Cantigny will celebrate French culture, and the park’s special connection with France, at upcoming back-to-back events:
• French Picnic Under the Stars, Saturday, Aug. 11, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m..
Guests will have Cantigny Park in Wheaton all to themselves for an evening of food, wine, live music and stargazing. An illuminated 23-foot Eiffel Tower replica will add a festive touch of Paris while picnickers enjoy cabaret and popular music by Chicago Elite Orchestra, from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.. Attendees can take home a memory from silhouette artist Cassidy Alexander. When darkness falls, members of the Naperville Astronomical Association and Chicago Astronomical Society will assist guests in viewing stars and planets through telescopes. At 7:30 p.m., there will be a presentation on constellations in the Cantigny Theater.
Special event admission applies: $15. per car or $12. for Cantigny members. French-themed picnics for two are available for preorder (wine optional). Pricing and ordering information is online at Cantigny.org.
• French Connection Day, Sunday, Aug. 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m..
One of the park’s signature events is back for an 11th year. Attractions and activities include:
° French Market by Bensidoun USA;
° Music by Traveler’s Dream;
° Can-Can dancers;
° Strolling mime, accordionist and vocalist;
° French yard game pétanque (courtesy of Chicago Pétanque Club);
° Kids’ craft project;
° French treats at Bertie’s Bistro;
° Beer and wine garden;
° 23-foot Eiffel Tower;
French Connection Day is a free festival. Parking is $10. per vehicle.
In 1918, at age 37, Colonel McCormick commanded an artillery unit in the Battle of Cantigny in France as a member of the U.S. Army’s First Division. It was America’s first significant victory in World War I. Upon returning to Wheaton, the Colonel renamed his estate after the tiny French village.
In his will, McCormick (1880-1955) established Cantigny “as a public park and museum for the recreation, instruction and welfare of the people of the State of Illinois.”
Cantigny Park is open every day this Summer from 7 a.m. to dusk.
—Cantigny Park
