Harvest Fest indulges interest in history

Some people collect coffee mugs. Others latch onto coins or baseball cards.

"People collect everything," said Judi Ryan, vice president of the Wood Dale Historical Society.

Those collections not only reveal the collectors' interests, they can serve as a map leading to the essence of an earlier time, the way artifacts allow an archaeologist to piece together the past.

A chance to add to those collections is coming up this weekend.

A variety of vendors offering crafts and collectibles will be at the Wood Dale Harvest Fest, the Wood Dale Historical Society's one-day fall celebration, this Sunday, Sept. 10, at Yesterday's Farm Museum on Wood Dale Road.

The museum grounds boast a 1921 farmhouse, an 1840s prairie house and a barn and carriage house constructed in the 1850s.

Nods to Wood Dale's past will include sheepshearing and wool-spinning demonstrations and visits from Civil War re-enactors and members of the Living Historians Guild of DuPage County.

"We are going to have toys and games of the mid-1860s," said guild member Craig Dorsey, adding that the group also will provide a "display of crime and punishment in the 1860s."

Dorsey said that during the Civil War, Union forces imprisoned captured Confederate soldiers at Camp Douglas on Chicago's southern edge.

"We will portray a group of prison guards," he said.

The guild also will show off some period technology.

"We will have a telegraph key up and running," he said.

Ryan said re-enactors from the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry, a rebel force, and from Union defenders Taylor's Battery will be at the farm to offer details about the war. Taylor's Battery will bring a replica of a wartime cannon, which will be fired each hour during the festival, she said.

The festival will feature Suzette the Balloon Lady, a bounce house, petting zoo, pony rides and a photo booth provided by the Wood Dale Public Library, Ryan said. Concessions will include old-fashioned picnic staples such as corn on the cob and pumpkin pie.

Ryan said Harvest Fest typically attracts 1,000 to 1,500 visitors to Yesterday's Farm Museum.

"It's a very educational and fun day for the kids," she said.

If you go

What: Harvest Fest

When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10

Where: Yesterday's Farm Museum, 850 N. Wood Dale Road, Wood Dale

Admission: Free

Info: (630) 595-0360 or wooddalemuseum.org