Sky Meadows Third Fall Farm Festival Weekend Turns the Spotlight on Dairy and Agriculture

The bees are buzzing and the cows are mooing at Sky Meadows State Park. The Seventh Annual Fall Farm Festival’s Dairy and Agricultural weekend takes place on October 15th and 16th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.

Visitors can grab a bite to eat from Red Fox Creamery and relax in front of the log cabin with family-friendly tales during Storytelling at 11:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Live musical performances will also be featured at the Cabin. On Saturday, enjoy the sounds of Kitchen Gorilla. On Sunday, Madeline MacNeil will entertain you as she plays her hammered dulcimer. Performance times on both days are from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Don’t forget, the Pick-Your-Own pumpkin patch will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes for carving, baking or decorating, grown right here in the park, are literally yours for the picking!

The weekend will feature a number of exhibitors who are active in the agricultural arts. Spend some time learning about apiculture (aka beekeeping) from the Beekeepers of Northern Shenandoah. Find out about the hives we have here at the park, the life cycle & hierarchy of bees, and how you can become a beekeeper.

Don’t forget to stop in to the Gift Shop and purchase a jar of the honey extracted from one of the park hives this year. Afterward, spend some time with members of the Virginia Draft Horse & Mule Association and find out about the historical farming techniques employed here at the park and elsewhere using draft horses and mules. Witness with your own eyes the amazing strength and beauty of these animals hard at work.

Sunset Acres Alpacas will also be at the park you can cozy up to one of their animals and discover the ins and outs of becoming an alpaca farmer. Handmade alpaca products will be on sale – they make wonderful gifts. Rounding out the exhibitor roster is the Fauquier County 4-H Beef and Boer Goat Club. Stop by their table to get information on 4-H activities in Fauquier County and visit with some of their goats.

In addition to the exhibits and entertainment, we also have a variety of interpretive programs scheduled. On Saturday join our Park Naturalist Trish Bartholomew as she makes a batch of delicious apple butter over the hearth in the log cabin from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Take a “Ghosts of Mount Bleak” House Tour with Park Historian Budd Reitnauer on Saturday or Sunday. Learn about the history of Mount Bleak Farm, the family that built it, and maybe hear or see the ghost of one of the house’s past occupants. Tours will be given between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. each day.

If you’re looking for an outdoor activity that’s loaded with fun and information, try out our new “Great Pumpkin Puzzle” GPS (geographical positioning system) adventure game. This virtual scavenger hunt will lead you to hidden puzzle “caches” around the park. Collect all the pieces of the puzzle to learn about the agricultural history of Sky Meadows State Park and earn a special prize. You can bring your own GPS unit or rent one from the park. Rentals are $6.00/half day or $10.00/whole day per unit.

The Fall Farm Festival is sponsored by the www.virginiastateparks.gov.

LOCATION: The park is less than two miles south of Paris, VA, via U.S. Route 50 to Route 17 South; or seven miles north of I-66, Exit 23 on Route 17 North. The park entrance is on State Route 710.

Drive Time: Northern Virginia, 45 minutes to one hour; D.C., over one hour; Richmond, two hours; Tidewater/ Norfolk/ Virginia Beach, three hours; Roanoke, two and a half hours

Click here for a Google map. Latitude, 38.988703. Longitude, -77.968913

OVERNIGHT FACILITIES: This park offers year-round primitive hike-in tent camping. Reservations are required. There are no cabins or developed campsites with hookups at this park. To make a reservation, you can reserve online or call 1-800-933-PARK.

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