Get ready for a family friendly day of food, farms and 4-H. K-State Research and Extension for Sedgwick County will host its annual Farms, Forks & 4-H Festival from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25.
Katharine Elder, chef and owner of Elderslie Farm, will be the guest chef and will offer a cooking demonstration and tasting at 11 a.m.
The Farms, Forks & 4-H Festival focuses on urban activities related to families, agriculture and health. The event is free and open to the public.
Activities will be in 4-H Hall at the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center, 7001 W. 21st St. N. in Wichita.
The festival coincides with the Kansas Grown! Farmers Market, which will take place simultaneously in the parking lot.
“This festival is an opportunity for K-State Research and Extension to highlight the variety of programs that we offer our community,” Angela Jones, director of K-State Research and Extension – Sedgwick County, said. “From gardening
demonstrations to our Kids’ Ag Zone, our annual event will have something for all ages.”
Katharine Elder’s presentation, “Farm to Fork – Celebrating the Growers of Kansas” will feature fresh fruits and vegetables from the farmers market. Elderslie Farm is a blackberry farm north of Wichita that offers formal Farm-to-Table dinners, a goat creamery and a blackberry cafe called the Bramble Cafe.
Gardening demonstrations and tours will take place throughout the morning and will cover topics such as composting, fall vegetable gardening, tree planting, gardening projects for kids, planting bulbs for spring and easy flower potting for fall.
More than 20 interactive booths will highlight K-State Research and Extension programs. The festival also will include the following activities:
• A Kids’ Ag Zone area, sponsored by Sedgwick County Farm Bureau, which will feature farm equipment, tractor pedal
races and a tent with live animals including cows, goats and rabbits.
• Projects with 4-H STEM including building towers and animal dens with marshmallows and ice cream making in a bag.
• A stationary bike that blends smoothies as you cycle.
• A hands-on cow milking display.
• An additional food demonstration at 9 a.m. will offer tips for home canning and preserving garden harvests.
• 4-H Fashion Shows at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. that will feature fashions sewn by 4-H members.
• Resources featuring topics related to Medicare, aging and family management.
• Lolo’s Crepes, a food truck vendor, will be located inside 4-H Hall.
A full schedule of activities is available at sedgwick.k-state.edu/festival.html.
