In Dalton, local agriculture takes center stage this Saturday as the Farm to Family Festival returns for a fourth year. Streamside Park will be the hub of activity, featuring a full day of educational demonstrations, over 20 vendors, and a variety of family-friendly activities.
This annual festival, initiated in 2023, aims to fortify the connection between local farmers and community members. “They support us with good and local food and nutrition, and we can support them by making sure that they get to sustain themselves,” explains Terra McAuliffe, the festival chair and president of the Dalton Community and Commerce Association, which organizes the event.
The festival is expanding this year to include activities throughout the town, such as a sidewalk sale, touch-a-truck event, and music at Platt Park. McAuliffe shared, “We want to bring attention to our local agriculture, but also our beautiful town of Dalton.”
To ensure accessibility, American Sign Language interpreters will be on hand during educational sessions and throughout the festival. This inclusion is especially meaningful as it fosters connections within the community, with McAuliffe noting, “It’s one of the things that makes this event really unique and special.”
The Dalton Community and Commerce Association, a volunteer-led organization, benefits from the event proceeds, which fund community-supportive initiatives in the Dalton area.
If you go
The festival will offer a diverse selection of goods, food, services, and educational materials from vendors. A children’s tent will feature activities centered around bees, monarchs, crafts, and music.
Educational sessions will cover topics like garlic growing and regenerative farming, with Jeremy Lewan from WNEP-16 serving as the keynote speaker. He will also lead a “clouds in a jar” workshop. For a detailed schedule and vendor list, click here.
Volunteers clad in blue shirts will assist with parking and directions. McAuliffe encourages first-time visitors to take their time and enjoy the experience: “That way, you can maybe catch a presentation that you like, wander and speak to our vendors, enjoy some food from the food trucks and just allow yourself to even wander throughout town,” she noted.
The event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more details, visit the Dalton Community and Commerce Association’s Facebook page.
