Barn Tour of DeKalb County IL

04/02/2026

You know the Barn Tour guide book. You LOVE the Barn Tour guide book. Have you considered advertising in it? Slots are now open! Advertise your business, or take out a "yearbook" style ad and shout your love of barn tour, your family, your anniversary and more! Ad sponsorships directly support the 2026 Barn Tour.

Support the 2026 DeKalb County Barn Tour 🐄Your sponsorship helps share the stories of working barns, local farms and our agricultural history.Partner with us 🚜By completing this form, you help preserve historic structures, offer hands-on learning for visitors, and keep DeKalb County’s rural ...

03/10/2026

We drove the tour area several days ago planning the route for the guide book map. There are some beautiful barns on the tour this year. The tour will be 5 barns and a coach house. While north of Genoa, I couldn’t help but notice how absolutely flat the land is there. You could see 20 miles. See you on August 8th for the tour. Cheers!

02/09/2026

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! As fans everywhere cheer, snack, and soak up the big game, let’s take a minute to connect America’s favorite sport with the backbone of our food, fuel, and fiber — agriculture!

Check out this Football and Agriculture poster from Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom

From pretzels and hot dogs to peanuts, popcorn, and soda all trace back to farm fields.
>Nachos and cheese? Corn and dairy from the farm!
>Pretzels and buns? Wheat rising straight from the field!
>Popcorn and peanuts? Grown and harvested by farmers!
>Soda sweetened with corn syrup? Corn again!

🏈 Even the game itself starts with agriculture.
Football “pigskins” are actually leather made from cattle hides raised on farms, and the turf underfoot grew on a sod farm long before kickoff. No farms → no football field. No food → no gameday snacks.

Today is more than a game....it’s a reminder that agriculture fuels every part of the Super Bowl experience: the foods we enjoy, the gear players wear, and the fields they play on!

🏆 So whether you’re watching for the commercials, the halftime show, or the sweet taste of your favorite snack....give a little love to the farmers who helped make it possible! 🌾

Thanks to Illinois Ag in the Classroom resources like this exist for kids of ALL ages. Check out their website for more info (check in our comments).

01/29/2026

Hi all,as most of you know the Barn Tour goes into hibernation for the winter. Well, that big sleeping bear is starting to stir! We are actively working on a slate of beautiful barns for this year’s tour. The Waterman Lions Club will be there serving lunch. In addition, Tacostumbras taco truck, Back At It BBQ truck and Lovely Lemons lemonade stand will be there. Mark your calendars now for August 8th, 2026. More details will follow!

10/06/2025

09/19/2025

09/17/2025

Some highlights from this year's barn tour.

Send a message to learn more

09/08/2025

🎉 Get SNAGged for a good cause!
Saturday Night at Glidden (SNAG) is back — and it's the most fun you'll ever have getting "snagged" on barbed wire! 😉
Join us at the Joseph F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center for a casual night of:
🎵 Live music
🍽️ Delicious food
🏠 Tours of the historic buildings
🎟️ And all proceeds support the operations & preservation of this nationally significant site — the birthplace of barbed wire!
Glidden’s invention changed the American landscape — now you can help preserve the place where it all began.
📅 Saturday, September 27, 4-7 pm
📍 Glidden Homestead
👕 Dress Code: Casual & comfy
🎫 Tickets: https://www.gliddenhomestead.org/snag/

Don’t miss your chance to SNAG a good time and support local history! 💥

08/26/2025

SNAG (Saturday Night at Glidden) is an annual fundraiser supporting the operations of the J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center in DeKalb, IL.

08/12/2025

08/12/2025

The Aug. 9 event included a guided tour at each of seven barns featured in Sycamore township, including historic barns and history of the “lost” community of Charter Grove.