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The Adirondack Harvest Festival will return for its second year on Sept. 16 with a hike to the Essex County Fairgrounds at 9 a.m.
WESTPORT | The Essex County Fairgrounds will be abuzz with activity next Saturday.
The Adirondack Harvest Festival is returning on Sept. 16.
Coming into the event’s second year, Adirondack Harvest Festival organizers are thrilled with plans for an expanded pig roast, local brew and wine tent, farm and producer demonstrations and for a morning hike at DaCy Meadow Farm.
The all-day festival will celebrate this summer’s harvest at the Essex County Fairgrounds.
“All of the food vendors are preparing special dishes this year,” organizer Nancy Page said.
“The beer tent will also be bigger with live music set throughout the afternoon. Two of the region’s best breweries, Ausable Brewing and Livingood’s Brewery, will serve in the beer tent,” she said. “Enticing aromas emanating from Dubb’s Barbecue draw people to his celebrated organic pig roast with a side of ‘loaded corn.’”
Northern Feast, Full Cord Pizza and Bronx Bistro will also be on hand to offer meals made from local ingredients, alongside the Champlain Wine Company and Hid-in-Pines Vineyard, who will offer samples of wine.
Jazz musician Taylor Haskins and Ploughman’s Lunch will perform throughout the day.
Adirondack Harvest organizers paid rent for the Essex County Fairgrounds this year, in part with grant monies from the International Paper Company and Stewart’s Shops.
But admission is free for attendees and for vendors, Page said.
Farmer demonstrations at Floral Hall include Juniper Hill Farm’s hands-on instruction for cultivating gourmet mushrooms and cooking with ancient grains by farmers at Triple Green Jade Farm. Classes on seed harvesting and storage, soap-making with local herbs and oils and spinning are also on tap.
A round table discussion at 3:15 p.m. in Floral Hall will build on small farm movement talks from last year, organized by the Adirondack Farmers’ Coalition.
Coordinators Page, Heidi Sweet and Chris Maron said they have seen a lot more awareness of Harvest Fest as the date approaches this year.
“Starting the festival intended to showcase food grown locally and to find ways to create a dynamic between the farmers, producers and the public,” said Page.
“And it’s fun.”
“Among our long term goals, we envision growth for the economy with local food production,” Maron said.
A hike from farm to fairgrounds opens the event at 9 a.m. Vendors, markets and demonstrations begin at 11 a.m.
Maron said Moriah Central School District is providing a bus to shuttle hikers from parking at the fairgrounds to DaCy Meadow Farm.
There is a suggested donation of $5 per person for the hike, Maron said, with those under 18 and students free.
Preregister for the hike at champlainareatrails.com.
Entry to the Harvest Festival is free; food and drinks will be sold directly by the vendors.
For more information, go to adkharvestfest.com or keep up with what’s scheduled on Facebook at facebook.com/adirondackharvest.
