Category: Calendar of Events
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Reminder: ESCONI 2025 Holiday Luncheon
ESCONI’s Holiday LuncheonSaturday, December 6, 2025 – 12:00 noonWarren’s Ale House, 51 Town Square, Wheaton. (Just north of Danada Square East)Website for Warren’s Ale House with Map & Menu:https://warrensalehouse.com/contact-us/RSVP: RSVPtoESCONI@outlook.com
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ESCONI November 2025 Paleontology Study Group Meeting – November 15th, 2025 at 7:30 PM via Zoom – “Gonioceras: A Most Unusual Cephalopod”
The November 2025 Paleontology Study Group Meeting will be held on November 15th, 2025 at 7:30 PM via Zoom. John Cataloni will be presenting “Gonioceras: A Most Unusual Cephalopod”. The diversity of nautiloid shell shapes in the Upper Ordovician of central Laurentia is remarkable. However, one shape is often missing from lists of shell shapes…
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ESCONI November 2025 General Meeting – November 14th, 2025 at 8:00 PM via Zoom – “Mammals of Illinois’ Ice Ages”
The November 2025 General Meeting will be held on Friday, November 14th, 2025 at 8:00 via Zoom. Melissa Pardi, Curator of Geology at the Illinois State Museum, will be presenting “Mammals of Illinois’ Ice Ages”. Did you know that Illinois used to have elephants? During the last ice age, North America was home to a…
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Save the Date: ESCONI 2025 Holiday Luncheon
ESCONI’s Holiday LuncheonSaturday, December 6, 2025 – 12:00 noonWarren’s Ale House, 51 Town Square, Wheaton. (Just north of Danada Square East)Website for Warren’s Ale House with Map & Menu:https://warrensalehouse.com/contact-us/RSVP: RSVPtoESCONI@outlook.com
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ESCONI November 2025 Mineral Study Group – November 1st, 2025 at 7:30 PM at the College of DuPage – “Fluorite”
The ESCONI Mineral Study Group will meet on Saturday, November 1st, 2025 at 7:30 PM in TEC 1038B at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. See Directions and Map below. The program will be on “Fluorite”. Southern Illinois was once a major producer of world-class fluorite specimens, primarily from Hardin County. While no commercial mining currently operates, you…
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Will County Forest Preserve: Silurian Trilobite Souvenirs
Event details ***Please note this program is being offered virtually via Zoom.*** Join Donald G. Mikulic for a fascinating look at the trilobite fossils left behind by the Silurian Sea that was once right here in Will County! Mikulic was a senior paleontologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and served as the curator of…
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ESCONI Events for November 2025
Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Sat, Nov 1st Mineralogy Study Group Meeting – 7:30 PM at the College of DuPage Technical Education Center (TEC) Building – Room 1038B (Map) – “Fluorite” Bring your specimens for “Show and Tell” Sat, Nov 8th Junior Group Meeting – 6:30 PM There will be a presentation about the…
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Video for ESCONI October 2025 Paleontology Study Group Meeting – “Creating 3D Digital Models for Paleontology”
The October 2025 Paleontology Study Group Meeting will be held on October 18th, 2025 at 7:30 via Zoom. The topic is “Creating 3D Digital Models for Paleontology”. It will be presented byShellie Luallin. Shellie Luallin will be presenting “Creating 3D Digital Models for Paleontology”. 3D models increasingly appear in the digital realm – in TV…
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Video for ESCONI October 2025 General Meeting – “Great Zimbabwe among its peers: Exploring the height of ancient civilizations in southern Africa”
The October 2025 General Meeting was held on Friday, October 10th, 2025 at 8:00 via Zoom. Foreman Bandama with the Field Museum presented on African archaeology and anthropology. His presentation is titled “Great Zimbabwe among its peers: Exploring the height of ancient civilizations in southern Africa” There are over twenty-five great African civilizations, besides Egypt.…
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Video for ESCONI September 2025 General Meeting – “Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site”
ESCONI General Meeting – Dr. Angela Cooper presented “Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.” Dr. Angela Cooper is originally from Mascoutah, IL and grew up learning about the great site of Cahokia Mounds. Her educational and professional career has centered around Illinois archaeology. Dr. Cooper received her MA from University of Tulsa studying the relationships of…
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Mazon Monday #292: Mazon Creek Fossil Day 2025
This is Mazon Monday post #292. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. We had a nice turnout at the Mazon Creek Fossil Day event in the Coal City library a few weeks ago. There were multiple displays by members and people brought in some of their finds for identification. Last week’s Fossil…
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ESCONI October 2025 Paleontology Study Group Meeting – October 18th, 2025 at 7:30 PM via Zoom – “Creating 3D Digital Models for Paleontology”
The October 2025 Paleontology Study Group Meeting will be held on October 18th, 2025 at 7:30 via Zoom. The topic is “Creating 3D Digital Models for Paleontology”. It will be presented by Shellie Luallin. Shellie Luallin will be presenting “Creating 3D Digital Models for Paleontology”. 3D models increasingly appear in the digital realm – in…
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ESCONI October 2025 General Meeting – October 10th, 2025 at 8:00 PM via Zoom – “Great Zimbabwe among its peers: Exploring the height of ancient civilizations in southern Africa”
The October 2025 General Meeting will be held on Friday, October 10th, 2025 at 8:00 via Zoom. Foreman Bandama with the Field Museum will be presenting on African archaeology and anthropology. His presentation is titled “Great Zimbabwe among its peers: Exploring the height of ancient civilizations in southern Africa” There are over twenty-five great African…
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Reminder: 2025 Mazon Creek Fossil Day, October 11th, 2025 at the Coal City Library
The 2025 Mazon Creek Fossil Day will be held on October 11th, 2025 at the Coal City Library from 10 AM to 3 PM. See you there! Previous events
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ESCONI October 2025 Mineral Study Group – October 4th, 2025 at 7:30 PM at the College of DuPage – “Calcite”
The ESCONI Mineral Study Group will meet on Saturday October 4th, 2025 at 7:30 PM in TEC 1038B at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. See Directions and Map below. The program will be on “Calcite”, presented by Mike Litt and Dave Carlson. Calcite has the largest variety of forms of any mineral, and may…
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ESCONI Events for October 2025
Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Sat, Oct 4th Mineralogy Study Group Meeting – 7:30 at the College of DuPage Technical Education Center (TEC) Building – Room 1038B (Map) – “Calcite” Fri, Oct 10th General Meeting – 8:00 PM – via Zoom. Foreman Bandama of the Field Museum will be presenting “Great Zimbabwe…
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ESCONI September 2025 Paleontology Meeting – “Show and Tell”
There were some very interesting things on display at the September 2025 Paleontology Meeting. The theme of the night was “Show and Tell”. We had over 20 attendees with everything from Mazon Creek to crinoids to nautiloids to a large model of a Velociraptor. John Catalani, Paleontology Study Group chairman, gave us a preview of…
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ESCONI September 2025 Paleontology Meeting – 2025-09-20 at 7:30 PM – “Show and Tell” at College of DuPage
For the newcomers, the first meeting back from summer vacation has traditionally been called “Brag Night” or “Show and Tell”. Well… The ESCONI September 2025 Paleontology Meeting will be held on 2025-09-20 at 7:30 PM at the College of DuPage Technical Education Center (TEC) Building – Room 1038B (Map). The topic of the meeting is “Show and…
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ESCONI September 2025 General Meeting via Zoom – “Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site”
ESCONI General Meeting – 8:00 PM via Zoom – Dr. Angela Cooper will be presenting “Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.” Zoom link Dr. Angela Cooper is originally from Mascoutah, IL and grew up learning about the great site of Cahokia Mounds. Her educational and professional career has centered around Illinois archaeology. Dr. Cooper received her…
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ESCONI Events for September 2025
You do not need to be a member to attend meetings Sat, Sep 6th and Sun, Sep 7th Field Trip – Braceville, IL for Mazon Creek Fosssils Fri, Sep 12th – 8:00 PM General Meeting – 8 PM – via Zoom Dr. Angela Cooper will be presenting “Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.” Sat, Sep 13th…
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2025 Mazon Creek Fossil Day, October 11th, 2025 at the Coal City Library
The 2025 Mazon Creek Fossil Day will be held on October 11th, 2025 at the Coal City Library from 10 AM to 3 PM. See you there! Previous events
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ESCONI Field Trip to Danville Shale Pile Fossils – Saturday, September 27th, 2025
Danville Field Trip Rules for Saturday, September 27th, 2025 An ESCONI field trip to the Danville IL Shale Pile for Pennsylvanian fossils is scheduled for Saturday September 27, 2025 starting at 10 AM. This is on private property and there is an attendance limit of 25 people. The gate will be secured once we are…
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2025 ESCONI Rock, Mineral, and Fossil Swap Report
Well, the 2025 ESCONI Rock, Mineral, and Fossil Swap is in the books. It was a huge success. This is the first time we have held this type event. Except for a little rain before setup, the weather was absolutely perfect… upper 70’s and partly cloudy. There were 19 swappers/sellers… all were selling something. We…
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From Warehouse to Stardom!
From Warehouse to Stardom!by Katherine Howard and Jim BiglerMany years ago, Rusty Grenier, a member of ESCONI, built a Styracosaurus sculpture with his father. After his father died, Rusty donated the sculpture to ESCONI. It was stored at the ESCONI warehouse with care…its future undecided. In March 2025, Katherine Howard and Jim Bigler, both beaming…
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Happy 32nd Unearth Day, SUE!
To commemorate SUE’s 35th rebirthday, the Field Museum did this post on LinkedIn last week. On August 12, 1990, Sue Hendrickson unearthed SUE—the world’s largest and most complete T. rex fossil ever found. 🎊 Since then, SUE’s been on quite the journey: from a rocky resting place in South Dakota to the spotlight at the…
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ESCONI Field Trip to Mount Orab for Trilobites – Saturday, September 13th, 2025
ESCONI will have a field trip to Flat Run Fossils in Mt. Orab, Ohio on September 13th, 2025. Flat Run Fossils is a new pay-to-dig site in the famous Mt. Orab trilobite beds. For many years,thousands of gorgeous Flexicalymene and Isotelus trilobites have been collected from this area. Other possible finds include brachiopods, graptolites, cephalopods,…
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ESCONI Events for Summer 2025
Sat, Aug 23rd ESCONI Rock Swap – 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM – DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL Details
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Video for ESCONI June 2025 General Meeting – “New discoveries in Inner Space Cavern reveal the animals of Ice Age Texas”
The June 2025 General Meeting was held on June 13th, 2025 via Zoom. Our speaker was John A. Moretti of the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. His topic was “New discoveries in Inner Space Cavern reveal the animals of Ice Age Texas“. Summary from John Moretti New discoveries in…
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ESCONI Rock, Mineral, and Fossil Swap – August 23rd, 2025 – DuPage County Fairgrounds
ESCONI will be holding a Rock, Mineral, and Fossil Swap on August 23rd, 2025 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Come on out!
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ESCONI June 2025 General Meeting – June 13th, 2025 – “New discoveries in Inner Space Cavern reveal the animals of Ice Age Texas”
The June 2025 General Meeting will be held at 8:00 PM CDT on June 13th, 2025 via Zoom. Our speaker is John A. Moretti of the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. His topic is “New discoveries in Inner Space Cavern reveal the animals of Ice Age Texas“. Since its…
