Campton Hills hosts community festival

Campton Hills is Kane County's newest municipality, and Saturday became home to the county's newest community festival.

The inaugural Campton Hills Heritage Farm Fest came with many of the trappings associated with local festivals, with a live music stage and plenty of activities for children.

The event, held in the Campton Crossing Shopping Center at the corner of Route 64 and LaFox Road, sought to capitalize on the success of the weekly farmer's market that has been held at the shopping center on Saturdays all summer.

"This is an up-and-coming market, and the area is very nice, so we're anticipating more people," said Elaine Book, who was selling apples, pies and cider from Harvard's Royal Oak Farm Orchard.

Campton Hills was created this spring, after voters in portions of Campton and Plato townships voted to incorporate into a village, with the goal of controlling development and maintaining the community's rural lifestyle.

Similarly, organizers of the farm festival want their event to reflect the community's character.

"We want to keep it country," said Campton Hills resident Ann Schuster, a member of the festival committee. "Hopefully this will be a yearly event."

Another of the organizers, Sue Windland of Campton Hills, said the group started with no funds, but received plenty of donations and assistance to make the festival a reality.

"The goal was to get the community together," Windland said.

There was a petting zoo for children, storytellers, clowns, folk singers and magicians. Later, bands played on the main stage.

Suzi Myers of the Kane County Farm Bureau was showing children how to create mosaics from corn kernels, soy beans, peas and seeds.

"Anytime I can talk to kids and their parents about agriculture, I'm there," Myers said.