Big Bear Show aims to educate visitors to Kane County Fair
The bears are visiting the Kane County Fair in St. Charles this week. Not the Chicago Bears, but real-life grizzly and European brown bears.
One of the newest acts in this year's fair is Welde's Big Bear Show, featuring bears from Bearadise Ranch in Myakka City, Florida.
Johnny D. Welde, a third generation bear trainer, will educate visitors while the bears swim and perform each day of the fair.
The family has been training bears since 1926; this year marks their first appearance at the Kane County Fair. Their bears have performed in everything from the Ringling Bros. Circus to Hollywood movies like "Big Fish."
Monica Welde, Johnny's wife and co-owner of Bearadise Ranch, said the bears demonstrate their unique abilities and brutal grace through their behaviors and actions during the exhibit.
"People of all ages love animals; they love to see them and to learn about them at the same time," Welde said. "All of the bears have their own personalities and the Welde family likes to bring it out of each of the bears"
What is even more important to Welde is educating the public on the threats facing these threatened creatures, which include habitat loss and poaching.
"(The show) teaches people about bears and what they're facing in the wild," Welde said. "They give a lot of information on what species the bears are. All bear species are threatened and it's important for people to learn about them."
Along with those massive mammals, a number of other animal-related activities will be featured throughout the fair, which opens on Wednesday, July 15, and continues through Sunday, July 19.
Swifty Swine pig racing from Van, Texas, will return for the 18th year in what "Swinemaster" Zach Johnson referred to as a "squealing good time."
Johnson said the fair is a favorite event - for both him and his hogs.
"People love it. Pig racing is a staple of fairs," Johnson said. "Lots of things change, but there will always be pig racing at county fairs. And as long as we keep improving our product, they'll keep calling us back."
The 4-H program will also be showcasing a number of youth projects related to raising cattle and livestock. Deanna Roby, a 4-H youth development extension educator, said the participants learn cutting edge training and raising practice.
"The fair really is the culmination of the 4-H year," Roby said. "The kids demonstrate the learning they've done with individual projects through exhibits at the county fair." Livestock will also be shown and auctioned.
But as agricultural interest diminishes in an urbanizing society, the number of animal projects have declined while high-tech projects are on the rise, Roby said.
"Animal projects are dwindling. We're not much of an agricultural country anymore, except for the far west, really," Roby said. "Compared to robotics or visual arts, the livestock number is probably a little smaller, but both play a very important role in our programs."
On the lighter side of animal life, Miller's Petting Zoo from Geneseo will be visiting the midway each day of the fair. It brings animals ranging from llamas and lambs to ducklings and donkeys.
The Kane County Fair is held at the fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles. Admission is $5 Wednesday and Thursday; $10 Friday through Sunday, $5 for children 3-12; free for children younger than 3; and free for seniors and military personnel before 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
For details, visit www.kanecountyfair.com. For more on the individual acts, visit www.bearadiseranch.com, www.swiftyswine.com, web.extension.illinois.edu/dkk/kane4h, and www.millerspettingzoo.com.