When I was a youngster, my family often took a Sunday drive for entertainment. Leaving Des Moines, IA, and driving “out to the country” offered new vistas and summer breezes with the windows down. Sometimes my siblings and I would sing or play “I Spy.” Not much ever happened along the way; the changing scenery and openness were sufficient. Except once, I swore I saw a two-headed, black cow among a small herd! I have remembered that illusion for 60 years. Usually there was Tastee-Freez ice cream at the end of the excursion.
Create your own family touring adventure during the Whiteside County Barn Tour, Saturday, July 9, or Sunday, July 10, 2016.
- Saturday hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday hours are 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The tour begins at the farm of Dennis and La Verle Kyarsgaard, shown below, 24120 Emerson Road, west of Sterling, IL. Admission is $20 per vehicle, so “cram in the fam.” You will receive an illustrated book of the locations and map to guide you. Pay with cash or credit card (with a $1 transaction fee added.)
A 32-mile route includes 12 new-to-the-tour barns on nine farms. Tour signs along the way are well placed.
Plan to stop for lunch at the Whiteside County Cattleman’s Association cookout, between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
For details, call the Whiteside County Farm Bureau at 815-772-2165.