Ninth Annual Family Event Showcases Wonders of 1915
Kick off Labor Day weekend and celebrate the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s centennial with games, acrobatic jugglers, a genuine flea circus, horse-drawn wagon rides and other entertainment at a special 1915 “Country Fair” 10 a.m. ‒ 4 p.m. Sept. 5 and 6 at Kline Creek Farm, 1N600 County Farm Road, West Chicago.
“Experience an old-fashioned ‘Country Fair’ as it was the year the Forest Preserve District was established 100 years ago,” said Forest Preserve District Commissioner Al Murphy, District 6.
Delight in the sights and sounds of the world’s only kalliorgel, Professor Marvel’s Amazing Flea Circus, the Amazing Budabi Brothers and Dr. John Alexander MacRae’s Tent of Wonders. Test your skills and compete for prizes in the games tent, or have a souvenir portrait taken in period attire.
In celebration of the Forest Preserve District’s centennial, this year’s “Country Fair” will also feature inventions and technologies from 1915, such as the telephone, phonograph, generator and electric light, and a women’s venue that explores women’s suffrage in Illinois and the role it played in establishing the county’s first forest preserves.
“In many areas like DuPage County, most residents arranged their calendars around the county fair whether they were farmers or not,” said Forest Preserve District of DuPage County President Joe Cantore. “Besides the exhibits of crops, animals and implements, the public was introduced to new home technologies like telephones, phonographs, generators and electric lights.”
Admission to this all-ages fair is free, but there are small fees for some activities. For more information, visit the “Country Fair” Web page and photo gallery or call 630-876-5900.
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has been connecting people to nature for 100 years. More than 4 million people visit its 60 forest preserves, 145 miles of trails, five education centers and scores of programs each year. For information, call 630-933-7200 or visit dupageforest.org, where you can also link to the District’s e-newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube pages.