Programs are here again!

Posted by Sarah

Wagner Farm is pretty quiet during the winter months.  The animals hunker down to stay warm, the vegetation goes underground to re-energize, and school kids all stay indoors to await summer vacation.  However, we do have a few programs that remain despite the bitter cold temperatures!  Crafty Calves is a great way to spend a chilly day at the farm!   Carlin taught a group of toddlers all about chickens this morning! She helped them make a chicken noisemaker and read them some stories about hens and roosters.  The kids had a great time and enjoyed making their chickens "cluck" all throughout the museum.  We will feature pigs during next month's program.  Come out and join in on the fun!

Money

Last week I had a meeting at the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago. As I was cutting through to the classroom I had to snap a quick picture of what 1 million in singles looks like. The tidbit of the day - it costs the government 3 cents to make a penny. That says it all.

Chore Time

Posted by Allyson

I wanted to introduce a new volunteer who you have likely seen around the farm if you've been here in the afternoon.  Colleen is a local student who has been volunteering with Jeff and Andres through an arrangement with her school.  As you can see from the photos above, she's been getting some great experience and has been a great help to our farmers when it comes time for chores!

Winter Painting

Posted by Allyson

This fall, the exterior of the buildings around the farm got a fresh coat of paint.  Now that it's winter, it's time to focus on the painting that needs to be done inside.  This week, Andy and Carlin have been busy touching up and repainting the offices in the Heritage Center and the classrooms.  Did you know that the classrooms were used by 10,344 school kids on field trips and 4,890 people for birthday parties last year?  The paint doesn't stop with the staff - volunteers have been at it too the past couple of weeks.  Now that the fence around the farmhouse has been repaired, Richard has moved on to painting the gates for the farmhouse and the kitchen garden.  Meanwhile, Bob, Paul, Scott, and Dick have restored and painted a good portion of the silage chopper.  It was hardly recognizable to me when I went down to the basement to snap a photo today!

Saturday at the Farm

The first session of dinners for the 2013 season kicked off this past Saturday. When groups book they get to pick either a traditional German meal, pot roast or a turkey dinner. Over the course of the next three weeks we will be making one of each of these meals. My favorite on is the German meal just because I think it is neat to make the old German recipes in the Wagner House. If I just knew how to speak German. The other reason that I so like the German meal is that Sarah makes a spectacular apple cake with home made whipped topping. Hoping for leftovers!

Volunteer Recognition Night

This week we had the chance to celebrate the volunteers who give so much to make the Farm what it is. Allyson, our volunteer coordinator put on a great program that highlighted the 2,819 hours given in 2012. From help with exhibits to special events there was not a single part of the Farm operation that did not benefit from the efforts of the volunteers. A real thank you to all the volunteers and Allyson for a great year.

Old paint

Our basement restoration crew has been making steady progress on the 1920's Eagle silage chopper.  I thought it was interesting when they power washed the grease off there were places that the original paint came shinning through.  As bright and clean as the day it was put on.  Evidence like this makes it easy to know what color to repaint the chopper.

Ready for snow

Like most of Illinois we are still waiting for a real measurable snow.  So far we have had two short little snows that really don't count for much.  One of the reasons we are eager for the white stuff is because we have something new we can't wait to try out.  A couple of years ago Lloyd Bettis found for us a period sleigh.  It came with the box bed that a farmer might have used to haul things like corn or firewood.  We took the box off and instead mounted a flatbed and added  three benches. This is an Andy and Bob project.  Great job guys.
I promise that once we get enough snow to drag it around with the horses I will add some more pictures. 

Winter in the Community Garden

by Jen

The Community Garden is snoozing under its blanket of snow, but meanwhile plans are being made for the 2013 growing season. Keep an eye out for the spring Glenview Park District Brochure for information on signing up for a garden plot!

Now On Display

Posted by Allyson

The Waterloo Boy hit and miss engine that Todd wrote about back at the end of November is now on display in the Heritage Center thanks to the quick work of one of our newest volunteers, Bob.  Soon after Dick Zander and his son Boyd generously donated the engine to the farm, Bob got to work building an exhibit for it in a small space behind the silo that seems to have been made for it.  The lighting has been installed so that you can check out the component parts and belt system, but it's still a work in progress.  Next up is the signage.

Fido Goes to School

Posted by Allyson

Karen sent me a link to this photo a few weeks ago shortly after I had posted about the one-room schoolhouse lunch study. Ironically, her husband came across the photo online completely unaware of the blog post and shared it with her. Makes you wonder if this was a common practice! It sure would be nice to be able to take the family dog or cat to school on a cold day like today.