By DEBORAH BEHRENDS
Illinois Correspondent

ST. CHARLES, Ill. — The 1843 Durant House Museum will offer an afternoon of old-fashioned fun from 1-5 p.m. on July 15. On the lawn of the restored prairie farmhouse, the Summer Frolic festival will feature a variety of activities for families.

The Durant House Museum and Pioneer Sholes School are located in LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve on Dean Street, one mile west of Randall Road in St. Charles. All living history programs at the Durant House Museum are sponsored by Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley, with support from the Forest Preserve District of Kane County.

The Durant House Museum, the Fox Valley’s own “little house on the prairie,” will be open for tours through the afternoon.

Costumed docents will greet guests in the original 1840s home built by Bryant Durant and in the Victorian kitchen added by the Godfrey Peterson family in the 1880s. Down the road a short distance, the one-room Pioneer Sholes School will be open as well.
In a shady area, Noah’s Landing Petting Zoo will give youngsters a chance to see and handle small farm animals. Puppeteer Meredith Taylor will entertain with her winsome characters.

Archaeologist and historian Keith Ryder will be on hand to portray an 1840s surveyor. Ryder’s “surveyor” program features a discussion of the survey and sale of public lands in the Midwest, and a demonstration of plain compass, rod and pins, Gunter’s chain and drawing instruments.

The Children’s Corner, located near the museum’s front steps, offers younger children an opportunity to play with the toys and tools of the 19th century. Iron pots and pans, building logs made from corn cobs, marbles and tops will all appeal to young visitors.
Older children will be attracted to more active games such as stilts, rolling hoops, “the graces,” water-carrying races and “cat-and-mouse” tug-of-war.

Under the shade trees, skilled artisans will demonstrate a wide range of crafts, including spinning, quilting, weaving, spoon carving and rake-making.

Music for the afternoon’s festivities will be provided by Bill Robinson and Friends.

Robinson’s troupe is widely recognized for its lively old-time traditional hammered dulcimer tunes.

Families are encouraged to bring a picnic and stay for the afternoon. Homemade cookies, lemonade and other refreshments will be available for purchase. Admission to the Summer Frolic is $3 per adult and $1 per child (ages 3-12). The rain date is July 29.
The Durant House and Pioneer Sholes School are open to the public Thursday and Sunday afternoons from 1-4 p.m. June through August, and on Sundays through October. For more details, call Preservation Partners at 630-377-6424 or visit www.ppfv.orgonline.

This farm news was published in the July 11, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.