Hayrides, farm animals, old-fashioned food, and Mutt & Jeff’s BBQ top the list at an exciting day of fabulous fun at Hardman Farm. It is the annual summer Harvest Festival with a new and interesting twist. Normally, the summer corn harvest allows participants to pick corn and take home ears. Sarah Summer, Assistant Manager at Hardman said, “Because of the drought and heat, we don’t have the corn we normally do, so we wanted to do something a bit different.”
Hardman Farm State Historic Site will host its summer Harvest Festival and Plant Swap on Saturday, August 24 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. The day will be full of activities for the young and young at heart. Old-fashioned games such as corn-hole, sack races, and an old-time dress-up photo booth are available. Local musicians will perform throughout the day and farm animals will await visitors in the horse stable. Guests can also tour the main floor of the Hardman Farm mansion, along with the 100+ year-old dairy barn, outbuildings, and grounds.
Food for purchase will be available throughout the festival from local food vendors.
This year’s Harvest Festival will feature Hardman Farm’s first-ever plant swap.
“We’re looking forward to bringing the community together and exchanging plants, seeds, cuttings, and gardening tips,” said Summers. “We know this time of year folks have plants that need to be divided or trimmed back and seeds that could be harvested, and we thought, what better way to put all of that excess to use than with a plant swap.”
If you would like, you can drop off your plants, seeds, seedlings, bulbs, and even small garden accessories at the Hardman Farm Visitors Center before the Festival (10 a.m. -4 p.m. on Thurs Aug 22nd or Fri Aug 23rd) or wait and bring them along on the day of the event. Summers emphasized that the plants and seeds should be healthy, non-invasive, pest-free, and labeled.
On the day of the event, attendees can choose a few “new” plants, bulbs, or seeds.
“We’ve already cultivated a lot of plants from Hardman Farm for the swap and some of our Friends of Hardman Farm volunteers have already donated plants to be shared,” said Summers. “We know we’ll have Spotted Bellflower, Walking Iris, Cleome, Siberian Iris, Butterfly Bushes, and Shasta Daisies to swap and additional plant varieties are being added daily.”
If you have questions about plants, several local Master Gardeners will be on hand to advise and provide gardening tips.
“Even if you have nothing to bring or are just getting started with gardening, we want to encourage you to come,” said Summers. “We’ll have plenty, and gardeners love to share. We’re hoping the plant swap will sprout new friendships among plant enthusiasts in the area.”
Admission to the festivities is $8/person (children 5 & under are free) and includes activities and the plant swap. Admission can be purchased at the Hardman Visitors Center on the day of the Festival.
For more information, contact the Hardman Farm Visitors Center or call 706-878-1077, or email [email protected]. Hardman Farm Facebook for additional information.
