Events Calendar

The Western Illinois Museum will continue its Film, Food & Conversation series with a screening of the documentary The Thinking Game (2024) on Sunday, September 6, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Following the screening, guests are invited to stay for Larry A's pizza, dessert, and conversation. A suggested $5 donation will be collected at the door.
The Thinking Game chronicles the extraordinary life of scientist Demis Hassabis and his relentless quest to solve the mystery of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Filmed over five years inside Google DeepMind's London headquarters, the film follows Hassabis and his team through pivotal moments in their pursuit of AI that matches or surpasses human ability, including the development of AlphaFold, a breakthrough that cracked a 50-year-old grand challenge in biology and went on to earn Hassabis and colleague John Jumper the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The documentary captures both the excitement of scientific triumph and the setbacks along the way, offering audiences a rare, intimate look at one of the most consequential technological pursuits of our time. The film’s run time is 84 minutes; find the trailer here: The Thinking Game | Documentary Trailer

Join us for the screening of the documentary The Thinking Game (2024), and stay for Larry A’s pizza, dessert, and conversation. 

Join our program coordinator for a bird-filled morning! We'll take a gentle stroll through the prairie and wood trails at our Wigwam Hollow Bird Sanctuary. Extra binoculars are available for the morning. Birders of all experience levels welcome!

Please note this is a LIFE Macomb class. Use the link below once their Fall Courses are open to register. There is a $5 cost.

Come build with LEGO blocks to your heart's content. Open to kids of all ages; kids under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. No registration required.

The Hub Arts & Cultural Center and Schuyler Jail Museum will open "Rushville's Story: 200 Years," a new exhibit celebrating the city's bicentennial, on Smiles Day, Friday, September 11, 2026. Doors open immediately following the parade, and the exhibit will be open to the public until 4:00 p.m. that day. The exhibit will remain on display through October 31, 2026, giving residents and visitors ample opportunity to explore Rushville's 200-year history.

Through The Hub and Schuyler Jail Museum’s partnership each year, we are able to keep our community’s history alive. This exhibit marks our fourth local history exhibit together. The Hub Arts & Cultural Center is a nonprofit organization serving West Central Illinois through arts and cultural programming.

Join the WIU Art Department at the Gazebo Art Festival for live demonstrations from WIU faculty and students, including screen printing, pottery, and more. Shop artwork from WIU students, faculty, and regional artists, browse the Friends of the Macomb Library book sale, and enjoy food trucks throughout the day! 

Save the date for the 12th Annual Monarch Migration Festival on Saturday, September 12, 2026! Celebrate all things Monarch butterfly with education stations, vendors, activities, and informational presentations. This is a free event and open to all ages!

This deeply moving and powerful lecture-recital delves into the extraordinary and often haunting role of music during the Holocaust, examining repertoire banned by the SS Kulturkammer and what type of music was performed in the camps and ghettos. Through the heartbreaking stories of Jewish composers whose lives were extinguished by the Nazi regime, Dr. Beard exposes how the Nazis twisted music into a weapon of psychological cruelty, even as prisoners reclaimed it as a lifeline. In the darkest of circumstances, music became a fragile sanctuary: an act of courage, identity, and resistance against a world intent on erasing them.

Everyone has a story to tell. This class offers a friendly and relaxed space to explore creative writing through memoir, fiction, poetry, and personal essays. The instructor provides guidance through writing prompts, discussions, and supportive feedback to help participants build confidence and develop their unique voice. No writing experience is needed—just bring your curiosity and a willingness to write.

Movie Mondays is a film series connected to the upcoming “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibition. These films will be shown at the *Capitol Theater and will explore themes of communication, propaganda, and public understanding during World War II, highlighting how information shaped perspectives and decisions both then and now. Selections may include classic films from the era, such as “The Great Dictator”, along with other films that provide historical context and encourage meaningful discussion.