Petting zoos always a treat at Kane Co. Fair

Danny Stewart had a lot of little ones to look after Friday at the Kane County Fair in St. Charles.

Little pigs. Little goats. Little calves. Little donkeys. One huge rabbit.

Stewart manages Miller's Petting Zoo, a Port Byron-based company that has dozens of friendly animals available for petting at the fair. It's one of numerous free programs, which also include a children's game show and swine races, that are running daily through Sunday.

Among other animals, the petting zoo has pygmy goats, potbelly pigs, an alpaca, a miniature donkey and a giant Flemish rabbit. Stewart said the old-fashioned attraction draws crowds wherever it goes.

"The kids love it, and the parents do to - especially the older folks," he said. "We've got some kids that are afraid of them and others that don't want to leave."

Two-year-old Tyler Vasquez of Lisle happened to fall into the latter category, as the toddler took his time hugging and petting from one end of the stable to the other.

His mother, Erica Vasquez, said she and a friend from Naperville brought their children to the Kane County Fair for the first time Friday in the hopes of finding a more rural experience than they experienced elsewhere.

"It's different from all the carnivals in our area," she said. "We wanted to see all the animals. We figured it would be a different kind of play date."

Making the cut: Another free attraction drawing steady crowds is Travis Reed and his chain saw carving demonstration.

Reed, of Colorado, has been a carver for six years, transforming knobby tree stumps into delicate roses, bears and other creations.

"I saw somebody doing it and decided I wanted to do it," Reed said of getting his start. "The first couple of years, I gave away a lot of things as gifts."

Reed is quick with his craft. On Friday, he said he spent about two hours carving an ornate bench bearing a large Harley-Davidson logo, which sold for several hundred dollars before he was finished.

He said bears are his best sellers, and he once did 30 in a single day. "That's my record," he said. "Like carvers say, bears pay the bills."