Jan. 26: Salamander Festival

The Friends of Shades Creek will hold its annual Salamander Festival on Saturday, Jan. 26 from 3 to 5:30 p.m.  at the Homewood Senior Center, located adjacent to Patriot Park in West Homewood.

The free event marks the season when salamanders migrate from the mountain of Homewood Forest Preserve by Homewood High School to a wetland pool to find a mate and lay eggs.

“If you’re lucky, you might seem them do their dance in the wetland pool,” said Michelle Blackwood, president of Friends of Shades Creek.

University professors will be at the festival to talk and answer questions about the salamanders. Educational displays will cover fish, recycling, composting, gardening, fossil tracks, native plants and wildflowers.

The festival will also feature music, a chocolate fountain and other food, and crafts for kids. Festival entry and crafts are free. T-shirts and novelty items will be for sale, and there is a small charge for food at the chocolate fountain.