Community Calendar

Summer Exploration Series
Looking for ways to keep your brain going all summer long? The Summer Exploration series is a great way for elementary and middle school scientists to get involved in ecology alongside their grown-ups.

Meet: Visitor Center Classroom
Fee: $12/Member child, $15/Non-Member child, 1 adult included in price.
Please Register >
Audience: Children with an adult

June 4- Slime and Scales: Learn about salamanders, snakes, turtles, and all things cold-blooded

June 18- Feathered Friends: The sounds, colors, and behaviors of the avian world

July 2- The Great Bug Hunt: Discover and identify the incredible world of insects

July 16- Aquatic Adventures: Dive under the surface to see the tiny life in our ponds and streams

August 6- Secret Lives of Plants: Take a deep breath and see the bright green world of our photosynthetic neighbors

August 20- Homes and Habitats: Dig into the ecology of our habitats, and the ways that plants, animals, and fungi find their niche

Kick off summer with the 75th Annual Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair in historic Bronson Park in beautiful downtown Kalamazoo! This two-day, juried fine arts fair welcomes 15,000+ visitors to the park to celebrate and invest in the participating artists from across Michigan and the country as they showcase their creative talents and sell their work.

Celebrating this landmark 75th year in 2026, the KIA Arts Fair will feature up to 145 fine artists in 12 distinct mediums presenting their jaw dropping, one of a kind creations of usable and decorative art to feature, wear and use. You are sure to find something truly unique shopping the wide selection of fine artists. Throughout Friday and Saturday you can partake in shopping, live entertainment, kids’ activities, artist demonstrations from the Kirk Newman Art School, fine food truck fair, and FREE admission to KIA galleries.

Friday, June 5, 3–8pm
Saturday, June 6, 9am–5pm

America’s most ICONIC disco party, Gimme Gimme Disco, is coming to Kalamazoo on 5 June 2026, and it’s bringing nothing but glitter, grooves, and pure dance-floor joy.

If you can’t get enough of ABBA, this is THE dance party for you! Gimme Gimme Disco is a DJ-based dance party spinning all your favorite ABBA anthems, plus nonstop disco classics from the ’70s and ’80s. Expect hits from the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Cher, and more, the kind of songs that make it impossible to stand still. Come ready to lay all your love on the dance floor, sing at the top of your lungs, and dance like nobody’s watching.

So honey honey, take a chance. Put on your best disco fit, don’t forget your dancing shoes, but leave your worries behind. Whether you’re a lifelong dancing queen or just here for the vibes, your crown awaits. This is the best disco since 1980, sweaty, euphoric, and packed with feel-good energy from start to finish at Bell’s Back Room on 5 June 2026.

Kick off summer with the 75th Annual Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair in historic Bronson Park in beautiful downtown Kalamazoo! This two-day, juried fine arts fair welcomes 15,000+ visitors to the park to celebrate and invest in the participating artists from across Michigan and the country as they showcase their creative talents and sell their work.

Celebrating this landmark 75th year in 2026, the KIA Arts Fair will feature up to 145 fine artists in 12 distinct mediums presenting their jaw dropping, one of a kind creations of usable and decorative art to feature, wear and use. You are sure to find something truly unique shopping the wide selection of fine artists. Throughout Friday and Saturday you can partake in shopping, live entertainment, kids’ activities, artist demonstrations from the Kirk Newman Art School, fine food truck fair, and FREE admission to KIA galleries.

Friday, June 5, 3–8pm
Saturday, June 6, 9am–5pm

Stop in to the KIA during Arts Fair for a hands on art activity! We will provide the supplies to create your own Gelli Plate printed sneaker. Experiment with colorways inspired by objects featured in Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks!

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.

Prairie Wildflower Walk
Travel our Emma Pitcher Prairie to learn about Michigan’s beautiful native prairie flowers, and leave with a better understanding of the beautiful ecosystems that once covered our continent.

Meet: Visitor Center front desk

Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free!

Audience: All ages

Date: Saturday, June 6 from 2:00 – 3:00PM

Please join us the first Saturday of each month at 9 AM (barring special events or bad weather which will be announced on our Facebook page), for "Beginning Birding Walks," led by experienced birders from the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo. This event is free and open to the public. Meet at the second parking lot at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery in Mattawan, just off SR 43. All skill levels are welcome.

We will enjoy nature while typically identifying 20-40 species of birds, plus butterflies, frogs, etc. Over 200 bird species have been sighted at Wolf Lake, which offers a variety of habitats and easy walking trails. Annual highlights include colorful songbirds like orioles, warblers, tanagers, hawks and eagles, kingfishers, Great Blue and Green Herons, and over 20 species of waterfowl. Eastern Bluebirds can be found year-round! Children accompanying adults are welcome. The focus is on birding fundamentals, and extra binoculars are always available. The walk typically takes about 2 hours (but feel free to arrive late or leave early).

Plein Air Art Group
Looking to relax and unwind with some outdoor art? Stop by for an informal plein air painting and sketching group to sketch the beautiful landscapes of the nature center. We’ll hike from the visitor center together, and learn a little about our ecosystems as we capture them on canvas.

Please bring your own art supplies.

June 7, 2026- Emma Pitcher Prairie
August 2, 2026- Raptor Ridge

Time: 1:00 – 2:30PM
Meet: Sun dial by the parking lot
Fee: Included in regular KNC admission; KNC Members free!
Audience: Adults

Silver Maples: Welcome to DeLano Farm
Summer is here on the farm! Come take a tour of the farm at KNC’s historic homestead, and learn about what lets an organic farm like ours stay growing year after year. After, we’ll enjoy some of this year’s harvest together!

Date: June 11, 11:00AM – 1:00PM

Audience: This program is geared for adults 50 and up, but all ages are welcome.

Fee: Non-members $10, members free! Please register.

Meet: DeLano Farm 555 West E Avenue Kalamazoo, MI

During this Gallery Gathering, we will take a closer look at Manierre Dawson’s Mother and Child and Henry Ossawa Tanner’s The Visitation. While both early 20th century paintings depict religious scenes, the artists approached their subject matter in distinctly different ways. Dawson, credited with being America’s first abstract artist, employs Cubist techniques, while Dawson, considered the first African American artist to attain international acclaim, blends Realism and Impressionism.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.
Gallery Gatherings are short, lightly-moderated conversations about selected artworks from ongoing exhibitions. Chairs and gallery stools are available for guests. This program is free, but preregistration is encouraged.