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

PLAINFIELD, 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 local events coming our way to help bring in the new season, kicking off with the 2020 Women's Film Festival 'LUNAFEST.'

LUNAFEST is a travelling film festival promoting short movies made by, for and about women, having already made a stop this year in neighboring Oswego. It will be held Thursday, March 12, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. at 14903 S. Center St. #109. All proceeds will benefit Guardian Angel Community Services, a domestic violence shelter in Joliet.

Besides LUNAFEST, 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 Plainfield, 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 Plainfield, the biggest St. Patrick’s Day event falls on the preceding Sunday, March 15, with the 18th annual Plainfield Irish Parade. Come out to enjoy bagpipers, Irish dancers, marching bands and more.

To see more springtime events in and around Plainfield, check out the local community calendar. Highlights include farmers' markets, 3D doodles, and a screening of 'Harriet,' the biography of revolutionary abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

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