Community Corner

Cantigny Park to Celebrate McCormick Day July 30

Vintage activities and special events are planned in honor of Cantigny's benefactor, Col. Robert R. McCormick, on his birth date.

Cantigny Park will celebrate the 131st birthday of Robert R. McCormick on Saturday, July 30. Activities and demonstrations for visitors of all ages are planned from 10 am to 3 pm. All events will be free, even parking. Cantigny is at 1s151 Winfield Rd., Wheaton.

Colonel McCormick, former editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, was born on July 30, 1880. On McCormick Day, his extraordinary legacy will be commemorated, with particular emphasis on his life at Cantigny. The Colonel lived on the 500-acre country estate from 1920 until his passing in 1955.

Activities, demonstrations and special events will be held throughout Cantigny Park, including:

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  • Amy McCormick performance (Gold Theatre, 11 a.m.)
  • McCormick Museum open house (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
  • Wayne DuPage Hunt horse jumping (11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.)
  • German Shepherd Dog Training Club of Chicago (11 a.m. and 1:30 pm)
  • Wool spinning (all day)
  • Birthday cake cutting in the Visitors Center (noon)

Vintage games will be available on the Parade Field in addition to assorted crafts. Youngsters also will enjoy making newspaper hats and birthday cards on the McCormick Museum’s south porch. Target practice with the ever-popular water balloon cannon will take place at the First Division Museum.

Children also can try their hand at butter making and take turns on a hand-cranked ice cream freezer, recalling a tasty summer tradition at Red Oaks Farm, as Cantigny was known originally. Samples will be available.

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At 3 p.m., McCormick Day will conclude with a wreath laying at the Exedra, the final resting place of Colonel McCormick and his first wife Amy. Cantigny Post 556 of the American Legion will conduct the brief ceremony.

McCormick Day activities are complimentary, and Cantigny’s usual $5 per car parking fee will be waived. 

The First Division Museum and Robert R. McCormick Museum will be open on McCormick Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to both museums is free year-round. Visitors may also wish to stroll through Cantigny’s 30 acres of spectacular gardens. The park also features a large public picnic area with a playground.

Inside the Cantigny Visitors Center, Le Jardin will serve lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Bertie’s (for ice cream, snacks and coffee drinks) will be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Cantigny Park is open every day during summer from 7 am to dusk. A complete schedule of concerts, workshops and special events is posted online at Cantigny.org.


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