Jonathan Sebastian is an enthusiastic young man working on his master’s degree in history at Loyola. He volunteers at the Elmhurst Historical Museum and also works part time with the Bensenville Park District. His passion is history because, he said, “It’s a way we can connect our present to our past, a way we can better make sense of our everyday life.”

Perhaps for that reason, he has been working at the Fischer Farm, on the north side of Grand Avenue just west of Church Street. It’s a particularly beautiful sight because of its well-maintained farmhouse and outbuildings and the solid wall of forest around most of it. Once you see it, you think you made a wrong turn and ended up not only in a different state but a different century.

The Bensenville Park District will be holding its annual Heritage Day at Fischer Farm from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4.

“It’s a way the park district can give back to the community, and there will be activities for the entire family,” Sebastian said.

This is an opportunity for people to see what life was like in DuPage County from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. The purchase of a $5 wristband for your child will get unlimited kiddie rides, face painting, a balloon from a balloon artist, entry to the petting zoo, and one pumpkin for each child younger than 12 while supplies last. Other activities include tours of the Fischer Farmhouse conducted by Sebastian, Civil War interpreters, crafters, a band and singer Dayna Malow playing country rock. Food will be available to purchase by the Club House Restaurant at the White Pines Golf Club, or bring your own lunch and eat at picnic tables.

“This historical farm is part of our national history,” Sebastian said. “The Fischers immigrated here in the 1830s from Hanover, Germany. A couple of them served in the Civil War. They donated the land where the Fischer one-room school house still stands on Church Road, and Conrad Fischer School in Elmhurst was named after the patriarch of the family. When you look at street names or other place names, you realize how much is connected to these early pioneer families.”

Sebastian went on to say that Heritage Day at the Fischer Farm, which is owned by the DuPage Forest Preserve and run by the Bensenville Park District, is a safe and fun environment where families can enjoy the day and make a connection to history.

If you would like more information or are interested in selling some of your crafts at Heritage Day, call (630) 766-7015, Ext. 2014.

A man on a mission

Just as Sebastian is passionate about history, Elmhurst resident Matthew Sonnenberg is passionate about writing.

“I’ve wanted to write since I was 14 years old,” he said. “I remember trying to write poetry or short stories in the style of the various writers I admired.”

He went on to major in English at Elmhurst College and then got his master’s degree, while spending all of his free time writing. Along the way he got married and had a son, so earning a living became a priority and writing had to go on the back burner. He has taught and continues to teach literature and composition at area colleges and also works at the Community Bank, but he has never forgotten his initial goal of becoming a writer.

“If I could, I would be writing all day, every day,” he said. “But getting published is another matter.”

Some years ago, he published a literary magazine under the heading of “Agrippina Press.” He also wrote a children’s book for his son called “‘A’ is for Alexander,” which is available through Barnes and Noble, and he has finished a second kids’ book, and a collection of short stories based on living in Elmhurst. He also has written several novels, and, in addition, he is working on writing graphic novels.

Contact Sonnenberg at AgrippinaPress @sbcglobal.net if you, too, love writing.

Send comments or ideas to elmhurstovereasy@comcast.net.