Join us in celebrating Civic Season, in partnership with Made By Us. Throughout Civic Season, we will offer a mix of in-person and virtual events, kicking things off with Free Day on Juneteenth! We also invite guests to pause, reflect, notice, and wonder utilizing our Educating for American Democracy civics questions located across the grounds. Dissenting Voices will close out our Civic Season, encouraging all of us to ponder historical dissenting views on the Fourth of July and showcase criticisms of American Freedom.
Through art, play, discourse and kinship, we hope you feel inspired to fall in “civic love” this season.
Unable to join us in person? Check out our virtual programming!
Events
Are you a Nurturer, Defender, Connector or Amplifier? It takes all of us to shape our communities and our country for the better. Check out the Civic Superpower quiz to discover your civic superpowers! Explore where your story fits into our history!
Explore where your story fits into our history using The Story Of You guidebook. How do our stories intertwine? Learn more with Connecting Our Stories: A Regional Guide to Our Democracy Past and Present guidebook.
Juneteenth Free Day, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Enjoy free admission all day long and explore programs to amplify the spirit and importance of the day. Throughout the grounds, explore educational invitations focused on love, freedom, equality, and heritage, along with other activities like loose part art, bird walks and collaborative art. This day is designed to be inclusive, engaging guests of all ages and backgrounds in meaningful conversations about freedom, equality, and heritage through identity work, collaborative art, and imaginative play.
Bird Walk, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Experience birds and their habitats by taking a guided bird walk along the Trails at Conner Prairie. Beginner Bird walks are open to birders of all experience levels and will focus on identification strategies. This program is free with general admission. Please meet at the festival gates.
Juneteenth Jubilee, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.: Celebrate Juneteenth with Fishers Arts Council and Fishers High School's Future Black Leaders Club at Conner Prairie. Explore Black-owned businesses and community resources along with local food vendors and entertainment.
Why does place have so much power? Zoë Morgan, Curriculum Specialist, and Sampson Levingston, lover of Indiana history and creator of Through2Eyes, discuss the Power of Place and the importance of learning the full history of your neighborhood and your community. Learn about how history, through the lens of place, can help us understand our past and shape our future.
Check out Through2Eyes Walk and Talks and learn more about the hidden history and wonders of Indiana!
Tune in to This Is Problematic!: Hate Can’t Teach: Why Statue Removal is NOT Historical Erasure. Confederate monuments spawn controversy wherever they sit, and recently their removal has caused emotional uproar from all sides of the political spectrum. These ghostly shells of the past represent the myth of the Lost Cause, striking slavery from the list of reasons why the Civil War was fought and turning blame towards the North.
Our special guests, Katie Bramell, a museum professional who tackled this subject at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and her former co-worker Jesse Kramer, the Director of Exhibits at Conner Prairie, join Zoë and Easton to unpack the issue; if our country almost split in half, what is there to celebrate? From the deep South to the heart of Indiana, these harmful celebrations still negatively impact people who simply want to live lives free of fear.
Bird Walk, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Experience birds and their habitats by taking a guided bird walk along the Trails at Conner Prairie. Beginner Bird walks are open to birders of all experience levels and will focus on identification strategies. This program is free with general admission. Please meet at the festival gates.
Curious Conversation: What was the first bird you remember witnessing? Who were you with, and what does that memory mean to you? Join Curriculum Specialist, Zoë Morgan, and Nature Engagement Specialist, Michelle Morton, as they share their own stories of birding and the importance of uplifting Black voices in nature.
Learn more about Black AF In STEM!
Tune in to This Is Problematic! The Power of Black Birders. Black Birders Week is a celebration of Black nature-lovers and a commitment to the larger cause of breaking the colonial ties to greenspaces where everyone should feel welcome and safe. Ms. Nicole Jackson, founder of N Her Nature LLC. joins us to relight the fire for what we all know is true; the outdoors are for everyone!
What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? Watch as one of our interpreters reenact Frederick Douglas' famous speak during our Glorious Fourth program.
Bird Walk, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Experience birds and their habitats by taking a guided bird walk along the Trails at Conner Prairie. Beginner Bird walks are open to birders of all experience levels and will focus on identification strategies. This program is free with general admission. Please meet at the festival gates.
Join us during Glorious Fourth and experience Dissenting Voices as we discuss Citizenship and Freedom during the Fourth of July. This program is during Glorious Fourth and is free with general admission.
About Civic Season
Civic Season is the flagship program from Made By Us, a network of hundreds of museums, historic sites, libraries and archives unleashing access to history for younger generations. Civic Season will take place Juneteenth through the Fourth of July, and unites our oldest federal holiday with our newest, mobilizing a movement to understand our past and shape our future. Conner Prairie's Civic Season celebration reflects the initiatives of Made By Us by emphasizing community engagement and education, and by creating a space where diverse stories are shared and preserved.