I related the fun had by all at the Wagner Farm Bonfire event on Saturday the 26th. I also got to tell about how Jeff and I tried to build the Grand Daddy of fires to compensate for the smallness of prior years. Well, I must say we now have a new standard to shoot for. The only trouble is getting the proper permit from the Glenview Fire Department.
On Sunday I took Sue and Bob the horses up to Elewa Farm in Lake Forest for their bonfire event called Bagpipes and Bonfire. This was the forth year to go up and help out our colleges to the north and I must say they do it better every year. Elewa Farm is all that is left from the old Armour family estate that was there in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The farm was at the time a showplace in modern agriculture. Today it has been preserved and is equally as stunning as it must have looked in it's prime. Brick barns with slate roofs, perfectly manicured gardens and a view like no other.
The Bagpipes and Bonfire event is a fundraiser for the site. The program is a little different in that it has everything from a petting zoo to actual Highland games and of course the 100 or so bagpipers. The highlight of the evening was the lighting of the fire. They auction off the rights to touch off the fire to the highest bidder. Their bonfire is the accumulation of almost a years worth of branches and other clippings from the village of Lake Forest. Their pile alone was over Glenview's 50 foot rule. At dusk the pile was lit and I have to say it really is impressive to see that much fire. It must be the cavemen in us that draws almost 2,000 folks to a party centered around watching Big Fire. Jeff and I have our work cut out if we want to keep up with the neighbors!
