Family Field Day celebrates agricultural roots

Visitors can welcome summer with a variety of nature-themed activities Saturday, May 27, at Family Field Day at St. James Farm in Warrenville.

The annual bash, sponsored by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the farm and include horse and riding demonstrations, dog obedience and field trials, sheepherding demonstrations, raptors and reptiles from Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, and cows from Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago.

Visitors also can enjoy pony and hay-wagon rides, fishing, archery instruction, live music, and a display of vintage tractors with ties to the preserve's agricultural history. In addition, they can chat with forest preserve rangers and St. James Farm staff and volunteers.

Admission and parking are free, but there are small fees for children's activities and wagon rides. The entrance to St. James Farm is on Winfield Road, just north of Butterfield Road.

St. James Farm is open from one hour after sunrise to one hour after sunset 365 days a year. It formerly housed a dairy farm and agricultural fields. In later years, it served as a world-class equestrian venue.

The preserve offers trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, lakes for fishing, picnic areas and other nature-related amenities. Visitors can discover the preserve's railroad heritage by touring the 1906 Chicago, Burlington & Quincy caboose or stroll among its historic buildings, tree-lined paths and works of art.

For details, check out the "Family Field Day: Top 10 Things to See and Do" photo gallery, visit dupageforest.org/familyfieldday or call St. James Farm at (630) 580-7025.