COOPERSTOWN — Celebrate the bounty of fall as Harvest Festival returns to The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14 and 15.
According to a media release, this family-friendly event has grown since 1978 to become a regional favorite, bringing together a wide variety of performers, artisans, and vendors. Situated on the museum’s picturesque grounds near Otsego Lake, it offers the perfect blend of new attractions and trusted favorites. Visit FarmersMuseum.org for a complete schedule.
There will be two days of live performances, the release stated. The Stoddard Hollow String Band performs its mix of Appalachian old-time tunes, traditional and original music on Saturday. Bill Ackerbauer, an acoustic guitarist who dabbles in harmonica, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and other instruments, will perform acoustic roots music Sunday. Musicians Jim Kimball and Karen Canning will perform 19th-century tunes on the porch at Bump Tavern. Kimball has added to the festival’s ambiance since the late 1970s. The Catskill Puppet Theater will hold a musical adaptation of a traditional Ethiopian folktale at 2 p.m. Sunday. Gerald Fierst, storyteller and actor who appeared in the first two seasons of the Hulu series “Only Murders in the Building” and is the recipient of two Parents Choice Awards for his CDs of world folktale, will give performances on Saturday and Sunday.
There is an abundance of activities for families and children at Harvest Fest, the release stated. At the Crafts Table, kids can make corn husk dolls, paper strip pumpkins, and autumn greeting cards. There will also be face painting, scavenger hunts, and a children’s hay bale maze. Outdoor games include cornhole, nine pins, and some traditional 19th-century games. Ride the Empire State Carousel. The Girl Scouts will be onsite, as well as the Cornell Cooperative Extension and 4-H.
At the Farmstead, find cider pressing, corn shelling and grinding, and as well as horse-drawn wagon rides. In the blacksmith shop, kids can discover how metal is shaped by hammering molding clay which has the feel of hammering hot steel. Have the family sit for an authentic tintype photograph from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting).
In addition to the farm animals at the museum, Hinman Hollow Sport Training have canine agility and obedience demonstrations. In the Main Barn, view The Buzz About Pollinators, an interactive exhibit all about bees and the many other insects and organisms like them that help make farming possible.
Many artisans show off their skills each year including, quilters, a jeweler, woodworkers, a porcelain painter, bakers, maple producers and artists.
Harvest Festival gives visitors the opportunity to join in and assist museum interpreters with common activities from the 19th century such as the harvesting of potatoes. There are interesting happenings in each building in the Country Village including the Blacksmith Shop, the Print Shop, and the Farmhouse.
An abundance of foods from the season’s harvest awaits festival-goers, these include the mouthwatering roasted corn from Our Green Acres, sausage from Beckmann’s, and Tickled Pink BBQ.
Tickets available at the door on the day of the event and are $17.50 for adults 13-64, $12.50 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for juniors 7-12, and free for museum members and those 6 and younger. Visit farmersmuseum.org/free to see all free admission options.
For an up-to-date schedule and other information, visit FarmersMuseum.org. The Farmers’ Museum is at 5775 State Highway 80 in Cooperstown.