DURAND, Ill. — A traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Museum soon arrives in Durand.

The community will host Spark! Places of Innovation – an exhibit from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program highlighting innovation in rural America from the perspectives of those who lived it.

Likewise, Durand Charm also is producing an exhibit on the Durand Fire Department. Following downtown fires in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the first municipal volunteer fire department in Illinois began in Durand.

The department’s original 1926 Peter Pirsch fire engine will be on display for attendees as well.

An “exciting” slate of events throughout the Spark! stop. Two free events featuring 2023-2024 Illinois Road Scholars will celebrate the history of small, rural towns as centers of industry, innovation and resilience.

The first, on Dec. 5, 7:00 p.m., will feature Road Scholar Norman Moline’s presentation, A Quality Place on the Map: The Goal of Small Towns.

On Dec. 12, 7:00 p.m., Road Scholar Cynthia Clampitt will present, How Corn Changed Itself and Then Changed Everything Else. Both programs take place at the Fire Station and offer free refreshments.

The Smithsonian’s visit will be held at the Durand Masonic Lodge #302, 420 North Center Street, Durand, from Dec. 2, 2023, to Jan. 6, 2024. Note the exhibit closes Saturday, Dec. 23 through Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, and Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, to Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.

Other rural Illinois communities will offer the Spark! exhibit following Durand’s presentation.