Dogs, horses and falcons star at St. James Farm Family Field Day
Allergies prevent the McIntries from having pets in their home, but pollen and animal hair couldn’t stop the Wheaton family from joining crowds of hundreds Saturday at the Family Field Day at St. James Farm near Warrenville.
“We don’t have pets because of allergies in the family,” said Lora McIntire, who spent Saturday petting horses and watching canine and equine demonstrations with her daughter, 10-year-old Maureen. “So we come to these events to enjoy different animals.”
While dogs and horses were the stars of the show, a falconry exhibition, a pond full of fish and a milking demonstration with Maggie the Milking Cow gave visitors access to other animals as well. Visitors also could watch a parade of farm vehicles or view the farm’s grounds from a hay ride.
But the McIntires’ visit to the DuPage Forest Preserve property was all about animals. Maureen said she was up for milking a cow after watching a demonstration by the Windy City K-9 Disc Club.
“We’ve never been out here before to this event,” McIntire said. “We like animals and we knew there’d be different dog events.”
Dog lovers could watch a Bensenville police K-9 sniff out which pairs of socks, squares of carpet, or cinder blocks were sprinkled with gasoline during an arson investigation demonstration run by the department.
Meanwhile, horse lovers could learn how their favorite animals can be therapeutic for people who are nonverbal, can’t walk, or have emotional challenges. Winfield-based Friends for Therapeutic Equine Activities showed crowds gathered along rolling pastures how riding horses increases cardiovascular capacity and strengthens muscle groups used for walking.
Among dozens of animal-themed booths was Field of Dreams Horse Rescue and Adoption. The group, based in an unincorporated area near Batavia, runs similarly to rescue groups that focus on specific breeds of dogs — except it’s a little tougher to find qualified horse owners, said volunteer Mike Daleiden.
“We have to be a little bit more selective,” Daleiden said. “We have to check them out first for the amount of land they have available.”