Cantigny celebrates Armed Forces Day

Two-year-old Samuel Payne loves his teddy bear.

But the moment the Niles tot laid his eyes on the .30-caliber machine gun attached to the rear of a CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter, the plush teddy bear was tossed aside.

"I guess there are more interesting things around here to see," Samuel's father, Ed, said Saturday at Cantigny Park in Wheaton.

A host of military aircraft, vehicles and equipment were on display at the grounds during a daylong Armed Forces Day event at the park.

Inside the First Division Museum, children crafted "thank you" cards or folded miniature flags to be sent to military personnel stationed abroad. Meanwhile, outside, the Chicago Brass Band spent the day playing patriotic tunes as children bounced from one tank to the next.

Seven-year-old Aurora residents and fellow Cub Scouts Ryan MacNicol and Matthew Nowak crawled up into a turret situated atop a Humvee, using the joystick to spin the gun around like a top and trying out the different horns in the vehicle. Earlier in the day, the pair spent the morning on a milelong hike around the park grounds.

"But this has definitely been the highlight of their day," said Susan MacNicol, Ryan's mother.

Three helicopters from Fort Riley, Kan., were displayed on the park grounds: the UH-60 Black Hawk, CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache.

As kids spent the day inspecting every part of the aircraft, Ron Ziolkowski stood at a distance taking pictures. Photographing the annual event is a favorite hobby of the Crystal Lake man. "I've got my own Flickr page with thousands of photos," he said. "I'm sure a few of these from today will end up on the page."