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6 • Sunday, April 3, 2011 • The Star Press & The Palladium-Item
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Bringing it to the Table
Page designer: Elizabeth Richman, 213-5806
Delaware County Farm Festival offers
FULL PLATE OF ACTIVITIES Great food is just one of the many attractions
BY KEN WICKLIFFE FOR THE STAR PRESS
“F
rom the Farm to the Table” is the theme of this year’s Delaware County Farm Festival, which will feature livestock, a trade show, displays of farm implements, hands-on educational programs for children and — of course — plenty of great food. The Farm Festival takes place mainly in the Memorial and Community Buildings at the Delaware County Fairgrounds. Admission is free, and the festival is open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on each of its two weekdays — April 5-6.
Educational programs
“From 8 in the morning until 2:30 each afternoon, school-aged children attend the festival,” said Daisy Fryman, extension educator in agriculture and natural resources for Purdue Extension of Delaware County. The students each rotate through three educational units on agriculture, nutrition and related topics.” Presenters of these educational programs include Red Gold, Howell Farms, Hoosier Horsepower and the Purdue Extension of Delaware County. Approximately 1,600 children visit the festival each year, where they also have opportunities to watch a baby chick hatch, milk a cow, see a sheep-shearing demonstration and watch the process of wool being made into yarn, Fryman added. A petting zoo, which is always popular with the younger children, will also be offered.
For all ages
Attractions for attendees of all ages this year include the trade show, farm implement displays, a blacksmith’s shop, kettle corn and pork cracklins booths, sheep shearing, a State Police informational booth, pedal pull and cornhole tournaments, and an opportunity to plant a seed with the Delaware County Master Gardeners. Three local radio stations will be broadcasting live from the Farm Festival each day: WMDH (11 a.m. -1 p.m. Tuesday and 3-5 p.m. Wednesday); WLBC (1 p.m. -3 p.m. both days), and WERK (3-5 p.m. Tuesday and 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Wednesday).
STAR PRESS FILE PHOTOS
TOP: Visitors had an opportunity to pet sheep during the 32nd annual Delaware County Farm Festival in 2010. ABOVE: Ray Herbert, of Muncie, gives a kiss to his horse Mr. T, while hanging out at the Delaware County Farm Festival at the fairgrounds in 2007.
Great food
On Tuesday, a baked steak lunch hosted by the Extension Homemakers will be available from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. in Heartland Hall. In addition, a BBQ chicken dinner prepared by the Gaston Lions Club will be offered in the Community Building from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday’s menu will feature a chicken noodles lunch prepared by the Extension Homemakers from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. in Heartland Hall. Dinner on Wednesday evening will be a pork chop dinner hosted by the Delaware County Pork Producers from 5-7 p.m. in the Community Building. A variety of concessions will also be available.
Sponsoring this year’s Delaware County Farm Festival are Amazing Joe’s Grill, Bobcat of Anderson, Delaware County 4-H, Extension Homemakers, Farm Credit Services of Mid-America, Farmland Custom Butchering, First Merchants Corporation, Gaddis Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Hyundai, Hoosier Horsepower, Howell Farms, Indiana Farm Bureau, the Master Gardener program, Minnetrista, McDonald’s Restaurants of Muncie, Prairie Farms, Red Gold, Reynolds Farm Equipment, Shideler Grain Company, Star Financial, Texas Roadhouse, thestarpress.com, Thomas Office Machines, Weaver Popcorn Company and radio stations WERK, WLBC and WMDH.