McCormick Day to be Held on July 30 at Cantigny Park - Around Town - Wheaton, IL Patch

McCormick Day to be Held on July 30 at Cantigny Park - Around Town - Wheaton, IL Patch



Cantigny Park will celebrate the birthday of its benefactor, Colonel Robert R. McCormick, on Wednesday, July 30. 

Activities and demonstrations for visitors of all ages are planned throughout the park from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

McCormick, former editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, was born on July 30, 1880.  He lived on the 500-acre country estate from 1920 until his passing in 1955. His will designated Cantigny as a gift to the community.

Parking will be FREE on McCormick Day.  Activities, also complimentary, will include:

• McCormick Museum open house (10 am to 1 pm)
• Amy McCormick performance by Ellie Carlson (McCormick Museum, 11 am)
• Splash artillery target practice (First Division Museum, 10 am to 2 pm)
• Birthday cake cutting (Visitors Center, noon). Cupcakes and ice cream for visitors while supplies last!
• Wreath-laying ceremony honoring Robert R. McCormick (Exedra, 3 pm)

Throughout the day, vintage games for children will be available on the Parade Field in addition to crafts. Cantigny’s giant mural will be available for painting starting at 1 pm.  Kids also are invited to make newspaper hats and birthday cards on the McCormick Museum’s south porch. 

The McCormick family loved dogs, and bulldogs were a particular favorite. On McCormick Day, adoptaBull English Bulldog Rescue will be on site to share their animals with visitors and promote the organization’s mission.

Also visiting will be Save-A-Vet.org, a nonprofit that rescues military and law enforcement working dogs when they are no longer able to serve.

McCormick Day will conclude at 3 pm 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.

The First Division Museum and Robert R. McCormick Museum will be open on McCormick Day from 10 am to 5 pm.  Admission to both museums is free throughout the year.

Visitors may also wish to stroll through Cantigny’s 30 acres of colorful gardens, including the spectacular Rose Garden and inspiring Idea Garden. 

Inside the Cantigny Visitors Center, Le Jardin will serve lunch from 11 am to 2 pm, and Bertie’s (for ice cream, snacks and coffee drinks) will operate from 9 am to 4:30 pm.

Also on McCormick Day, the Cantigny Shop will be open from 9 am to 5:30 pm.

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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