Cantigny

The Brookfield Zoo and Cantigny Park are just a couple of places recognizing Veterans Day (Nov. 11) with ceremonies.

Cantigny Park is offering a series of botanical design classes this fall for anyone looking to add a personal touch to their holiday decorations.

The sessions at Cantigny's greenhouse include an intensive "Holly Daze Workshop" and a snow globe class for children.

Snap a photo of Cantigny Park in Wheaton and enter the Cantigny in Focus annual photo contest.

Amateur photographers of all ages are invited to share their best images of Cantigny, the 500-acre former estate of Robert R. McCormick and part of the McCormick Foundation. The entry deadline is Friday, Dec. 11.

Cantigny Volunteer Jim Frazier snaps a shot at Cantigny's Rose Garden. SUBMITTED PHOTO

As leafy canopies turn into rainbows, here are some of the best suburban vantage points to savor autumn’s splendor — from favorite trails to special events.

ST. CHARLES PADDLEWHEEL RIVERBOATS
ADDRESS 2 North Ave., St. Charles
PHONE (630) 584-2334
WEB www.stcriverboats.com
Leave dry land for a little time travel, taking in the scenery from aboard a St. Charles riverboat on a four-mile round trip on the Fox River. Tickets aboard the replica paddlewheeler cost $7.50 for adults and $6 for youth ages 2 to 15. A boat will set out at 2, 3 and 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 18, leaving from Pottawatomie Park. Before autumn fades, you also can book charter excursions by reservation.

THE MORTON ARBORETUM
ADDRESS At I-88 and Route 53, Lisle
PHONE (630) 968-0074
WEB www.mortonarb.org
Think trees, think Morton Arboretum. “Fall colors (can) be especially impressive because of the wide variety of trees and other plants from around the world,” says Ed Hedborn, Arboretum botanist and “Color Scout” who chronicles the changes in hues week by week. To take in the vistas, visitors can hike the 16 miles of trails, bicycle or drive the nine miles of roads, or hop a tram. Hedborn reports his weekly color findings at www.mortonarb.org/colorupdate and on the Bloom ‘n Color Hotline at (630) 719-7955. The Arboretum’s Fall Color Festival this month offers events for the whole family, such as art shows, a “Theatre-Hike” musical, wine tasting, pumpkin decorating, taffy apples and the lakeside Scarecrow Trail.

Take a ride on a St. Charles riverboat and scope beautiful
foliage lining the shores of the Fox River. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Final plans are in place for the Cantigny Green Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. Cantigny Park, part of the McCormick Foundation, and SCARCE are hosting the first-time event in partnership with Whole Foods and DuPage County. SCARCE stands for School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education.

The family-friendly attractions will emphasize the practical value of being environmentally responsible in everyday life.

Cantigny Park and the Naperville Astronomical Association invite the public for an evening with the stars Saturday, Sept. 26.
 
The family-friendly stargazing event will take place on the Parade Field outside the Cantigny Visitors Center from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Visitors will be able to view planets and stars through telescopes, and learn how to identify constellations with the naked eye. If the skies are clear, viewing highlights will include Jupiter, the moon, globular clusters, nebulae and galaxies.

“Vive la France” offers a little romance under the stars as the West Suburban Symphony ventures from its Hinsdale home to bring the Festival Orchestra to Cantigny Park. The concert marks the finale of the summer series by the community orchestra, whose cellist Rich Lukes of Berwyn, Symphony Society president, reveals what’s in store as the concert pays musical tribute to a suburban French connection. Col. Robert McCormick named his Wheaton estate after the French town of Cantigny, where he served in World War I with the First Division Infantry.
 

Rich Lukes of Berwyn, cellist and Symphony Society president, prepares to rehearse with the West Suburban Symphony Festival Orchestra at Glenbard East High School in Lombard. STAFF PHOTOS BY ERICA BENSON

Cantigny Golf, part of the McCormick Foundation, and the Illinois Junior Golf Association (IJGA) are pleased to announce a special “homecoming” event featuring PGA Tour professional Kevin Streelman.

Streelman, a Wheaton native, former Cantigny Golf employee and now a rising star on the PGA Tour, will conduct a complimentary session targeting junior golfers at the Cantigny Golf Academy on Friday, August 7. He'll also speak about his journey from Illinois junior golf to the PGA Tour and answer questions from the youth.

“I’m extremely excited about coming home to host my first professional clinic at the course where I learned to play,” Streelman said. “To be able to give back and help out those on similar paths as mine means everything to me. Please come out to Cantigny and help me support the IJGA and junior golfers all across our state.”

Cantigny Park, part of the McCormick Foundation, is a scenic spot for summer outdoor concerts, with seven on tap in July, including two especially for children. The concerts are complimentary with regular admission parking.