The One Book One Community Festival in Macomb has picked a hot topic for this year’s theme: “Fire — Light and Warmth, Danger and Destruction.”
“It just so happens that the last two years we’ve done water and earth. So now we kind of feel like we have a pattern going here. So next year we’ll probably do wind,” said Virginia Diehl, who is on the festival committee.
Instead of settling on one book, the committee chose three:
- For children: “Wombat Said Come In” by Carmen Agra Deedy
- For middle schoolers: “Wildfire” by Breena Bard
- For adults: “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury
Diehl believes “Fahrenheit 451” is a timely selection.
“The book is about firefighters who, instead of fighting fires, start fires in homes that contain books. Their job is to destroy the history and wisdom contained in the books so that they’re no longer available for people to enjoy,” she said.
“This has a parallel with what’s going on in our libraries, for example, where books are quietly being taken off the shelf and they’re no longer available to the public.”
Festival events are taking place now through next month:
Saturday, April 11. Prairie Burns Explained, with Demo if conditions allow, 11 a.m. to noon. Prairie Land Conservancy, 321 W. University Drive, Macomb. Kirsten Boesen and Chris Enroth will introduce this method of caring for native prairie plants and will talk about ways of getting involved in prairie and savanna restoration.
Sunday, April 12. Legends & Lattes Book Club, 3-4:30 pm. 321 W. University Drive Macomb. Legends & Lattes is a local community Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Club. Its April selection is “Fahrenheit 451.” Join the book club e-news by emailing Jaime at spiderwebb957@gmail.com.
Sunday, April 12. Triangle Fire documentary film, 3:30–5:30 p.m. Western Illinois Museum, 201 S. Lafayette St., Macomb. The 60-minute film explores the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City and the resulting workplace safety reforms that continue to shape building codes and labor protections today. Includes graphic images. Please review the trailer to determine suitability. Followed by a pizza supper and conversation.
Wednesday, April 15. Preschool Story Time, 10:30 -11 a.m. Macomb Public Library, 235 S. Lafayette St., Macomb. Children will meet a friendly Wombat who invites his neighbors into his warm underground burrow when they need help. Each child or family will receive a copy of Carmen Agra Deedy’s “Wombat Said Come In.”
Tuesday, April 23. Conversation with Fire Chief Dan Meyers and Western Illinois Museum Director Sue Scott, 5 – 6:30 p.m. 201 S. Lafayette St., Macomb. A look at five significant local fires, including the Chelsea’s Hallmark, Chandler Block, and Macomb Motors fires, and how they shaped safety practices, policy, and community response. Pizza and conversation will follow the screening.
Friday, April 24. Noticing Nature: A Curious Guide for Sprouts, 4 – 4:45 p.m. Macomb Park District Lakeview Nature Area, 10050 N. 1500th Rd., Macomb. Enjoy a nature-themed story and activity. Each Sprout or family will receive a copy of Carmen Agra Deedy’s “Wombat Said Come In” during the program.
Tuesday, May 5. WIU LIFE Program: We Need to Talk Book Club, 1-2 p.m. Connie LaRue will lead a discussion of Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451.” It will be accessible on Zoom. LIFE registration is expected.
Saturday, May 30. Kids and Fire Safety 2-3 p.m. Macomb Fire Station, 219 W. Jackson St., Macomb. Macomb Firefighters will show kids fire safety practices and tour the fire station with them. Guy Huston will read “Wombat Said Come In” with the kids and give each child or family their own copy.
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