Forest preserve sows its oats in back-to-basics DuPage County Fair

As one of the few remaining agricultural entities left in an urbanized county, the DuPage Forest Preserve District began planning months ago for this week's county fair.

The forest district is using the five-day event that begins Wednesday as way to show itself off to fairgoers and is competing in several contests as well. For instance, crops raised at Kline Creek Farm near West Chicago will be entered at the fair.

"We're entering both corn and oats, trying to win for things like the longest ear, perfect ear or which gallon of oats weighs the most," said Mark Johnson, an agricultural specialist at Klein Creek.

Some of the work that goes into securing blue ribbons for those contests began last fall, Johnson said. Volunteers harvesting the corn at the farm - which the district runs like an 1890s-era living history museum - would inspect ears and make suggestions to Johnson and other farm staff when they found remarkable corn.

"We're looking for all the kernels to be perfectly in a row and consistent in shape," Johnson said. "With oats, it's a little more random."

Sheep from the farm will also be shown, and horses from the Danada Forest Preserve will also be on display throughout the fair. Novel items like an antique manure spreader will be showcased along with a fiberglass cow that is used to teach children how to milk dairy cattle.

"Over the last four years we've been growing the forest preserve's presence and strengthening our relationship with them," said Jim McGuire, fair president. "We're helping each other out quite a bit."

McGuire said the forest preserve's agricultural programs provide a perfect educational opportunity for the fair's crowds. Despite the near-extinction of most working farms in DuPage, McGuire said agricultural work in the state is still relevant to the everyday lives of county residents. And with the event's "Come Back to the Fair" theme this year, highlighting the forest preserve and the rest of DuPage County was a natural fit, McGuire said.

"We are returning to our roots with this fair of celebrating DuPage County," he said. "Even with the entertainment we hired. We've got 44 acts, and 34 are those living and residing in DuPage."

That includes a full night devoted to DuPage musical artists on Friday. Drawings will be held throughout the night with announcements from the stage where visitors have a chance to win iTunes gift cards, iPods, iPads and tickets to Lollapalooza in August.

The forest preserve district also pushes its native talent. They are returning the 4,000-gallon aquarium to the fair that is stocked with native fish caught a couple days before the fair begins.

Forest preserve spokeswoman Jayne Bohner said the district's efforts aren't increased this year, but they are being marketed more.

"The main thing we want to push is the amount of activities we offer to residents," she said. "I get maybe 3,000 to 4,000 people who come through our tent each year and many say to me that they didn't realize all the stuff that's out there."

Bohner said a number of activities planned for the fair are geared toward promoting programs offered by the district. There's even a trivia contest for those who might be very familiar with the district's offerings.

"We ask questions like how many different types of mammals are native to the district," she said.

Fair Association Manager Ellen Seitman said the main goal is to get people interested in the fair again. She said partnerships with agencies like the forest preserve are just as vital to the success of the event as shows like the Danny Gokey concert on Wednesday, the Michael Jackson laser light show Thursday, the Lonnie Brooks and Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater blues concert Saturday and the demolition derby on Sunday.

"We're trying to educate and entertain," she said. "People may not have been to fair for a while and we want them to see what it's like again."