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Harvest Festival
September 12, 2009 | September 13, 2009
10 am - 5 pm
The Farmers' Museum

Come celebrate the beginning of the fall season at the 31st annual Harvest Festival at The Farmers' Museum taking place Saturday, September 12th and Sunday, September 13th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  This popular event brings together a wide array of performers, exhibitors, delicious foods, artisans, and animals in an alluring 19th-century setting.

Download the 2009 Harvest Festival program with a complete schedule of activities. (pdf)

This year, the Museum welcomes members of the Southern Tier Alpaca Association.  Dozens of alpaca will be on site taking part in parades, shearing demonstrations and even an obstacle course!  (Alpacas have been domesticated for thousands of years.  There are no wild alpacas.  Along with camels and llamas, they are classified as camelids.  Too small to be used as pack animals, they were bred exclusively for their long, soft fiber.  This fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, much like wool.)  These adorable animals will be accessible to visitors throughout the weekend.  There will also be fiber arts and alpaca-related products for sale.

Harvest Festival guests will enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides; historic games and craft activities for the whole family; artisan demonstrations; and delicious foods from the season’s harvest including barbequed chicken provided by the Rotary Clubs of Cooperstown, Richfield Springs, Milford, and Schenevus-Worcester; samples of McCadam Cheese, roasted corn, and ice cream.  Regional cuisine features baked goods, local produce, and maple products.

 
Returning are festival favorites Jim Kimball and Dick Bolt, presenting live, traditional music of New York State; and Dickens the Clown, entertaining children with his juggling feats. In addition, visitors can cheer on the dog agility demonstrations, take in a band organ concert at The Empire State Carousel and watch the Junior Livestock Show's Parade of Champions.

Visitors can also enjoy the museum's classic attractions as well - including favorites such as the Empire State Carousel, the Historic Village, Lippitt Farmstead, the Cardiff Giant, and all the animals!

Admission to the event: $11 adults (13+), $9.50 seniors (65+), $5 children (7-12), children 6 and under and members of the New York State Historical Association are free. On Harvest Festival weekend only, visitors who sign up for a new membership in the New York State Historical Association will receive a 20% discount on the annual membership fee.

Sponsored by

This event is sponsored through the Pure Catskills Buy Local
campaign, an economic initiative of the Watershed Agricultural Council.  Supported in part by the Central New York Radio Group, the Southern Tier Alpaca Association, and McCadam Cheese.   Funding is provided by the WAC, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and other sources.  This event is made possible with funding by the Otsego County Bed Tax Event Grant Program, Otsego County Tourism (800-843-3394), thisisccooperstown.com, and with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.