The Local Scene: Museums, swing dancing, model trains and kumla star in the Illinois Valley

1. The Whole Nine Yards: With the instructions to residents to visit nine museums of La Salle County. A $1 passport per person will grant access to the Earlville Historical Society, Hegeler Carus Mansion in La Salle, La Salle County Historical Society in Utica, Mendota Museum and Historical Society, Norsk Museum, Ottawa Historical Society and Scouting Museum, Reddick Mansion in Ottawa, Sheridan Historical Society and Westclox Museum in Peru. The museums will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday through Monday, which is Presidents Day. The passport, sold at any of the nine locations, is valid at each museum throughout the three day period.

2. Swing dance: The Princeton High School jazz band will host a Swing Dance on Friday at the Princeton Moose Lodge, 1339 N. Euclid Ave. The PHS jazz band invites the public to enjoy the sounds of classic swing music by the greats like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and more. There will be swing dance lessons led by Jane and Rodney Schomas followed by two sets of music, and desserts and refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public, but donations will be accepted with all proceeds going to the PHS band. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with dance lessons at 7 p.m. and music beginning at 7:30 p.m.

3. Family Game Night: The Hume-Carnegie Museum, 901 Washington St., Mendota, will host the event from 4 to 7 p.m. in its conference room. The evening will feature classic board games. Admission is free and donations are welcome. Families may bring their favorites to play or share.

4. The Model Train Fair and Farm Toy Show: The event is scheduled 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Bureau County Fairgrounds in Princeton. There will be train layouts that children can watch. All scales of model trains will be for sale, from N scale to HO and O scale, including new and antique models. There will be many different styles of farm toys for sale, including tractors, wagons, combines and die cast trucks. There also will be other toys for sale such as Hot Wheels, books and games. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children. The Bureau County Fairgrounds is located at 811 W. Peru St.

5. Annual kumla dinner: Fern Dell Historic Association’s annual kumla dinner will be 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Newark Firehouse, 101 E. Main St.. The dinner includes kumla along with a ham supper. No advance tickets are needed. There will be a silent auction.

Would you like your event highlighted in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to the Illinois Valley’s community calendar at shawlocal.com/illinois-valley/local-events.