John Clark of Batavia doesn’t live on a farm but he and his grandson Colton, 5, really enjoyed hanging around the equipment farmers use over the weekend at the Kane County Farm Bureau’s 20th annual Touch-A-Tractor event in St. Charles.
“We come here every year. We’ve been here at least a dozen times and we keep coming back because the kids love the atmosphere and my grandson, he loves John Deere stuff. He’s actually wearing a shirt with the logo on it,” Clark said.
The three-day Touch-A-Tractor event ran from Friday through Sunday, and represents the Kane County Farm Bureau Foundation’s biggest community event and fundraiser.
Bona Heinsohn, manager for the Farm Bureau, said the event has a following in the Fox Valley.
“The urban population that is centered around us really loves having the opportunity to come out and take a look at the tractors and the different equipment, so we’ve been fortunate to maintain a good community following,” she said. “The popularity continues because we’re not as agrarian as our neighbors and being able to see the tractors and stand up in them, for many of us it’s a novelty and a great opportunity for our farmers to engage with the public.”
Heinsohn said the three most popular attractions each year are “the farm equipment, a barrel train and various educational areas including a petting zoo.”
“Kids see tractors and our combine but our barrel train made of barrels is something kids can go through and parents take pictures,” she said. “We also have classroom activities and a small pet area where we bring in calves and a lamb which is always a hit.”
Friday’s opening day lacked sun but temperatures were comfortable for those looking for some farming fun.
Haley Trudnos of Palos Hills said she works as a nanny and brought Xander Spoden, 3, of Batavia, to the event.
“The parents wanted me to bring him and I can tell he’s really liking it,” Trudnos said as she watched Xander play. “I was sure this was going to go over well. Tractors are fun.”
Amy Soule of West Chicago said this was her first time at the event.
“My son Clark, who is 4, he likes the outdoors and thinks it’s really fun to learn the truck part of it,” she said. “I like the educational component of this. I think it’s good to learn about farms. It’s essential to our life. It’s so important where we get our food.
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“I grew up in summers on a farm and it’s fun to teach my son about it,” Soule added. “Farm life is simple and you come up with your own fun. We took baths in an old pot and roamed and had little fireworks shows and hot dog roasts. It was just really fun to be outside.”
Bethany Dubbins of Batavia said it was her first time at the event and that her daughter “loves it. She likes going in the tractors and seeing all the cool stuff.”
“It’s important kids know where our food comes from and all the work that goes in to getting our food on the table,” she said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.