Fun for parents, too, at Wheaton fall fest

At many suburban festivals, Mom and Dad have to wait by the stroller while the little ones trade their tickets for a go at the beanbag toss or a turn in the inflatable moonwalk.

This year at Cantigny Park's annual fall festival, parents had something to do while volunteers watched their kids dive for candy and paint pumpkins. For the first time, the festival hosted vendors hawking homemade products, jewelry and produce, in hopes of giving adults more to look forward to, organizers said.

"It's something for moms and dads to do," said Laura Evans, director of visitor services at Cantigny Park. The sprawling grounds at Winfield and Roosevelt roads hosted the park's ninth annual fall festival Saturday morning and afternoon.

The event drew hundreds of visitors, mostly families with young children, from Wheaton and the surrounding area. "It's a great turnout," Evans said. "The weather is great." Todd Gilberg of Oakbrook Terrace visited the fall festival for the first time with his family and friends. "We just got here, and they ran straight to the inflatables," Gilberg said.

"It's something for the kids to do." Children had numerous options at Cantigny Saturday, including face painting, a haystack where they could dive for candy, pumpkin decorating, hay rides and a tent where they could make their own scarecrows. Organizers brought the scarecrows back this year after a hiatus.

Fair goers also were free to walk through the park's First Division and McCormick museums as well as the park's gardens, where they could view scarecrows designed by Cantigny staff.

Cantigny has tried to expand its offerings recently, hosting an environmentally focused fair in September and a festival for dog owners in August.