Five Rivers MetroParks will host the new Small Farm & Food Fest on Saturday, July 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Carriage Hill MetroPark, 7800 E. Shull Rd. This free, all-ages event promotes healthy eating and sustainable living with dozens of hands-on activities, a pop-up farmers market, demonstrations, speakers and more.
Small Farm & Food Fest will offer a mix of modern-day and historical farming, gardening, homesteading and food preparation information.
“Visitors can look forward to an entire day of fun activities and leave with a new understanding of local foods and the importance of local farmers,” said Rick Musselman, MetroParks Historical Farm supervisor. “People will also learn skills from the past that can help them today.”
Photo Credit Jan Underwood
The event will be held at the Carriage Hill MetroPark visitor center, Historical Farm and farm house.
- Historical demonstrations and workshops: Learn about sustainable home practices, such as heirloom gardening, canning, milling, soap making and wool spinning.
- Live animals: View draft horse demonstrations, then visit the farm animals at the Historical Farm.
- Pop-up farmers market: Featuring local growers, artisans and more, the farmers market will feature more than 25 vendors.
- Learn local: Discover the importance of local produce and where to find the fresh picks from local growers at the 2nd Street Market and Narrow Way Farm booths, organized by Five Rivers MetroParks.
- Speakers: Ten local professionals will offer talks starting at 10 a.m., with the last talk starting at 4 p.m. Speakers will explore such topics as gardening, home sustainability, bee and chicken keeping, and cooking and meal preparation. For the full speaker schedule, visit metroparks.org/farmfest.
- For the entire family: Families can enjoy tractor-pulled wagon rides and explore Apple Farm equipment. Children also will be able to experience kid-focused activities such as heirloom gardening, butter making, sewing, weaving, spinning and making fresh lemonade.
Photo Credit Jan Underwood
Corn and potatoes cooked by a historical steam engine will be available for purchase, in addition to bites from Tin Roof Mobile Foods, Cumberland Kettle Corn and Rolling Oasis Treats Truck during the event. Festivalgoers also will enjoy live music from noon to 4 p.m. at the Visitor’s Center.
Photo Credit Jan Underwood
“As a conservation agency, Five Rivers MetroParks implements sustainable practices into every facet of its day-to-day operations in the parks, facilities and programs,” said Musselman. “We want to empower people to adopt healthier lifestyles and help make the connection that stainable practices are accessible, fun and important to our local environment.”
Learn more about Five Rivers MetroParks’ Small Farm & Food Fest, supported by Edible Valley Ohio, at metroparks.org/farmfest.
ABOUT FIVE RIVERS METROPARKS
Celebrating more than 50 years of preserving green space and natural areas, Five Rivers MetroParks is a nationally renowned park system composed of natural area parks, gardens, high-qualityriver corridors, urban parks and a network of recreation trails. Five Rivers MetroParks protects the region’s natural heritage and provides outdoor experiences that inspire a personal connection with nature. Educational programs and recreational opportunities are offered year-round for all ages. Five Rivers MetroParks is accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies. To learn more about Five Rivers MetroParks, log onto www.metroparks.org or call 937-275-PARK (7275).
