DuPage Children’s Museum to hold ‘Mess Fest’ for kids
The DuPage Children’s Museum’s Mess Fest, at which kids can conduct sensory experiments with foam, mud, slime and othe items, will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at the 301 N. Washington St. museum in Naperville.
Most of the activities will take place outdoors in the parking lot. The event is included with the price of museum admission or membership.
Children can choose how messy they want to get and can wash up in the Kid Wash Station when they are finished. Museum officials also recommend bringing a change of clothes and shoes.
Opportunities at Mess Fest include creating dirt dishes in a mud kitchen, building slippery structures with shaving cream, making homemade slime or banging on paint-filled drums, museum officials said in a news release.
Children and their families can also create chalk art with artists Amaryllis Guerrero, of Aurora, and Giovanni Arellano, of West Chicago.
Messy play helps support creativity, learning and social connections, museum officials said. Sensory stimulation can also relieve stress and bring about a sense of calm, officials said.
In the event of inclement weather, activities may be limited. For more information, go to www.dupagechildrens.org/mess-fest.
July 4 fireworks show being held at Frontier complex
The Naperville Community Fireworks Show will take place at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, at Frontier Sports Complex, 3380 Cedar Glade Drive.
The show is free, and there is no charge for parking.
Those attending can watch from a field within the park or from their cars. There are 906 parking spaces at the Frontier Sports Complex and an additional 1,000 parking spaces nearby at Neuqua Valley High School, 2360 95th St.
Before attending the show, community members are encouraged to check out www.naperville.il.us/eventinfo for more information, maps of available parking and additional parking options.
The fireworks show is hosted by the Naperville Park District and the city of Naperville.
DuPage County holding free pet microchip event Saturday
DuPage County Animal Services will host a free event to microchip dogs and cats from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at its 120 N. County Farm Road offices in Wheaton.
No appointments are necessary. Dogs must be on a leash and cats must be in carriers.
Animal Services often sees an increase in missing pets around the Fourth of July holiday because loud fireworks cause them to get scared and run, county officials said in a news release. Microchipped dogs and cats are significantly more likely to be returned to their owners, officials said.
The microchips are being supplied by 24 Pet, the event’s sponsor, and can help recover lost animals and provide ways for shelters to contact the owners.
Event participants can also pick up engraved ID tags and pet supplies, such as food, leashes and collars.
DuPage County Animal Services is also waiving adoption fees for select dogs for anyone looking for a pet as part of its summer promotion. County officials said they are focusing on dogs more than 40 pounds since they often have a harder time finding homes.
For more information, go to www.dupagecounty.gov/animalservices.
