Enjoy autumn’s changing colors and cooler temperatures on Sunday, Oct. 7, at Raritan Headwaters Association’s annual Old Fashioned Country Fair, one of the area’s most popular fall family events.
The 39th annual Country Fair will feature a full day of fun outdoor activities, music, food and local vendors at the beautiful Fairview Farm Wildlife Preserve at 2121 Larger Cross Road, Bedminster. The fair runs from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., rain or shine.
“We’re excited to invite the community to our Country Fair,” said Cindy Ehrenclou, executive director of the Bedminster-based conservation group. “It’s a great place for children to experience classic fall activities like wagon rides drawn by Clydesdale horses, a field maze, pumpkin slinging and scarecrow dressing.”
Country Fair has been a tradition in the Somerset Hills since 1980, noted Ehrenclou. Proceeds raised from the event support Raritan Headwaters’ mission of protecting clean water in local rivers, streams and homes.
Other Country Fair activities include pumpkin painting, beekeeper demonstrations, farm animals and appearances by the Raptor Trust, Tewksbury Foot Bassets and Essex Fox Hounds. There will be a visit from friendly alpacas, a fly fishing demonstration by Shannon’s Fly and Tackle in Califon, a clean river race game for kids and a cornhole toss. The Somerset Hills Garden Club will again have a table where fairgoers can make wildflower “seed bombs” to take home.
Live country music will be provided throughout the day and Bex Eatery will serve local, seasonal food. The Daughters of the American Revolution will sell delicious home-baked treats.
As in previous years, local vendors will offer produce and specialty goods. Flip Side Farm CSA will show off its baby pigs and fresh vegetables, Dogwood Farms and Anythyme Farm will sell fresh produce, Bob Morris Associates will sell imported paper products like lanterns and Advent calendars, and the Mount Lebanon Soap Company will sell handmade artisanal soaps. Larger Cross will present a selection of baskets, linens and antiques; and Coopers’ Hollow Farm will sell plants that support pollinators.
Admission is $25 per vehicle. Learn more and order tickets online. To become an event sponsor, contact Jody Marcus at jmarcus@raritanheadwaters.org or 908-234-1852, ext. 320.
Proceeds from the Country Fair support RHA’s mission of protecting the water in our rivers, our streams and our homes through science, education, advocacy, land preservation and stewardship.
About Raritan Headwaters
The largest watershed organization in New Jersey, Raritan Headwaters has been working since 1959 to protect, preserve and improve water quality and other natural resources of the Raritan River headwaters region through efforts in science, education, advocacy, land preservation and stewardship. RHA’s 470-square-mile region provides clean drinking water to 400,000 residents of 38 municipalities in Somerset, Hunterdon and Morris counties and beyond to some 1.5 million homes and businesses in New Jersey’s densely populated urban areas.
Raritan Headwaters recently was accredited by the national Land Trust Accreditation Commission, meaning it has been recognized as a strong and effective organization committed to professional excellence and maintaining the public’s trust.