Danada celebrates horses, season at Fall Festival
Visitors can celebrate the season and the joy of horses during the annual Danada Fall Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, at the DuPage Forest Preserve District's Danada Equestrian Center, 3S507 Naperville Road in Wheaton.
Main-arena events will feature many of the center's resident horses and its volunteer musical horseback drill team. Midwest Renegades will entertain with vaulting and trick riding, and the Northern Illinois Outlaws will demonstrate cowboy mounted shooting.
Additional guest horses and riders will showcase other riding styles and breeds throughout the day.
In addition to viewing the arena, visitors can take horse-drawn and tractor-pulled hayrides through the autumn woods, watch a farrier work with horseshoes, tour the barn that once housed Kentucky Derby-winner Lucky Debonair, and learn about horse care, grooming and tack.
They also can visit the Danada House, the former home of Dan and Ada Rice, and view the Friends of Danada Nature Art and Photo Show, a juried competition featuring local artists.
Children can decorate paper hobbyhorses, take pony rides, paint pumpkins or stop by the face-painting booth.
The festival is the district's largest special event and usually attracts more than 12,000 visitors. Admission and parking are free; some activities have small fees (cash only).
For details, call the equestrian center at (630) 668-6012.