Nestled in the Flint Hills, just a few miles west of Junction City, sits a dairy farm that provides the charm of days gone by as cows graze in the pasture and a farm store offers milk in nostalgic glass bottles.
Hildebrand Farms Dairy, 5210 Rucker Rd., will host its annual Harvest Festival Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. giving visitors the opportunity to experience a day on the farm and meet the family and the dairy herd that work so hard to make each drop of delicious 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.
“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.”
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 variety of locally grown pumpkins are available for purchase. 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.
For more information visit www.hildebrandfarmsdairy.com.
