Horses take center stage at Wheaton festival
Horse lovers will have the chance to see some of their favorite breeds during Sunday's Danada Fall Festival in Wheaton.
About 70 equines - from ponies to Percherons - are expected to be part of the activities and performances during the one-day event at Danada Equestrian Center, 3S507 Naperville Road.
"It's a combination of a celebration of the horse and, of course, the fall," said Wayne Zaininger, the center's manager of site operations. "It's a great time to come out and see a wide variety of horses. You also see some of the beautiful fall colors."
Dating to the 1980s, the festival was started as a way to promote the equestrian center, which once served as Dan and Ada Rice's racehorse training estate and was the home of 1965 Kentucky Derby winner Lucky Debonair.
Today, the festival is considered one of the DuPage County Forest Preserve District's signature events, drawing 7,000 to 10,000 people each year.
"That's probably a conservative number," Zaininger said. "I know that some of our biggest years, we've actually had closer to 14,000. It looks like it's going to be a terrific year again."
This year, the festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the equestrian center. Highlights include horse-drawn and tractor-pulled hayrides, activities for children and main-arena events, including the popular "parade of breeds" at 1:15 and 4:05 p.m.
There's also going to be performances by Danada's volunteer musical horseback drill team, which will be doing a superhero themed routine.
"The horses steal the show," said Patti Buh, a Winfield resident who is a member of the drill team.
She said kids attending the festival take whatever opportunities they can to pet the horses, see them up close and learn about their personalities.
As for grown-ups, Buh said, they enjoy learning about the history of the equestrian center, which she describes as "an old Kentucky-style farm in the middle of the suburbs."
Festivalgoers will be able to visit the Rices' former home, Danada House, and view the Friends of Danada Nature Art and Photo Show, a juried competition featuring local artists. There also will be a memorabilia display inside the house to mark the 50th anniversary of Lucky Debonair's Derby win.
In addition, visitors can tour the barn that once housed Lucky Debonair and learn about horse care, grooming and tack, officials said.
Children will be able to paint pumpkins, take pony rides, get their face painted or decorate paper hobby horses for a romp in the main arena at 12:05, 3:30 and 4:15 p.m.
"They get to jump around in the arena just like the horses do a couple of times during the event," Zaininger said.
In addition to the drill team and the Parade of Breeds, there's a list of other performances in the main arena.
The Midwest Renegades will entertain the crowd with Roman riding and trick riding, and the Northern Illinois Outlaws will perform mounted shooting demonstrations. Additional guest horses and riders will showcase other riding styles and breeds throughout the day.
"It's a unique experience for a lot of DuPage County residents to come to a forest preserve and see a wide variety of performances," Zaininger said.
While admission and parking are free at the festival, food and drinks will be for sale and some activities have small fees.
For information, call the Danada Equestrian Center at (630) 668-6012 or visit dupageforest.org.
What: Danada Fall Festival
When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Danada Equestrian Center, 3S507 Naperville Road, Wheaton
Admission: Free
Info: (630) 668-6012 or dupageforest.org