Animals arrive as DuPage County Fair prepares for opening

In the heart of Wheaton, in the heart of DuPage County, in the heart of the suburbs, tens of thousands of people will gather over the next five days to enter a world that's as far removed from the traffic and the office complexes and the daily buzz of neighborhood life as they can imagine.

It's a world where people still raise farm animals and ignore their diets and ride the Tilt-a-Whirl - and maybe even put down their phones (though not for long, of course).

It's called the DuPage County Fair and it's a place that organizers say strives to inform and remind visitors about the role agriculture once played here and still has in all our lives.

The festivities officially open Wednesday at the fairgrounds at 2015 Manchester Road and continue through Sunday night (details are available at dupagecountyfair.org).

On Tuesday morning, the fairgrounds were bustling with folks preparing for the start of the party, including those bringing in animals that will be on display throughout the celebration.

Angela Panek and her daughter, Jaide, of Batavia, brought in 10 hogs, unloading them two at a time from a trailer and walking them to their temporary pens.

Angela said she showed animals at the fair when she was a girl and now her two daughters are following in her footsteps. She says her brothers and niece also show, carrying on the family tradition.

"When I was kid, I showed here and now my two daughters are showing here," she said.

Panek said they follow a five-week fair circuit with their hogs. They were at the Kane County Fair just last week and will end the summer at the Sandwich Fair.

Melissa Kozak, 17, of Batavia, was in Wheaton, too, feeding hens. The president of the Wayne 4-H, she said she's been showing fowl since she was in fourth grade, competing for ribbons and prize money.

"It's really fun every year," she said.

There will be plenty of other activities this weekend, too, including a rodeo, a demolition derby, carnival rides, exhibits and plenty of music.

But there's something about those farm animals.

"Being in this area, more and more of us are far removed from the farm" Jim McGuire, fair association manager, said in the days leading up to the fair. "So it's important for (visitors) to come in, see things they don't get to see on a regular basis, and learn."