Danada Fall Festival
Friends of Danada is a major participant in the annual Fall Festival which has become a showcase for the Danada Forest Preserve and attracts as many as 10,000 visitors on the second Sunday in October of each year. The festival consists of equestrian shows with riders in costume, horse drawn hay rides, visits to the Danada Model Farm via tractor drawn hay rides, an art show of approximately 200 art and photo exhibits, activities for the children, food and entertainment.
The Danada Fall Festival was organized by the forest Preserve District and the “Save the Rice Farm” group in 1983. It was revived by the Volunteers in 1984 and has been held annually ever since.
Initially Friends of Danada had been the primary sponsor of the event, with annually increasing participation by the Forest Preserve District. Today, the District assumes primary responsibility for the event, with Friends of Danada acting as a support group. The Friends of Danada have always considered this to be an event for the benefit of the community and currently sponsors family friendly events at no cost to participants.
Friends of Danada offers free tractor driven hayrides to the Danada Model Farm where visitors learn of the importance of agriculture and can see crops harvested. Pumpkins are given to the children where they can decorate them in their own hand painted fashions.
The Danada Nature Art and Photo Show offers free admission to the mansion to view approximately 200 pieces of art and photos and visitors can vote their favorite art and photo for the “Peoples Choice” award. Finally, Friends of Danada History Committee hosts an exhibit featuring the history of Dan and Ada Rice and the Ada L. Rice Racing Stables. Numerous posters, photos, artifacts, awards and trophies are available for viewing. Also shown are short videos of the history of the Rices’ and their estate as well as the running of the 1965 Kentucky Derby which was won by the Rice’s horse, Lucky Debonair.
