Goin' batty at the Fremont Public Library

Sharon Peterson of New Lenox brought her Incredible Bats program to the Fremont Public Library in Mundelein Tuesday.

During her show she dispelled myths about bats and explained how beneficial these creatures are to our world.

She showed off two of her bats, an African straw-colored bat and an Egyptian fruit bat.

Some common misconceptions about bats are that they attack people, they are blind, they are dirty or diseased, and that they suck blood.

According to Peterson, bats are great for controlling the insect populations and can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes per hour.

Kids gazed in awe as she showed off her bats and let one of them fly from her arms back to the cage in front of the crowd.

Peterson, who is also a schoolteacher in Bolingbrook, has been educating people about bats since 1996.

To find out more about the Incredible Bats programs, visit www.incrediblebats.com.

To find out more about programs at Fremont Public Library, visit fremontlibrary.org.