A Labor Day labor of love in Buffalo Grove

Samantha Metz, 12, of Highland Park came running off the Ferris wheel at Buffalo Grove Days on Monday, grinning from ear to ear.

"It was awesome," she proclaimed. "I loved all of it."

Samantha and her family were among the nearly 600 who turned out for the village's annual "Food & Fun for People with Disabilities."

Many, like Laura Greenberg, 19, of Arlington Heights, rode the festival grounds in a wheelchair, with a service dog at their side.

"It's such a great day for all the kids," said her mother, Sue. "It's a chance for them to feel like everyone else."

For 90 minutes, families had free admission to the carnival rides, before heading to the food tent for lunch donated by area restaurants. A disc jockey spun lively tunes to ramp up the excitement, and everyone left with a goody bag filled with toys and prizes.

"We look forward to this day every year," said committee member Mo Welborn of Buffalo Grove. "No matter how tired we are after running the festival all weekend, this is a labor of love for us. Just seeing all the smiles on the children's faces, makes our day."

Matty McLaughlin, 8, of Buffalo Grove has attended the event for four years, and each time he has become less fearful, his parents say. This year he went on nearly all the rides.

"He couldn't have handled it if it was a regular day," said his mother, Jeanne. "The big crowds and long waits are just too much for him. Here, everyone has more patience."

Welborn recalls that members of the American Academy of College Women started the Disabilities Day 22 years ago.

"We cooked all the hot dogs ourselves," Welborn says. "There were about 50 people that first year."

Members of the Buffalo Grove Days Committee soon took over the event and 12 years ago, the village's Commission for Residents with Disabilities became involved. Increasingly, they said, attendance has grown.

Besides area residents, clients from Clearbrook's group homes in Arlington Heights took in the day as well as those from Golfview Developmental Center in Des Plaines, the Riverside Foundation in Lincolnshire, and Shore Community Services in Skokie.

"We open it up to everyone," said Rick Kahen, chairman of the Disabilities Commission. "We feel they are all part of our community."

This year, that added up to nearly 600 and members of the village's Commission for Residents with Disabilities felt rewarded.

"We plan all year for this day, and couldn't do it without our sponsors," said Buffalo Grove village trustee Beverly Sussman. "so to see this kind of turnout, we're thrilled."