Diverse talents on display at DuPage County Fair

DuPage County Fair organizers say they like to give residents a chance to show off their diverse talents, and Friday was no different as the five-day bash continued in Wheaton.

In one area of the fairgrounds along Manchester Road, 4-H members got to show off their projects in categories ranging from arts and crafts to agriculture and woodworking.

In another, artists were displaying their work just a few steps away from farmers displaying their livestock.

The contrasts were everywhere. On this stage were the McNulty Irish Dancers. A little farther away the Axe Women Loggers of Maine were chopping large chunks of wood for a captivated audience.

The loggers also threw axes, aiming for a bull's-eye painted on a round piece of wood. And using a long, crosscut saw, the women then raced to be the first to chop off a piece of log.

A crowd favorite was the logrolling competition, where two women used their balance to stay atop a spinning log in a pool of water.

One of the Axe Women, Emily Grotbo, said she was unfazed by the dangers inherent in throwing axes or rolling logs. What makes her nervous, she said, is the audience.

"I'm, like, 'Oh, no, all these people are watching me,'" Grotbo said. "I don't want to screw it up."

She said it's not unusual for audience members to question her sanity, but every once in a while a kid will express some real interest in working with lumber.

"I've heard a few, especially younger folks, asking what colleges have a woodsman team," Grotbo said.

It turns out Grotbo got her own start as a member of a woodsman team at the University of Montana.

She says she still enjoys it.

"I get to play with sharp objects, play with the water," she said. "I love being around the wood, it smells so good."

The Axe Women will continue to perform this weekend as the county fair continues from 8 a.m. through 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road.