature raffle items including plants, gardening collections, artwort and gift baskets and more. Raffle tickets are $5 each.

Plants will be available for pick up on May 14 and May 15 at Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Sugar Creek Administration Center in Joliet. Plant sale proceeds benefit the Forest Preserve District.

Life Along the Canal: The Art of John M. Lamb

Angels, saints, boat captains, cityscapes, the Illinois and Michigan Canal and more are featured in the artwork of local historian John Lamb, currently on exhibit at The Gaylord Building gallery is located at 200 W. 8th St. in Joliet.

The exhibit was the result of the collaboration between the Gaylord Building Historic Site and the Lewis University Adelmann Regional History Center, according to a news release from the Gaylord Building.

Lamb is also a former professor emeritus at Lewis University, founder of the Adelmann Regional History Collection and has been linked to the I&M Canal for more than 60 years.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and noon until 5 p.m. Saturdays. Appointments are not necessary.

For a virtual tour of his work, visit shawlocal.com/gallery/2021/02/01/photos-the-folk-art-of-lockport-historian-john-lamb/.

For more information, visit gaylordbuilding.org.

‘Sculpting WILD’ juried art show opens March 2 at Forest Preserve’s Plum Creek Nature Center

A wide variety of nature scenes crafted with everything from recycled metal to chocolate will be on display when the “Sculpting WILD” juried art show is on display until April 3, at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Plum Creek Nature Center in Crete Township.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays (closed Good Friday) and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. The nature center is located at 27064 S. Dutton Road, north of Goodenow Road, in Crete Township near Beecher. Admission is free.

Facemasks are mandatory for everyone except those younger than age 2 and those with a medical condition or disability that prevents them from wearing one, per state guidelines.

The sculptures range in size from 7 inches to 7 feet tall and depict birds, animals, birdhouses, plants and abstracts. There’s even an opossum sculpted from chocolate, created by an artist who also competes in cake decorating contests.

Artists include professionals, students and those who began making art during the pandemic. Towns represented include Crete, Homewood, Joliet, Lockport, Monee, New Lenox and Park Forest.

For more information, visit ReconnectWithNature.org.

Catch an -person play in Grundy County this weekend

The Morris Theatre Guild will present “Momologues2: Off to School” at Morris Theatre Guild until March 14.

The play features true tales of motherhood: homework hell, multitasking mania, playdates gone wrong, tips on how to stalk a babysitter and more.

Live performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Seating is limited and socially distanced. Facemasks are required.

Tickets $15. Purchase at morristheatreguild.org or by calling 815-942-1966.