Article: Mysteries of the Kane County Fair The strange & familiar.(News)

Byline: Josh Stockinger Daily Herald Staff Writer

Thousands of sweating families tromped about the dusty Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles under Wednesday's squelching sun, many of them seeking the same thing - new stuff.

For Kevin Glander, 10, of Lake Geneva, Wis., that meant laying eyes on "Willard," a 97-pound, 4-foot-long river rat native to the Amazon. The rat, brought in by a Florida company, is making its Kane County Fair debut.

"It freaked me out," said a wide-eyed Kevin after taking a gander inside the cage, hidden from passers-by.

(He gladly held up another dollar for a peek at the 150-plus- pound python snake "Lucy" ...

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