Autumn in Nova Scotia is a pretty spectacular season—not only do we have the most brilliant and breathtaking foliage fall colours, but it’s harvest time, a time when our fields give up the crunchiest apples, the sweetest squash and, of course, the best dried out cornstalks to use for your front door Halloween decorations.
And you don’t even have to head to the valley to enjoy a little reaping of the crop—once again, the farmers are coming to us. The Ecology Action Centre’s Food Action Committee is hosting the Second Annual September Harvest Festival in Victoria Park (Spring Garden) on Saturday. Free to the public, the Festival will showcase locally grown food (there’ll be samples!), giving SuperCitizens a chance to meet, question, and interact with food producers from all over the province.
The Festival’s coordinator, Julia Kemp, says “We are striving to bring together local producers, businesses, interest groups and community members in an effort to showcase local production and to encourage a dialogue regarding a fundamental issue that affects us all.”
Eating locally produced food saves on fuel (as opposed to having food trucked in), supports food producers in our own backyard, and more importantly, empowers us as consumers—we know where our food came from and how it was grown, whether or not chemicals were used or genetic modifications were made. “To continue the theme of sustainable living,” says Kemp, “there will be presentations of renewable energy sources on site.”
Contributing to the festivities will be local musicians ( Jenn Grant, Jubilee Quartet, and Verbal Warning, amongst others), Zuppa Circus, and a special guest speaker: gardening guru Marjorie Willison. The event attracts some major sponsors including the NS Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
2nd Annual Harvest Festival, 10am-5pm, September 18, Victoria Park on Spring Garden. FREE. 442 0199.
