Visit the 1893 Columbian Exhibition at Kline Creek Farm

Posted August 12, 2017 1:00 am

By Deb Humiston Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

Kline Creek Farm's Country Fair gives visitors a sense of life in the 1890s, such as what it took to make butter. The fair on Sept. 2 and 3 also will introduce visitors to the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. Daily Herald File Photo

Kline Creek Farm pays tribute to Columbian Exhibition

The 1893 Columbian Exhibition introduced Chicago to the world and the world to a variety of innovations. At this year's Country Fair at Kline Creek Farm, visitors can get a sense of what the exhibition was like.

The fair will help visitors experience elements of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2 and 3, at Kline Creek Farm, 1N600 County Farm Road, West Chicago.

The Country Fair will feature Columbian Wyandotte chickens, which debuted at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair; a Naper Settlement travelogue of a trip to the Columbian Exhibition; and music played on the world's only "kalliorgel."

"The exposition celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World and was the big event of the entire 1890s," said Dennis Buck, Kline Creek Farm heritage interpreter. "The world came to Chicago in 1893 in a way that was very exciting. It was a crucial moment in American history."

Visitors can test their skills and compete for prizes in the games tent, hear Professor MacRae's "Lecture of Wonder and Awe," and see a presentation on Mark Wentworth Dunham, the world-renowned breeder and seller of Percheron draft horses, whose Wayne farm was visited by numerous dignitaries throughout the six-month 1893 fair.

They also can see displays of quilts, foods and other home industries; view prizewinning animals and crops; and have souvenir portraits taken in period attire. The fair also will feature 1890s technology, including a dog-powered machine, a mechanical cream separator and a display on soda manufacturing.

"Bring the family and step back in time at our Country Fair, a longtime family favorite," said Forest Preserve District Commissioner Al Murphy, District 6.

Admission to the all-ages fair is free, but there are fees for some activities, such as horse-drawn hayrides, which are $5 per person for ages 5 and older.

For information, check out the "Country Fair" photo gallery at dupageforest.org or call (630) 876-5900.

Visitors can play old-fashioned games like ring toss at the County Fair at Kline Creek Farm. Courtesy of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

An old-fashioned "kalliorgel" organ is one of the highlights at Kline Creek Farm's Country Fair. Courtesy of Kline Creek Farm

If you go

What: Kline Creek Farm's Country Fair and tribute to the 1893 Columbian Exhibition

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2 and 3

Where: Kline Creek Farm, 1N600 County Farm Road, West Chicago

Cost: Free admission; small fees for some activities

Info: (630) 876-5900 or dupageforest.org

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