The 2023 DeKalb County Barn Tour begins at Whiskey Acres on Keslinger Road (above) and includes a stop at the Klotz Barn, also on Keslinger Road. (DeKalb County. Barn Tour photo)

Celebrate the area’s rich agricultural history with a driving tour of notable barns as part of the ninth  DeKalb County Barn Tour on Aug. 12.

This 2023 tour runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and focuses on Pierce Township, located southeast of DeKalb, and begins at the Whiskey Acres distillery and event complex on Keslinger Road.

Organized by the DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association, Inc. and the JF Glidden Homestead & Historical Center,  the event features seven barns of varying architectural styles and history.

Tickets are $40 per vehicle and include a map guide book containing hand-drawn sketches of each structure as well as the barn’s history, style and use.

The tour is a relaxing, self-guided route filled with history and unique stories of what life is like away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Many local barn owners will be on-site to share personal experiences, family lore, and fun facts about their barns and homes.

The suggested tour route starts at Whiskey Acres and proceeds to the Faivre Barn on Gurler Road near DeKalb and on to the Klotz Barn on Keslinger Road and the Pritchard Farm on Perry Road, both near Maple Park.

The route continues to the Johnson Barn in Hinckley and concludes with stops at the Wicked Witch Pottery Barn on Horizon Road and the Kepler Barn on Crego Road.

The Kepler site is adjacent to the 316-acre Afton Township Forest Preserve, DeKalb County’s largest and home to a historical marker celebrating the site’s creation as part of the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976.

Organizers recommend a start no later than noon and for participants to allow between 30-45 minutes per site.

The 2022 tour centered around Hinckley, while the 2021 focus was on the Sandwich area.  The first tour was in 2014 and has been scheduled yearly except for 2020 with a hiatus due to COVID-19.

The barn tour reflects the continuing importance of agriculture in DeKalb County, even as Chicago’s western suburbs may be slowly encroaching.

With some of the richest soil in the Midwest, the DeKalb County Farm Bureau estimates there are 2,300 farms in the county with 370,772 acres of land used for growing crops.

The majority of sites are family owned and operated by generations of farmers. In DeKalb County there are about 870 farmers and 2,665 farmland owners.

Field corn has been the county’s top crop for more than a century with around 215,000 acres planted yearly for corn, according to the Farm Bureau.

Advance registration is requested, but day-of event tickets may be available.

Visit www.dekalbcountybarntour.com for tickets and more information.