Celebrating all things French at Cantigny Park

It's normally a good idea to avoid guys in white face wearing berets and striped shirts and pretending they're trapped in boxes or tugging on ropes or walking down stairs in the middle of the lawn.

You know: avert your eyes, put your head down, keep walking at a brisk pace.

But one time each year it's OK if you look them in the eye, smile and maybe pretend that you're on the other end of that imaginary rope.

And that one time was Sunday at Cantigny Park in Wheaton where thousands of visitors attended the annual French Connection Day, which, as the name suggests, celebrates all things French, from a traditional open-air market to a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower and from can can dancers to, you guessed it, mimes.

Cantigny spokesman Jeff Reiter says organizers of the fest weren't exactly sure what they had when they started it eight years ago, but now it's one of the park's largest single-day events.