Antique fair coming to Oak Brook

It doesn't matter if you're a hard-core antiquer or if you can't tell vintage from trash.

The organizers of the annual Graue Mill Antiques and Vintage Fair - who are all hobbyists - have hand-picked the 30 dealers that will set up shop at this Saturday's fair to make sure you're discovering only the best treasures.

That's one reason the fair, dubbed "A Day in the Country," attracts approximately 1,500 visitors each year to its site at the Oak Brook Polo Grounds.

"They really are personally selected so that all they carry a great variety of furniture and other decorative items," said Sandra Brubaker, Graue Mill's executive director.

In addition to hunting for furniture, silver, textiles or knickknacks, visitors also can learn the value of their own vintage items with free appraisals from 1 to 3 p.m. "A Day in the Country" also will include music by the Dona Benkert roving folk band, food vendors, a perennial sale, and a Graue Mill booth featuring goods handcrafted by the mill's volunteers, including fresh ground cornmeal, jams, jellies and rag rugs.

"Even if you're not into antiques, you have a reason to come," said Brubaker. "We try really hard to make it a festive day for everyone. It's just a wonderful outdoor atmosphere."

And no matter who comes, everyone who enters the polo grounds Saturday will help Graue Mill's biggest fundraiser of the year. The mill is a historical landmark from 1852 and is the only operating waterwheel gristmill in Illinois. The Graue Mill Museum offers educational programs about the mill's history, including its place as a stop on the Underground Railroad, and helps preserve it.

"This show keeps our mill turning, as we like to say" said Brubaker. "It really helps keep our museum open, keep admission rates low and develop new programs.

"While the DuPage County Forest Preserve owns the building," she added, "all salaries and costs of running the museum come from DuPage Graue Mill Corporation."

The nonprofit corporation also collects money through memberships and donations.

"A Day in the Country"

Graue Mill and Museum Antique and Vintage Fair

When: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 12

Where: Oak Brook Polo Grounds, 31st Street and Polo Drive, Oak Brook

Cost: $7

Details: (630) 920-9720, www.grauemill.org or www.chicagopolo.com