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1. Barbed Wire Weekend: Help mark the 150th anniversary of DeKalb’s claim to fame, Joseph F. Glidden’s barbed wire patent, with events scheduled Friday through Sunday. Proceeds from the weekend will support the J.F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center. Events include a bus tour of historic sites including two barbed wire production facilities Friday. A Barbed Wire Expo will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at NIU’s Altgeld Hall. The homestead is open for tours all weekend. Artists will decorate downtown windows with a barbed wire-themed mural, and a Saturday night party will feature music, a Glidden family meet-and-great, food and more. For information, visit barbedwireweekend.com, email jessi@gliddenhomestead.org or call 815-756-7904.
2. Back Alley Market returns to DeKalb: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in Palmer Court alley from First to Third streets and North Second and Third streets downtown. More than 100 vendors offering crafts, baked goods, food, art, jewelry, glasswork, wellness items and more will be featured. Live music and food trucks will be on hand at the family-friendly event. For more information, visit shawlocal.com/daily-chronicle.
3. Come out to the 15th annual NIU STEM fest: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the NIU Holmes Student Center, MLK Commons, Anderson Hall and Founders Memorial Library, DeKalb. Attendees can build electronic circuits, launch model rockets, look through microscopes, fly drones, build blocks and listen to a STEM-themed story. Participants also can watch a chemistry demo show, see a weather balloon launch and listen to NASA and Argonne National Lab speakers. Hands-on activities and demonstrations will be provided by the NIU Robotics Club, Innovation Club, Girls Who Code, Game Developer Club and Illinois Department of Transportation District 3 engineers. Meta will offer a virtual reality “Be Pro Be Proud” mobile workshop to learn about skilled trades. For information, visit go.niu.edu/stemfest or niusteam.niu.edu.
4. Run in the DeKalb Corn Classic races: The 44th annual 5K and 10K race begins and ends Sunday in downtown DeKalb. The route takes runners through historic neighborhoods, along the Kishwaukee River through Prairie Park, and through the Northern Illinois University campus and Huskie Stadium and ends in Van Buer Plaza. Entertainment on the course during the run will include the Black Tie Jazz Trio, NIU’s Huskie Marching Band, Banda and the NIU Steelband. For information or to register, visit www.dekalbcornclassic.org.
5. Get your foodie on at the Taste of DeKalb: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday in Van Buer Plaza, Palmer Court and Second Street in downtown DeKalb. The annual event is a fundraiser for the Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary and entices participants to come hungry and taste a variety of dishes served. Food trucks, family-friendly activities and live entertainment abound. The event is free to attend, although food and drink will be available for purchase. Live music by InFunktious and the Prissillas. For information kishwaukeerotary.com/.
Would you like your event featured in this weekly feature? The first step is submitting your events to the Daily Chronicle’s community calendar at shawlocal.com/daily-chronicle/local-events, where they are then considered for inclusion in this feature. Submissions to the community calendar also are printed in the Thursday edition of the Daily Chronicle.