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Event: South Suburban Heritage Association 17th Cultural History Conference:
"To Market, To Market: Historic Farm Marketing in the Southern Suburbs"

Date: March 27, 2004, Saturday

Time: 8:30am - 2:30pm

Location: Grant Park Community Building
Dixie Highway (Route 1) and Maple Avenue
Grant Park, IL

Contact: Elaine E Egdorf
18327 Center Avenue
Homewood, IL 60430

Phone:708-798-9535

Admission: $20.00 per person, make check payable to South Suburban Heritage
Association

Deadline: Register by March 19, 2004

Corn, onion sets, cattle, hogs, sugar beets, milk, beans, grains, tomatoes,
flowers...We know what products the richest farm land in the world produced
here in the southern suburbs but where and how were they marketed? What
happened to the products? Were they used locally? Were they shipped out of
the area? Were they processed locally? Were there mills powered by wind or
water to friend grain? Canning or packaging factories?

The South Suburban Heritage Association 17th Annual Cultural History
Conference "To Market, To Market: Historic Farm Marketing in the Southern
Suburbs" picks up from its previous "Agricultural Roots" conference and
looks at how the lives of residents of the suburbs south of Chicago have
been shaped by necessity and opportunity of marketing the products of the
soil (and toil) to the wider world. To do so attendees will travel to the
edge of South Suburbia and Kankakee County's Grant Park, IL, where the
business of agriculture is still a way of life.

The conference will be Saturday, March 27, 2004 at the Grant Park Community
Park Building, Dixie Highway (Route 1) and Maple Avenue, Grant Park, IL,
8:30am - 2:30pm.

Highlight of the conference will be a tour of the Van Drunen Herb Farm, the
nation's premier supplier of organically grown herbs. The farm has six
harvests a year and six locations in Momence, IL. Their herbs are sold
locally at Walt's Food Centers. Van Drunen's operates in California, South
America and recently expanded to Yugoslavia. The freeze-dry, drum-dry,
quick freeze, sugar infuse, fire roast, and sun-dry not only herbs but
vegetables, fruit, and grains. The supply freeze dry ice cream bars for the
US space program. Only those registered for the conference may tour the
herb farm.

The keynote speaker Vic Frahm, a founder of the Grant Park Historical
Society, will present an overview of "Historic Farm Marketing." Bob Rohrer,
Manager of the Cook County Farm Bureau, Ralph Paarlberg, a retired farmer,
board member for the Dutch Valley Growers, and Larry Paarlberg, a member of
the Board of Directors of the Cook County Farm Bureau will form a panel
moderated by Redd Griffin, board member of both the SSHA and the Illinois
State Historical Society.

The heritage association will present the Distinguished Friend of South
Suburban Heritage Award recognizing the outstanding efforts of an individual
or institution for preservation and promotion efforts. Previous recipients
of the award include Dr. Larry Mc Clellan, Ed Lace, Louis Aiello, Manny
Hoffman, State Senator William Mahar, Jr, Star Publications Vic Johnson, and
Tyrone Haymore.

Pre-registration is required by March 19, 2004. Cost of the conference
includes coffee, rolls, lunch, and a conference packet. To register send a
check for $20.00 to South Suburban Heritage association, PO Box 917,
Homewood, IL 60430. Information call Elaine Egdorf at 708-798-9535.

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