The Cicada Era: The Homewood Tour was a wildly successful and imaginative campaign launched by the Village of Homewood during the historic double brood cicada emergence in Illinois. Tasked with educating the public while keeping content fresh and fun, Communications Manager Antonia Steinmiller took inspiration from Taylor Swift’s massively popular Eras Tour. She recreated Swift’s iconic album covers—adding cicadas to each design—and paired them with cicada facts that matched the theme of each album.  The album covers were "dropped" each week on social media leading up to the big emergence; each with their own flare and iconic look. The creative mashup caught fire in the community and beyond. What began as a playful social media campaign quickly became a pop culture sensation, with residents clamoring for merchandise and the story hitting local news channels. The original tour poster was turned into limited-edition t-shirts, which sold out twice through Village Hall pop-ups and online sales. Orders poured in from across Illinois and the U.S., uniting Swifties, science lovers, and Homewood locals alike. Best of all, the campaign gave back: proceeds supported Homewood nonprofit ANEW: Building Beyond Violence and Abuse combining creativity with community impact. 

For our Frequently Asked Questions about Cicadas, please click here to download the FAQ.  

For further questions regarding cicadas, please contact:

Morton Arboretum Plant Clinic - 630-719-2424 (plantclinic@mortonarb.org) 

Illinois Extension Plant Clinic - 217-333-0519 (plantclinic@illinois.edu)