Help harvest corn 1890s style in DuPage
Visitors to Kline Creek Farm this month can join in the Corn Harvest and experience first hand what harvest time would have been like for DuPage County's early residents.
The Corn Harvest runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17 and 18, at the 1890s farmstead, 1N600 County Farm Road, West Chicago.
After a quick trip to "corn college," visitors can hit the fields and pick some of the corn that will feed the farm's cows and sheep in the winter. They can help "shuck" - peel the husks from the ears - and "shock" - bundle full stalks to dry - and store the harvest in the corn crib when the horse-drawn wagon in the field is full.
At the farmhouse, visitors can make corn-husk figures and tour the 19th-century home. They also can visit the barn, chicken coop, sheep fold and other buildings on the 200-acre farmstead. Volunteer beekeepers will be on hand to answer questions in the honey house. From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, the blacksmith will demonstrate the tools and techniques of the trade in the wagon shed. The Timber Ridge Visitor Center will be open both days so visitors can view exhibits and shop for gifts, such as toys, games, books and clothing.
"Corn Harvest allows thousands of visitors to experience harvesting a corn crop by hand with historic horse-drawn equipment," said Dennis Buck, heritage interpreter at Kline Creek Farm. "These experiences would have been commonplace 125 years ago but have been nostalgic memories since the 1950s."
Registration is not required for this free program, and activities are ongoing. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes for walking in the fields and may want to bring work gloves for handling the corn and stalks.
For information on Corn Harvest and other 1890s activities, call the farm at (630) 876-5900.
If you go
What: Corn Harvest
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17 and 18
Where: Kline Creek Farm, 1N600 County Farm Road, West Chicago
Cost: Free
Info: (630) 876-5900