Join the Illinois State Museum and the Organization for Bat Conservation on Saturday, July 8, for the Illinois Bat Festival, a division of the Great Lakes Bat Festival, which celebrates bats and their unique role as insect-eaters in ecosystems. The festival is geared towards children, families, educators and ecology professionals, and will feature presentations, speakers, live bat specimens, hands-on demonstrations, activities and games for children, plus informative displays that dispel common myths and legends surrounding the nocturnal creatures, which are the only mammals capable of true flight. Illinois Bat Festival events will continue Saturday night at Lincoln Memorial Garden with a “Science Night” from 8-10 p.m., where participants will be able to watch bats emerge from their shelters at sunset. For more information about the Illinois Bat Festival, visit http:// batconservation.org or call 248-645-3232.