Carriage Hill MetroPark plans Events
MetroPark plans Small Farm and Food Fest
HUBER HEIGHTS- Staff and volunteers at Carriage Hill MetroPark will offer demonstrations, hands-on activities, local speakers and a pop-up farmers market on Saturday, Aug. 1, during the annual Small Farm and Food Fest hosted by Five Rivers MetroParks.
The festival, which features free admission and runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will highlight local growers, sustainable-living artisans and community partners.
“The purpose of the event is to inspire people to live a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle, by exploring both modern and historical techniques,” Five Rivers MetroParks Marketing and Public Engagement Specialist Lauren Lemons said.
“A lot of the practices that they used back in the Victorian era were by fault sustainable,” she said. “A lot of things like canning, and growing your own food, and mending your own clothes were what we consider today sustainable ways of living, but back then, it was just daily life.”
This year’s festival will feature an expanded lineup of guest speakers, with presentations on a variety of topics ranging from hot water bath and pressure canning to dehydrating meals, how to care for cast iron, camp cookery, and gardening. Gardening experts will also be available for questions during the event.
“The major themes of the event are definitely healthy food, sustainability and farming,” Lemons said.
Additional historical activities will include blacksmithing and woodworking demonstrations, textile displays, draft horse demonstrations and historic breeds of livestock, children’s games and a steam engine with complimentary steamed corn and wagon rides.
Food trucks will be on site, and the pop-up farmers market will feature approximately 25 vendors. All of the park’s usual amenities will also be available, including hiking trails, the visitor’s center and the horse-riding center.
“We’ve got a variety of food trucks, and then you can also grab desserts, and breads and things like that, and bring it home with you,” Lemons said.
Sponsors for the Small Farm and Food Fest include Edible Miami Valley magazine and Apple Farm Service.
“We have a ton of our volunteers, who come and help,” Lemons said. “We would not be able to do this event physically without volunteers.”
Carriage Hill MetroPark is located at 7800 E. Shull Rd. More information can be found online at www.metroparks.org.
“Carriage Hill is the first MetroPark,” Lemons said. “It’s very unique, in the fact that it has a little bit of everything.”
“It’s a really versatile park,” she said. “It’s one of my favorites.”
Carriage Hill has hosted the Small Farm and Food Fest annually since 2019. Other ongoing events are listed on the park’s website.
“Small Farm and Food Fest is our largest event,” Lemons said, “but heading into the fall we have ongoing demonstrations on the farm.”
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