Spring Into Spring: Five Must-Know March Dates In Oswego

OSWEGO, IL — Spring doesn't officially arrive until Thursday, March 19, but it already feels like the cozy months are over. There are a number of events in and around Oswego to help bring in the new season, starting with a series of archery classes at The Archery Place, 1725-B Crescent Lake Drive, Montgomery.

The classes are designed with young and/or beginner archers in mind. They will take place every Thursday between March 5 and March 26, from 6 to 7 p.m. To register for classes, visit The Archery Place's Facebook page.

Besides archery classes, here are five other need-to-know dates in March.

• March 2: National Read Across America Day is often called Dr. Seuss Day because it's the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, the illustrator and writer of popular children's books under the pseudonym of Dr. Seuss. The intent of the National Education Association-sponsored Dr. Seuss Day is to encourage reading in children, and role models and celebrities often read to children at school.
  
  
• March 8: International Women's Day takes on added prominence this year due to the #MeToo movement, which gave voice to throngs of women to talk about issues ranging from sexual harassment to pay equality. In Oswego, what woman most inspires you and why? Tell us in the comments section.
  
  
• March 8: Daylight Saving Time actually arrives before the start of spring. Remember the maxim — spring forward, and set your clock ahead an hour. Most cell phones and devices will automatically update.
  
  
• March 9: The March full moon is a supermoon — the second of four this year. It's also called the full worm moon, so named by early Native American tribes because it's the time of year when earthworms began working their way out of the newly thawed ground. It's also been called the crow moon, the crust moon, the sap moon and the Lenten moon.
  
  
• March 17: St. Patrick's Day, that one feast day when many of us tap our inner Irish (or at least pretend we do) falls on a Tuesday this year. In the Oswego area, the Plastic Paddy season begins on the preceding Saturday, March 14, with the Yorkville St. Patrick's Day Celebration. Come down to Yorkville's East Hydraulic Street at 11 a.m. for the parade and live music. A 5K run will also take place in the village starting at 9 a.m., and various St. Patrick's Day festivities will be held throughout the village into the evening.

To see more springtime events in and around Oswego, check out the local community calendar. Highlights include a celebration of National Swedish Meatball Day, a discussion on the state of the climate change crisis, and an antique fair.

Feel free to add your own event to the calendar as well!