As part of this year’s Bishop Hill Chautauqua, Brian “Fox” Ellis, professional storyteller and historian, will perform as Benjamin Dann Walsh, the first State Entomologist of Illinois who lived just outside the Bishop Hill Colony. Mr. Ellis will give an outsider’s viewpoint of the Bishop Hill Colony. Fox’s performance will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 9 at the park gazebo.
Benjamin Dann Walsh was an English-born American entomologist who served as the first official state entomologist (insect scientist) in Illinois. Walsh championed the application of scientific methods to control agricultural pests. He was a proponent of biological control as an effective means to manage insects. He was also one of the first American scientists to support Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and was instrumental in securing its broad acceptance in the entomological community.
Brian “Fox” Ellis is an internationally acclaimed author, storyteller, historian, and naturalist. He has worked with The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, The Field Museum and dozens of other museums across the country. Fox is a highly sought keynote speaker at regional and international conferences including the International Wetlands Conservation Conference, National Science Teachers Association Conference and the North American Prairie Conservation Conference, et al.
All of the Chautauqua programs will be held at the gazebo in Bishop Hill’s town park, on the corners of Main Street and Bishop Hill Road, in Bishop Hill, IL. Folks are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and to bring a friend. This free public event is sponsored by the Bishop Hill Heritage Association, Community State Bank, Illinois Arts Council, Geneseo Foundation, Galesburg Community Foundation, and Fox Tales International. Regional Media is our major media sponsor. For more information, call 309-927-3899, visit www.bishophillheritage.org, or email bhha@mymctc.net .
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