Whether visiting a maple farm in Brechin, a giant pumpkin patch in Little Britain, a farmers’ market in Bobcaygeon, or a corn maze in Omemee, Kawartha Farmfest is a great way for your entire family to spend part of your Thanksgiving long weekend celebrating the harvest and experiencing the rich agricultural heritage of Kawartha Lakes.
The annual one-day festival is a self-guided adventure where families can tour selected farms and rural attractions in the region. Pony rides, scavenger hunts, tractor-pulled wagon rides, petting zoos, and wool spinning are all on the itinerary, as well as shopping for local produce, meats, and preservatives for the winter.
Being held for the 22nd year, this year’s Farmfest is taking place — rain or shine — from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 12th during the Thanksgiving long weekend. For one low price for admission ($5 per adult and free for kids under 14), guests can tour as many locations as they want, with additional paid experiences available at some locations. Tickets are available now at www.kawarthafarmfest.com and must be purchased in advance before ticket sales end at noon on Friday, October 11th.
“Everybody gets to come out to the farms and get to see what goes on during the day,” says Sara McQuaid of McQuaid’s Country Market. “It’s a chance to be involved in the community.”
This year will mark the second time McQuaid’s Country Market is a stop on the Kawartha Farmfest tour. Known as “Mazefest,” the stop gives participants the chance to get lost in the property’s nine-acre carnival-themed corn maze. Guests can play bingo along the way, marking their cards as they pass designated stations. Those who get a row on their bingo card will be entered into a draw to win a gift basket of goods from McQuaid’s Country Market.
While that’s enough of a reason to add Mazefest to your Farmfest schedule, the farm will also have family-friendly games for kids of all ages, wagon rides to the pumpkin patch where visitors can pick out their décor for the fall season, and plenty of photo opportunities. For another chance to win, children can partake in the scavenger hunt around the farm.
“There’s a whole list of things you need to find around the farm and if you succeed and post on socials, then you have another chance to win a gift basket,” says McQuaid. “It’ll be a lot of fun.”
As a self-guided tour, Kawartha Farmfest gives participants the opportunity to browse through the farm sites and design their own route, customizing it to the activities they most want to do and the places they most want to visit. A chart outlining the travel times and distances between the sites is available at www.kawarthafarmfest.com to help participants plan their day.
Each of the farms on the tour have their own specialties, depending on the type of farm and the services they offer. Animal lovers can ride a pony at Horsefest at Valentia Equestrian Centre (188 Valentia Road, Little Britain), visit the petting zoo to lead the goats and brush miniature horses at Veggiefest at Lunar Rhythm Garden (253 Gray Road, Janetville), and get a free walking tour to visit piglets, laying hens, sheep, and pigs at Pigfest at Three Forks Farm (345 Colony Road, Bobcaygeon).
Those who are most interested in the abundance of the fall harvest can get the best food the region has to offer during Kawartha Farmfest. A few farms will be grilling up a BBQ lunch for the occasion, while several others will be operating their own farm stands including The Roost Farm (3314 Kirkfield Road, Brechin), which is new to the lineup this year and will be celebrating the grand opening of their farm store.
Farmfest participants can also stock up with everything from fresh vegetable and meats to honey, apples, eggs, maple syrup, fudge, and cheese curds. Stellmar Farm (136 Sandbar Road, Little Britain) will even be selling homemade soaps, body butters and lotions, while Crow Hill Farm (35 Ranchers Road, Cameron) will have Corriedale hand-spinning fleeces available to get you ready and cozy for the winter.
If that’s still not enough shopping for all the fresh-food and natural-product lovers in your family, the Lindsay Farmers’ Market, Kinmount Farmers’ Market, and Bobcaygeon Farmers’ Market will all be set up and operational in the morning and early afternoon throughout Kawartha Farmfest.
Since a day in Kawartha Lakes would not be complete without a stop at the region’s most famous dairy, at their first stop of the day, each paid adult ticketholder will receive a “Buy one cone, Get one cone free” coupon that can be redeemed at Kawartha Dairy’s locations in Lindsay or Bobcaygeon. Provided courtesy of Kawartha Dairy, the coupons are only valid during Farmfest.
Aside from all the fun things to do for the entire family, Kawartha Farmfest also provides an opportunity to learn more about life on a farm, from growing organic vegetables to spinning wool to growing giant pumpkins.
“It’s good because some people will learn more about where their food comes from,” says McQuaid. “There’s a whole other world behind the grocery store, so it’s good for people to actually see where your pork chop comes from. It’s nice to connect with the farmer so you know who your food is coming from.”
McQuaid adds that Kawartha Farmfest also gives farmers a chance to explore and learn about other attractions and businesses in the region, which they may not always have the time to do while keeping their own farms running throughout the season.
“It helps us see who’s out there to build connections with,” she says. “It’s nice to see other farmers getting involved in the community, because the farming community is one big family here.”
To help collect comments and suggestions about each site on the tour, Kawartha Farmfest Passports are supplied to participants at their first stop of the day. Drop your filled-in passport into a draw box at your final stop and you will be entered into a draw for a basket of items from Kawartha Farmfest sites.
McQuaid notes that, aside from everything to see and do during Kawartha Farmfest, it’s a day when families can enjoy the season and perhaps explore beyond the farms to see what else Kawartha Lakes has to offer.
“The scenery is absolutely beautiful around here, so you can go down the country roads, see the leaves turning, grab a hot chocolate or latte from the local bakery and enjoy some fall treats,” she says.
“There’s something about the fall that is just a warm, cozy feeling. It’s the last send-off before we get the snow.”
Since fall is McQuaid’s favourite time of year, she is looking forward to welcoming both locals and visitors to McQuaid’s Country Market during Kawartha Farmfest.
“It’s just seeing the smiles on people’s faces that make it so worthwhile,” she says. “It’s the enjoyment for me to see families having fun and interacting with each other throughout the day.”
For the full list of participating host sites and to purchase tickets, visit www.kawarthafarmfest.com.
This branded editorial was created in partnership with the City of Kawartha Lakes. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
