The Harvest Festival will be returning for its second year from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Bloomington Community Orchard.
According to the Bloomington Community Orchard website, the orchard festival will be filled with face painting, live music and other activities.
The event will kick off with a harvest tour and a haiku contest.
“The haiku contest is really fun for people,” Bloomington Orchard Communications Team Member Megan Betz said. “It’s really funny to watch people get competitive and cruise around the orchard for inspiration.
A potluck will follow, featuring a shortcake bar complemented by fruit grown in the orchard.
The Harvest Festival only has one rule: BYOP — bring your own plate, that is.
“In traditional orchard fashion, it kicks off with a big potluck,” Betz said. “Last year, the potluck was really great, and it gives everyone a sense of community.”
The festival will also feature live music and family-friendly events for younger children, including honeybee hive lessons, which offer an educational look into how honey is made and put on our shelves.
“We have an education team that’s really committed to educating children in particular,” Betz said.
Entry to the festival is free, but the orchard will be accepting donations. The rain date is set for Sunday.
According to Betz, the festival had about 60 people in attendance in 2013.
“The orchard is still young; we started in 2010,” Betz said. “So having the harvest festival is really meaningful for us because we’re a volunteer organization.”
More information on the festival and the Bloomington Community Orchard visit bloomingtoncommunityorchard.org.
Victoria Lutgring
