Hildebrand Farms Dairy, 5210 Rucker Road, just a few miles west of Junction City, will host their annual Harvest Festival Saturday, Oct. 9th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will give visitors the chance to experience a day on the farm and meet the family and dairy herd that make Hildebrand milk.
Highlights of the event include: a picnic lunch, live music, tours of the farm, hay rack rides, corn pit sponsored by Kansas Corn, cow bouncy house, paint-your-own pumpkin, coloring contest, and hay rack rides. The event is free and open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.
“The Harvest Festival is our opportunity to pull out all the stops and share our farm with the community,” Melissa (Hildebrand) Reed, operations manager, said. “Farming is very much a lifestyle and we are blessed to have the support of so many that purchase our glass bottle milk. The Harvest Festival is our way to give back.”
After cancelling the festival in 2020 due to uncertainties with the pandemic, the family is eager to bring the event back and focus on keeping activities outdoor to maintain the safety of everyone.
“After a wild and crazy year we are eager to have a little fun and bring joy to those in our community,”
Reed said. “It is amazing watching kids from all walks of life experience the fun of farm life. There is nothing better than watching a kid light up as they pet a calf for the first time, jump in a straw pile or pour corn over their head.”
The picnic lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or while supplies last. Cash or check, free-will donations assist in sending children to a local church camp. Local musicians, Triple Play Band, will perform during the picnic between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Tours will be available every half hour starting at 10:15 a.m. and ending at 2:30 p.m. A member of the Hildebrand team will guide visitors through the milk barn, processing plant, free-stall barn and calf barn.
This year a wide-variety of locally grown pumpkins are available for purchase. The pumpkins are two for $10 or one for $6. Kids can then paint a mini pumpkin for $1. Cash is suggested for the mini pumpkin painting.
Visitors can also sample Hildebrand Farms Dairy milks, butters and summer sausages. The first batch of eggnog will be available to sample and take home.
Farm fresh milk, soft-serve ice cream, meat and other local farm products are available for purchase. Credit cards are accepted in the farm store.
In the event of inclement weather check the farm’s Facebook page at Hildebrand Farms Dairy for updates on cancellation or postponement.
Hildebrand Farms Dairy is a third-generation family farm located at 5210 W. Rucker Rd. in Junction City, Kan. The family has been in the dairy industry since 1930, and built an on-site processing facility in September 2008. Hildebrand Farms Dairy products are available in more than 140 locations throughout Kansas.