Harvest Festival Returns to The Farmers’ Museum on September 16 & 17

Each fall, this regional favorite brings together a wide variety of performers, artisans, and vendors.

• Saturday and Sunday, September 16 & 17, 2023 • 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
  The Farmers’ Museum, Cooperstown, NY
• $15 adults (13-64), $12.50 seniors (65+), $6 juniors (7-12), and FREE for museum members and kids 6 and under
• (Go to farmersmuseum.org/free to see all free admission options.)
• Tickets available at the door on the day of the event.

Cooperstown, New York — Celebrate the bounty of fall as Harvest Festival returns to The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, taking place Saturday and Sunday, September 16 and 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Since 1978, this family-friendly event has grown to become a regional favorite, bringing together a wide variety of performers, artisans, and vendors.  Situated on the museum’s picturesque grounds near Otsego Lake, it offers the perfect blend of new attractions and trusted favorites. Visit FarmersMuseum.org for a complete schedule.

One-day entry to Harvest Festival: $15 adults (13-64), $12.50 seniors (65+), $6 juniors (7-12), children 6 and younger and museum members are free. Purchase tickets at the museum on the day of the event. Free museum admission is also available for those receiving SNAP benefits (up to 4 people) with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card.

Two days of live performances.

Hear music by folk singer and songwriter Kevin McKrell both days. Bill Ackerbauer, an acoustic guitarist who dabbles in harmonica, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and other instruments, will perform his family program on Sunday. Musicians Jim Kimball and Karen Canning perform nineteenth-century tunes on the porch at Bump Tavern. Mr. Kimball has added to the festival’s ambiance since the late 1970s. The Catskill Puppet Theater will hold a performance of Hiawatha on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. More performances will be announced soon.

Plenty of activities for families and kids

There is an abundance of activities for families and kids at Harvest Fest. At the Crafts Table, kids can make corn husk dolls, paper strip pumpkins, and autumn greeting cards. There will also be face painting, scavenger hunts, and a children’s hay bale maze. Outdoor games include cornhole, nine pins, and some traditional 19^th-century games. Ride the Empire State Carousel. At the Farmstead, find cider pressing, corn shelling and grinding, and as well as horse-drawn wagon rides. In the blacksmith shop, kids can discover how metal is shaped by hammering molding clay which has the feel of hammering hot steel. Have the family sit for an authentic tintype photograph on both Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (weather permitting).

Animals always take the spotlight at Harvest Festival. Aside from our beautiful farm animals, Hinman Hollow Sport Training will dazzle you with their canine agility and obedience demonstrations.

In the Main Barn, view the exhibit Growing Tomorrow’s Farmers which celebrates the role children played on family farms from the 19th century to the present. The exhibit, featuring photographs of several families who live in the region, will close on October 29.

If you like historical trades, you won’t be disappointed. Many artisans show off their skills each year. Get hands-on with rope making, coopering, and see spinning and fiber art demonstrations.  You’ll also find, quilters, a jeweler, woodworkers, a porcelain painter, bakers, maple producers, and artists, featuring many unique items from the region.

Harvest Festival gives visitors the opportunity to join in and assist our interpreters with common activities from the 19^th century such as the harvesting of potatoes. There are interesting happenings in each building in the Country Village including the Blacksmith Shop, the Print Shop, and the Farmhouse.

An abundance of delicious foods from the season’s harvest awaits festival-goers including the mouthwatering roasted corn from Our Green Acres, sausage from Beckmann’s, desserts from Kings Kakery, and great Greek cuisine from The Grapevine (Sunday only). You will also find homemade pies and fresh baked goods from the Pomona Grange.

Get a head start on your holiday shopping with some new and unique gifts for everyone in the family at Todd’s General Store and The Farmers’ Museum Store.

Visit Fenimore Art Museum on the same day–located just across the street. Get two great museums for one low price when you purchase a two-way ticket for $25 or $22.50 seniors. Two-way tickets can be purchased at the admissions desk of either museum during Harvest Festival. See Fenimore’s new fall exhibitions featuring A Cabinet of Curious Matters: Work by Callahan and Whitten and others–plus Randy Johnson: Storytelling with Photographs, now on view through December 3. The museum and Fenimore Gift Shop are open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For an up-to-date schedule and other information, please visit FarmersMuseum.org. The Farmers’ Museum is located at 5775 State Highway 80, Cooperstown, N.Y., 13326.