Celebrate Autumn Traditions at CNC’s Fall Harvest Festival Sat. Oct 2

Date:                Sat, Oct 2, 2021
Time:               10 am-4 pm
Where:             Chippewa Nature Center, 400 S Badour Rd, Midland
Admission:       FREE for all children under 18 and CNC members  $5/non-member adult


Celebrate the return of autumn at Chippewa Nature Center’s (CNC) annual Fall Harvest Festival on Sat, Oct 2 from 10 am to 4 pm. Visitors of all ages will enjoy demonstrations and hands-on activities that reflect 19th century life on the farm at harvest time. Admission is free for all children under 18 and CNC members. Non-member adult admission is just $5.

At the Homestead Farm, visitors will have the opportunity to see demonstrations of cider making, wood carving, chair caning, apple butter making and sheep to shawl. There will also be a beekeeping demo and craft. Hands-on activities include quarter-scale timber frame barn building, rope making, candle dipping, corn grinding and sachet making with the Valley Herb Society, as well as ‘milking’ a pretend cow. Visitors can also visit the Homestead Cabin, tool shed, heirloom garden, root cellar and farm animals, and will enjoy traditional music by Tinkers Folly. There will also be activities in the children’s garden, and a special seasonally decorated photo backdrop where visitors can take their own picture. Small House Farm will be selling their handmade, all natural products. Food concessions will be available from the Studley Grange (cash only).

At the Schoolhouse, visitors can take part in lessons from the 1870s, play outdoor games such as stilts and graces and make crafts such as leather stamping. The antique threshing machine will also be on display. The Midland County Breastfeeding Coalition will provide a Rock-and-Rest tent, providing a place for parents to change a diaper and feed their baby.

Near the Sugarhouse, attendees can see a demonstrations by the Max Carey Blacksmith Guild and the Oxbow Archeologists, as well as an archaeology display.

Attendees are also invited to stop by the Visitor Center to enjoy the Ecosystem Gallery, Wildlife Viewing Area, River Overlook, Bur Oak Theater and Nature Center Store.

Fall Harvest Festival is sponsored by signature sponsors Arbury Insurance Agency and Huntington, as well as Morley, Pizza Sam’s, RetroFoam of Michigan, Darrell Eagle and Carole Adams, Jim Malek and Fred and Marianne McKelvy.

Volunteers are still needed for Fall Harvest Festival. For volunteer opportunities and time slots, contact Cathy Devendorf at cdevendorf@chippewanaturecenter.org or at (989) 631-0830