Celebrate the region’s small farms with an all-day festival at the Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport, NY on September 16th!  A Farm-to-Fest Hike offered by Champlain Area Trails (meet at 9 am) will be followed by a day of fun and music and plenty of good food and locally crafted beer.  A Farmers’ Market will display the valley’s harvest with over 30 regional agricultural vendors, including cheese-makers, meat & sausage producers, vegetable growers, brewers and vintners.  Exhibits and films and farm presentations will be shown in Floral Hall throughout the day.  There will be demonstrations including cider pressing, bee keeping, growing gourmet mushrooms, harvesting & storing seeds, flax processing, baking with ancient grains and soap making.  Festivities include food trucks and brewers as well as an organic pig roast and live music.

Admission is free to the festival.  Visit www.adkharvestfest.com and Facebook for further information. See the schedule below.

More about the Farm-to-Fest Hike

Meet at the Essex County Fairgrounds at 9 am to ride the shuttle bus two miles to the DaCy Meadow Trailhead. You’ll walk through lush farm fields with views of Toll Gate Hill, Lake Champlain, and the forested West Champlain Hills.  After entering DaCy Meadow’s forests you’ll climb by some old trees and arrive on Ledge Hill Rd. for a gentle downhill walk back to the Fairgrounds and all the Adirondack Harvest Festival activities.

Suggested donation for the hike is $5/person; under 18 and students free.  You can pre-register for the hike at www.champlainareatrails.com or when the hike begins.