Farmington

Harvest festival shoots for the moon

By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

» click to enlarge « File photo by Patricia O’Blenes The work of Farmington potter and sculptor David Albrecht was on display last year. File photo by Patricia O’Blenes The work of Farmington potter and sculptor David Albrecht was on display last year.

This autumn will once again put the “farm” in Farmington when the city celebrates its annual Farmington Harvest Moon Celebration Sept. 27-29.

According to Farmington Downtown Development Authority events planner Janet Bloom, the festival’s three days typically draw in an estimated 5,000 visitors. Agrarian sights and decorations, such as a DDA-sponsored scarecrow contest, will help make people feel like country folk.

“It’s a very rustic feel in this event,” she explained. “We go with a crew (to a farm) and go and cut down corn stalks, and we get lots of different vegetables and different items. … It just adds to the ambiance.”

Bloom said the first two nights of the event are designed for adults ages 21 and older.

Thursday will serve up a wide selection of adult beverages as part of a third annual beer and wine tasting event. The Oakland Community College Culinary Studies Institute will complement the drinks with food pairings, she said.

During the event’s second night, Farmington will clear the floor for the eighth annual Harvest Moon Dance, which will feature classic tunes from throughout the decades, Bloom said. Beer and wine will be available, and local restaurants will cook up a harvest-fare menu, she said.

Saturday, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., is assigned as a time for the whole family. A petting zoo, music, and the Farmers and Artisans Market will round out the day’s attractions. Hungry visitors may pay for a five-course Farm to Table dinner at Riley Park that will support the farmers market.

Walt Gajewski, who manages the farmers market, noted that a harvest moon is scheduled to rise the night of Sept. 29, the event’s final evening. He added that he will help visitors taste the bounty of the harvest by expanding the market to include almost his entire roster of nearly 80 vendors.

“These are all local Michigan farmers. They come from Manchester. They come from Monroe. They come from Romeo,” he said. “They actually come as far as the west side of the state … which is known for various fruit production.”

The Farmington Harvest Moon Celebration will take place Sept. 27-29 at Riley Park’s Sundquist Pavilion, 33113 Grand River Ave., in downtown Farmington. Tickets for Sept. 27-28 are $5 in advance or $8 at the door. The Farm to Table dinner is $50 per person. C & G Newspapers is an event sponsor.

Learn more about event times and other information at www.downtownfarmington.org or by calling (248) 473-7276.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1058.