ROCHELLE – The Flagg Township Museum will host a series of informal talks – Chautauqua – on March 24 through March 27 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the museum and it’s all about making connections and building community. Historically, a Chautauqua was a cultural and social movement that started in upstate New York in the 1870s and flourished until the mid-1920s. During this time, hundreds of touring chautauquas presented lectures, dance, music, drama and other forms of “cultural enrichment”. This year’s schedule of Chautauqua speakers is focusing on community in celebration of the museum’s year-long theme, “Making Connections.”

On Monday, March 24 we connect with the Rochelle Chamber of Commerce. Director Tricia Herrera will share more about what a Chamber of Commerce does for a community and for our community. Tuesday we hear from Rochelle City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh to learn more about how the city manager manages our city. We’ll get the scoop about media from Rochelle News-Leader Managing Editor Jeff Helfrich along with the challenges for newspapers today on Wednesday. Sarah Flanagan and Ashley Capes from the Flagg-Rochelle Public Library will be on hand on Thursday to share just what it takes for our library to be the “place to gather, learn, and grow.”

Our series has always been a way to promote informal learning about interesting topics, sometimes historic and always informative. We hope you’ll attend this year at the museum, Monday through Thursday, March 24 to March 27 at 7 p.m. each evening. It’s free and light refreshments will be available.

The mission of the Flagg Township Historical Society and Museum is to stimulate interest in Flagg Township history through education, research, collection and preservation of information for the benefit of the public of today and in the future.