Free farm tours and fun for all ages Oct. 3

Now in its 11th year, HarvestFest features 18 Pierce County farms with hands-on activities and lots of fresh, locally grown food.

Farms are throwing open their gates on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

HarvestFest tour guides are included in several local papers this week. The public can also learn more about the farms and download the tour guide at http://www.piercecountywa.org/harvestfest.

"HarvestFest signals the change in seasons. It’s a day we set aside for fun and education on our farm," says farmer Terry Carkner, whose organic farm Terry’s Berries on River Road has been part of the tour from the very beginning.

New ranchers Greg and Maureen Sikora of Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch are enthusiastic about HarvestFest. "This is only my second year on the tour," says Greg Sikora, "but it was so energizing to host the event last year that I wouldn’t miss it. We go out of our way to make it fun for the kids – many of them have never had the opportunity to meet farm animals." The ranch will introduce newly hatched chicks to the rest of the menagerie on Saturday.

For farmers Claude Gahard of Trillium Creek Winery and John Adams of Stringtown Farm and The Winery at the Farm, HarvestFest is an extension of the "Agri-Tourism" they offer year round. Both farms have tasting rooms where wines made from their own grapes can be sampled.

At Wilcox Family Farms in Roy, this year’s HarvestFest marks the beginning of the family’s second century of egg production. According to third generation farmer, Chris Wilcox, "Our business model has evolved to go organic, cage free and embrace environmental stewardship, but our success still depends on the same thing – a community that supports family farms by buying local."

HarvestFest is a free event presented by the Pierce County FARM Program and FARM Board to showcase local farms and their contribution to the local economy and environment.