Celebrate Fall at Fort Ticonderoga’s Heritage, Harvest & Horse Festival, Sept. 27th!

Fort Ticonderoga will present the annual Heritage, Harvest & Horse Festival September 27

Join Fort Ticonderoga to celebrate the sights, sounds, and tastes of fall on Saturday, September 27. Bring the whole family to the Heritage, Harvest & Horse Festival for a full day of autumn fun set in the midst of the King’s Garden’s heirloom apple trees and the beautiful Adirondack landscape! Experience the power and thunder of hooves through demonstrations of equestrian sports; take part in family-fun activities including horse drawn wagon rides and sack races; and explore the fall splendor of Fort Ticonderoga’s beautiful museum campus located on Lake Champlain and nestled between the Adirondack and Green Mountains.

Admission to the Heritage, Harvest & Horse Festival is included with Fort Ticonderoga’s general admission ticket. Fort Ticonderoga is open from 9:30 am until 5 pm daily. For a complete event schedule visit www.fortticonderoga.org or call 518-585-2821.

“Localvore” Food, Wine tastings, Live Music, Wagon Rides and more!

Festival featured activities include: live music from 12 pm-4 pm; delicious “localvore” food from Essex County’s DaCy Meadow Farm; kids’ heritage games and sack races; pony rides; petting zoo; horse-drawn wagon rides; harvest market featuring locally grown and made products including artisanal cheese, hand-woven baskets, perennials and mums, produce, maple syrup, honey, apple products and more!

Horse Presentations

See a horse powered hay press in action, discover the importance of horses in the Revolutionary War, meet the Vermont Cavalry and hear their story about their fight in the Civil War, and follow the cry of the hounds from the King’s Garden to learn more about the sport of Foxhunting with the Green Mountain Hounds.

“The Heritage, Harvest, and Horse Festival will feature demonstrations of equestrian sports and working horses alike,” said Stuart Lilie, Fort Ticonderoga’s Senior Director of Interpretation. “From farm horses to cavalry mounts, meet some of these beautiful four-legged animals as you tour around the Fort’s garrison grounds and gardens.”

Heroic Maze: A Corn Maze Adventure!

The day will not be complete without a visit to Fort Ticonderoga’s highly acclaimed Heroic Maze: A Corn Maze Adventure where visitors explore the six acre corn maze designed in the shape of the Fort and find their way through the maze by selecting the correct answers to clues connected to the Fort’s history!

Full Schedule for Heritage, Harvest & Horse Festival, September 27

Family Fun

Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides 10 am – 3 pm
Ride around the beautiful grounds of the King’s Garden in a rustic wagon, pulled by a great team of draft horses.

Petting Zoo & Horse Rides 10 am – 4 pm
Enjoy friendly goats, and other animals in the petting zoo. Saddle up on a lead horse and ride around the King’s Garden’s apple orchard.

Face Painting – 10 am – 4 pm

Sack Races in the King’s Garden 11 am, 12:30 pm, 2 pm & 3:30 pm

Kids’ Heritage Games – throughout the day
Play 18th- & 19th-century games hosted by DaCy Meadow Farm, adjacent to the food tent.

Heroic Corn Maze 10 am- 5 pm
Take a family trip through the six acre corn maze and try our new scavenger hunt game!

Harvest Activities & Presentations

Harvest Market
Set in the King’s Garden’s floral scenery will be the lively and colorful harvest market, plus games and activities for all. The market will feature locally grown and locally made products including artisanal cheese, hand-woven baskets, perennials and mums, produce, maple syrup, honey, apple products and other fall favorites.

Live Music by the “Loose Monkeys” Acoustic Duo 12 pm – 4 pm

Breaking Ground: A Tour of the Historic Gardens 11:30 am – 2:30 pm

Ticonderoga Plein Air Festival artists paint across the Fort Ticonderoga museum campus throughout the day.

Garden Grill 11 am – 4 pm
The America’s Fort Cafe serves all-American favorites, plus wine and local craft beer.

Adirondack Winery Tasting
Adirondack Winery, Lake George’s premier winery, welcomes you to stop by their booth to sample their hand-crafted, locally made wines. From traditional dry wines to semi-sweet and fruity blends, you’ll be sure to find a new favorite. You’ll also be able to take home your favorites of eh day, as featured wines will be available for sale by the bottle.

Dine with DaCy Meadow Farm 10 am – 4 pm
Enjoy the fare of Dave & Cynthia Johnston of DaCy Meadow Farm in a picnic-style atmosphere. Outspoken champions of Localvore cuisine, they offer a selection of hearty homemade soups, sandwiches, and desserts made from farm-fresh, locally produced ingredients. Menu (subject to change) includes corn chowder, pulled pork sandwiches, homemade baked goods, homemade ice cream, and assorted hot & cold beverages. Vegetarian options are available as well.

Horse Presentations

Horse Powered Hay Press 10 am – 2 pm
See how the tractor didn’t supplant the horse right away with the horse powered hay press. Watch this hay baler in action packing and binding loose hay into square bales for storage, all with the power of a single horse.

The Philadelphia Light Horse 12 pm
Discuss with Director of Interpretation, Stuart Lilie the Philadelphia Light Horse and their role in the Revolutionary War history ofFort Ticonderoga. Discover how these gentlemen volunteers from the city of Philadelphia clothed and equipped themselves to be cavalry men. Learn about the two important missions that members of this troop had in 1775 and 1776.

First Vermont Cavalry 1 pm
Serving practically the entire American Civil War, the First Vermont Volunteer Cavalry had an impressive record in many famous battles with the Army of the Potomac. See how these cavalrymen in Federal service could fight whether mounted or dismounted with their carbines, pistols, or sabers. Discover how these cavalrymen served as the eyes and ears of an army and as a potent raiding force even in an era of rifle-muskets and repeating arms.

Green Mountain Hounds 3 pm
Follow the cry of the hounds from the Kings Garden to learn more about the sport of Foxhunting. Discuss how this traditional rural equestrian sport has evolved to be a fun and humane exercise for hounds and horsemen alike. From a vantage above the King’s Garden, watch as the Green Mountain Hounds hunt the beautiful garrison grounds of Fort Ticonderoga galloping at with the pack at full cry.

Fort Ticonderoga’s Heroic Corn Maze Adventure Opens August 15! (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Fort Ticonderoga 2014 Season Begins May 10 (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Fort Ticonderoga’s Corn Maze shaping up (pressrepublican.com)

About Fort Ticonderoga

Located on Lake Champlain in the beautiful 6 million acre Adirondack Park, Fort Ticonderoga is a not-for-profit historic site and museum that ensures that present and future generations learn from the struggles, sacrifices, and victories that shaped the nations of North America and changed world history.

Visit www.FortTiconderoga.org or call 518-585-2821 for a full list of ongoing programs, admission prices, and current hours. Fort Ticonderoga is located at 100 Fort Ti Road, Ticonderoga, New York.