Barrington Hills gears up for Chicago area's largest polo event

Thousands are expected in Barrington Hills on Saturday for the 11th annual LeCompte Kalaway Trail Owners Cup, the Chicago area's largest polo event.

Over the years, the event has become more than just a day of polo matches; it has become a major event for the village, organizer Jeff Hensel said.

"It just gets bigger and bigger every year," Hensel said. "It is now the best-attended and best-loved social and sporting event in the Northwest suburban area."

The matches will feature teams made up mostly of riders from the Barrington area vying for glory in front of their neighbors and friends. There also will be a "battle of the sexes" match, which Hensel said is always fun.

Between matches, the massive polo field, which Hensel said is the size of nine football fields, will host a riding display by the young members of the Fox River Valley Pony Club, and the Fox Valley Hunt Club will run dozens of its hounds across the field.

There also will be hayrides and a midway featuring vendors selling food, apparel, and arts and crafts. Even chiropractic services will be available during the event.

"This is one of the few public polo events in the Chicago area, so we try to put on a really exciting show," Barrington Hills Polo Club President John Rosene said. "Typically, polo consists of the players going to a big empty field, saddling their horses, riding up and down the field and going home."

The event is a joint venture of the Barrington Hills Polo Club and the Riding Club of Barrington Hills. While organizers hire caterers and other workers for the event, the vast majority of the preparation is done by volunteers.

"They are just working their tails off," Rosene said.

Riders won't be the only ones competing on Saturday. Hensel said prizes will be awarded for best ladies hat and best tailgate display. Some spectators go to great lengths to make their tailgates stand out, decorating them in themes such as the Roaring '20s or Aladdin's Castle.

This year's cup almost was the final one. In March, a proposal to extend the event's permit failed to receive the votes it needed from Barrington Hills' zoning board, prompting concerns that the annual competition would- end. But weeks later the village board voted to extend the event's special use permit for the next 20 years.

The gates open at 11 a.m. Saturday at Oakwood Farms Polo Field, 350 Bateman Road in Barrington Hills.

Tickets are $15 at the gate, and children 12 and younger get in free.