Cantigny to Celebrate “McCormick Day” on July 30
WHEATON, IL, July 7, 2009
Cantigny Park, part of the McCormick Foundation, will celebrate the birthday of Robert R. McCormick on Thursday, July 30. A full day of free activities for all ages is planned.
Colonel McCormick, the former editor and publisher of the
Chicago Tribune, was born on July 30, 1880. On McCormick Day, the Colonel‟s extraordinary legacy will be commemorated, with particular emphasis on his life at Cantigny, the 500-acre country estate where he lived from 1920 until his passing in 1955.
Cantigny was much more than a residence for the McCormick family. The grounds once hosted a successful experimental farm, one of many “agricultural laboratories” in the 1930s that tested new crops and farming practices. Elements of that heritage will be apparent on July 30, including farm animals and a large display of antique garden implements and vintage tractors.
The Colonel and his first wife Amy rode horses on the estate, and fox hunts and polo matches were held as well. Grounds tours will point out where the farm operations and sporting events took place, giving visitors a new perspective on Cantigny and the man who left it as a public park “for the recreation and education of the people of Illinois.”
The July 30 celebration will include architectural tours and a McCormick Museum open house. The First Division Museum will offer an artillery tour focusing on the artifacts stationed on the south lawn of the museum. The Colonel served in Europe from 1917 through 1918, commanding an artillery battalion for the U.S. Army‟s First Division during the Battle of Cantigny, the first American victory of World War I.
At the Visitors Center, kids will enjoy playing the same 19th century games that young Robert played, such as hoops & graces, hoop „n stick and hopscotch. A newspaper hat-making activity will take place on the south porch of the McCormick Museum, and the First Division Museum will conduct a “backyard ballistics” exercise using water balloons.
Kids can also take turns on a hand-cranked ice cream freezer, recalling a tasty summer tradition on the Cantigny farm. Samples will be available, but guests should save room for a slice of the birthday cake in the Colonel‟s honor!
Cantigny visitors are invited to stay for Movie in the Park, also on July 30. The film “Over the Hedge” will play on a large outdoor screen beginning at dusk.
McCormick Day activities begin at 10 am and are complimentary with paid parking ($5 per vehicle, or $2 before 10 am or after 5 pm). For more details, please visit
Cantigny.org or call 630 260 8162.
About the Robert R. McCormick Museum
The McCormick Museum is a historic house museum interpreting the life and legacy of Robert R. McCormick, former editor and publisher of the
Chicago Tribune. Hours are 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, with visits by free guided tour. More information and virtual tour are available online at
Cantigny.org.
About the McCormick Foundation
The McCormick Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening our free, democratic society by investing in children, communities and country. Through its grantmaking programs, Cantigny Park and Golf, museums and civic outreach program the Foundation helps build a more active and engaged citizenry. It was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The McCormick Foundation is one of the nation‟s largest charities, with more than $1 billion in assets. For more information, please visit
McCormickFoundation.org.