Scarecrows make big return to Cantigny Fall Festival
An immersion in all things autumnal awaits visitors to the annual Fall Festival Saturday at Cantigny Park in Wheaton.
Pumpkins will be decorated, hay wagons will offer rides and taffy apples will be consumed while nature fires up a colorful kaleidoscope of changing leaves.
"This is a good one. Families really love this event," said Jeff Reiter, senior communications manager at Cantigny. "It's been going on for a long time. It's one of our most popular one-day festivals."
The event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at 1S151 Winfield Road. Reiter said admission is free, but there is a $5 parking fee for vehicles. Pedestrians and bicyclists are free.
"The museum and gardens are free. Once you're in, it's pretty economical," Reiter said.
One of the festival's biggest draws is the proliferation of scarecrows on the grounds this time of year. The scarecrows were out in force in 2013, but absent in 2014.
"(Visitors) missed them last year, so we decided to do it again in an even bigger way," Reiter said, with 75 of them on display.
Creatively costumed as a variety of characters, the straw people were created by Cantigny's horticulture staff and a team of volunteers and are placed throughout the gardens. Reiter said visitors like to stroll the grounds to search for them and take photos.
A favorite children's entertainer, Miss Jamie and The Farmhands, will perform interactive concerts at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m. on the parade fields.
"She plays all around Chicagoland. We had her here in July for our 60th anniversary and McCormick Day. We were so impressed," Reiter said. "The parents showed up in droves for the July event."
Musician Dave Eno will perform at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Reiter said organizers expect 4,000 to 5,000 visitors to attend the Fall Festival, if good weather prevails.
"We can accommodate a lot of people because we have so much space," he said.
Not only are visitors able to participate in scheduled events, they also are invited to explore Cantigny's gardens and museum.
The grounds are home to formal gardens, an idea garden, a rose garden and a prairie garden spread over 29 acres. Museums include the McCormick Museum, in Col. Robert R. McCormick's mansion, and the First Division Museum, where visitors can learn about the contributions of the division McCormick served in to the country's military history.
Cantigny's Fall Fest also offers pumpkin decorating, hayrides, a petting zoo, inflatable rides, stilt walkers, jugglers, plant sales, face painting, a craft show and a children's book fair. A nominal charge is required for some activities, including face painting, children's crafts, hayrides, the petting zoo and pumpkin decorating.
Reiter said Halloween-themed treats will be for sale at Bertie's Coffee Shop. Lunch will be served at Le Jardin in the Visitors Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors also are welcome to bring a picnic lunch, he said.
If you go
What: Cantigny Fall Festival
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10
Where: Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton
Cost: Free admission; $5 per car parking fee
Info: cantigny.org