WU-074 Harvest Fair at Johnson Farm on Sunday September 28th

For a Sunday out on the farm, enjoy the 27th annual Harvest Fair.  In this podcast episode, Wendy Johnson, the executive director of the Fair’s organizer -- Friends of the Farms -- is here to tell us about it.

It’s on Sunday September 28 from 11am to 5pm at the Johnson Farm, on Miller Bay Rd south of High School Rd.

Imagine an event with treats like these:

 - Listen to six live local bands

 - Enjoy apple cider fresh from the fair orchard

 - Shop at the farm stand for fresh, local produce

 - Attend a seminar on local food topics

 - Enjoy yummy food with a focus on “local”

 - Talk with local master gardeners

 - Sample local beverages at the beer and wine garden

 - Take a tractor or horse-drawn wagon ride

 - Enter the pie contest (enter by 11:30 pm)

 - For children: Enjoy pony rides, face painting, and ride the land slide

 - Join in the Friends of the Farms raffle to win great prizes

 - Or simply take in seven hours of sumptuous local food and music while sitting on a hay bale, enjoying a beautiful day in the country

Think about the history of this Johnson Farm event.  In 1888, Andrew Johnson purchased 80 acres of farmland on Island Center Hill that produced vegetables, fruit and butter for local residents. Mr. Johnson successfully operated the farm from through the early-20th century. After World War II, his son Harvey introduced grapes, fruits, nut orchards and beekeeping. When Harvey died, neighbors collaborated with the City of Bainbridge Island and the Trust for Public Land to purchase nearly 15 of those acres to preserve them for public agricultural purposes.

Sponsors for the event include: Mercury Michael - Bainbridge Homes; Brown Bear Car Wash; Island Cool Frozen Yogurt; Riddell Williams; Ace Hardware; Bainbridge Gardens; Guy Dunn; and local farms: Bainbridge Vineyards, Butler Green Farms, Laughing Crow Farm, and Heyday Farm.

Diane Landry and the team from the Sustainable Bainbridge Zero Waste project will be on hand to help everyone compost and recycle, to keep the farmland attractive.

The Johnson Farm is at the intersection of Miller Bay Road and Johnsonville Road, one-quarter mile south of the western end of High School Road.  See: https://www.google.com/maps/@47.632297,-122.554227,18z   For more information, viist the Friends of the Farms website at http://friendsofthefarms.org/what-we-do/harvest-fair-2

Credits: BCB host and editor: Barry Peters; BCB intro music: Tim Bird; BCB ferry music: Dogfish Bay Studios; BCB podcast art: artopia creative