Carriage Hill MetroPark
Small Farm & Food Fest
Small Farm & Food Fest returns Saturday, August 6, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Five Rivers MetroParks will host the new Small Farm & Food Fest 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.”
Bites from Kona Ice of Troy, Thai 1 On, Cumberland Kettle Corn, G’s Cue BBQ, and El Buen Taco will be available during the event. Festivalgoers also will enjoy live music from noon to 4 PM at the Visitor’s Center.
“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 sustainable practices are accessible, fun and important to our local environment.”
Activities
Historical demonstrations and workshops
Learn about sustainable home practices, such as heirloom gardening, canning, milling, and wool spinning.
Ongoing Informal Demonstrations between 10-4:30pm: Demonstrations presented will be ongoing and informal
- Textile display and Demonstration (Spinning, sewing, knitting): Backyard of Historic Daniel Arnold House
- Healthy Summer Drinks: Kitchen of Daniel Arnold House
- Canned Goods Display / The Basics of Canning: Backyard of Daniel Arnold House
- Butter Making Display / Making Your Own Butter: Backyard of Historic Daniel Arnold House
- Exotic Fruit Stand: Backyard of Daniel Arnold House
- Heirloom Vegetable Display / Growing Heirloom Vegetables: Kitchen Garden
- The Basics of Woodworking: Wood Shop
- The Basics of Blacksmithing: Blacksmith Shop
- Draft Horse Demonstrations: Historic Farmyard
- Steam on the Farm Demonstration: Historic Farmyard
- Old Fashioned Play for Kids: Front yard of Historic House
Exhibitors/Demonstrators:
- Heritage Breed Display: Jason Combs, Historic Stony Hollow LLC.
- Historic Painting in the 1880s: Robin Schuricht, Ohio History Connection
Pop-up farmers market
Featuring local growers, artisans and more, the farmers market will feature more than 15 vendors.
Learn local
Discover the importance of local produce and where to find the fresh picks from local growers at the 2nd Street Market, organized by Five Rivers MetroParks.
Speakers
Seven local professionals will offer talks starting at 10 AM, with the last talk starting at 4 PM. Speakers will explore such topics as gardening, home sustainability, and cooking and meal preparation.
Carriage Hill Visitor Center Classroom Talks Schedule
- 10:00 to 10:30 AM: Curing Your Own Bacon at Home: Rick Musselman, Five Rivers MetroParks
- 11:00 to 11:30 AM: Knife Skills in the Kitchen: Tim Pritchard, Five Rivers MetroParks
- 12:00 to 12:30 PM: Baking and Cooking with Edible Flowers: Kate Lowry, Five Rivers MetroParks
- 1:00 to 1:30 PM: Milling Your Own Grains at Home: Deb Spencer, Five Rivers MetroParks
- 2:00 to 2:30 PM: Making Homemade Beeswax Wraps: Shawna Balog, Five Rivers MetroParks
- 3:00 to 3:30 PM: Stocking the Pantry: Bryn Mooth, Edible Ohio Magazine
- 4:00 to 4:30 PM: Cooking with Herbs: Karen Purke McGuffey Herbs and Spice
Historic Farm Barn Talks Schedule
- 10:30 t0 11:00 AM: Caring for Rabbits: Mary Beth Hobson, Five Rivers MetroParks
- 12:30 to 1:00 PM: How to Clean and Filet a Fish: Kelly Kingery, Five Rivers MetroParks
- 1:30 to 2:00 PM: Start Growing Food for Fall: Betty Hoevel, Five Rivers MetroParks
- 2:30 to 3:00 PM: Butter Making for Beginners: Jamie Burton
- 3:30 to 4:00 PM: Caring for Chickens: Sue Nevins, Five Rivers MetroParks
Live animals
View draft horse demonstrations, then visit the farm animals at the Historical Farm.
Family fun
Families can enjoy tractor-pulled wagon rides. Children also will be able to experience kid-focused activities such as heirloom gardening, butter making, sewing, weaving and spinning.
