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Sponsored By:Dubuque Audubon Society,
Dubuque County Conservation Society, &
Friends of Dubuque County Conservation Board
Minnesota Opera baritone, American Cruise Lines actor, and “riverlorian” (river historian) Steven Marking brings to life the true and inspiring story of Will Dilg in a multi-media show you won’t soon forget. Will Dilg is the singular driving force behind the formation of the Izaak Walton League and the formation of our Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
Date: Friday, February 28, 2025
Time: 7 - 9 PM (with 15 min. intermission)
Ticket Cost: $25 plus fees
General Admission (no reserved seating)
Location: University of Dubuque Babka Theatre (Located in the Heritage Center)
2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque, IA 52001
Farber Box Office: 563-585-SHOW
Box office hours: Weekdays 11am to 2pm
https://heritagecenter.vbotickets.com/events
In A Visit from Will Dilg, Steven Marking plays environmental leader Will Dilg, sharing the story of grassroots activism that led to the protection of America’s first Fish and Wildlife Refuge. A civic engagement success story, the performance showcases the transformation that can happen when people work together for conservation and environmental protection for future generations. The 50-minute multimedia performance is followed by an interactive discussion by Riverlorian Steven Marking. After a 15-minute intermission, Steven will share songs and stories from another of his creations, Our Mighty Mississippi - from the Headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico.
Additional Details:
A century ago, Will Dilg was the driving force behind our nation’s first successful large scale grassroots environmental movement. After Dilg’s only son drowned in the Mississippi River, he rose up from the depths of depression and mourning to become a tireless, fanatic firebrand – leading an extraordinary national crusade to form the Izaak Walton League and save a 261 mile stretch of Mississippi River Backwaters we now know as the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. While his life was cut short, his accomplishments are still legendary, and we all will benefit by hearing from him a century after this monumental achievement.
This show is a must-see performance if you treasure beautiful views of the Mississippi River backwaters, or if you enjoy birding, fishing, boating, or hunting in those fish and wildlife-rich backwaters. Because one hundred years ago all of that was about to go away as wetlands throughout the upper Mississippi were being drained to satisfy the insatiable demands of settlers for factories, farms and towns. In “A Visit from Will Dilg,” Steven Marking as Dilg recounts how he rallied the nation in two short years to stop what he called the “drainage crime of the century” and create the Upper Mississippi Refuge, protected 100 years ago, in 1924.
Steven Marking holds a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Viterbo University in his hometown of La Crosse, Wisconsin. He brings more than three decades of professional production and performance experience to his latest creation, A Visit From Will Dilg, and his ongoing masterpiece, Our Mighty Mississippi.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
University of Dubuque Heritage Center, 2264 Grace St, Dubuque, IA 52001-6048, United States,Dubuque, Iowa
