The Youth Garden Project is hosting its third annual Harvest Festival on Saturday, Sept. 25, and invites the community to come enjoy music, food, games, crafts, contests and more.
Gardeners can enter their produce and flowers in the Blue Ribbon Contest and Exhibition and win prizes in categories like Silliest Fruit or Veggie, Largest Fruit or Veggie, and Rarest Fruit or Veggie. For those who shine in the kitchen, there is also a jam/jelly/preserve contest and a pie contest. Prizes for pies and jams will be determined by the people’s choice—come ready to sample the entries! Submissions will be accepted on Friday, the day before the festival, and on the morning of the festival.
During the event, YGP staff will be cooking up pizza pies loaded with garden produce in the onsite earthen wood-fired oven.
“We’re still deep in harvest season,” said Emily Roberson, YGP outreach and development coordinator. “There’ll be no shortage of garden veggies for those pizzas.” She said the garden is especially bursting with tomatoes and peppers.
There will also be a veggie burger option with garden toppings. Purchase of food comes with a ticket for tasting the jam and pie entries; alternatively, attendees can give a donation to receive a ticket.
Games and activities for kids and adults include a scavenger hunt, cornhole, potato sack races, face painting, pumpkin tic-tac-toe and a donut eating contest (where the donuts are hung on a string).
Community partners will participate with activities and presentations: the Grand County Library will bring its beloved Book Bike, the Moab Valley Multicultural Center will offer a Dia de los Muertos-themed craft, and Utah State University Extension-Moab will host a plant-pot decorating craft. The Moab Museum, Moab Festival of Science, and Community Rebuilds will also attend and bring demonstrations and activities.
Moab’s own local trio, Meandercat, will perform live music along with Salt Lake City-based indie-jazz-rock band Blue Rain Boots.
“They’re really amazing, and they’ve been selling out shows in Salt Lake City,” Roberson said of Blue Rain Boots. Local radio station KZMU will livestream the performances.
Most of the activities will take place outdoors. Masks will be required for indoor activities, and are encouraged when social distancing is not possible.
As of Sept. 20, the YGP was still accepting volunteers for tasks like food sales and preparation, activity booths, and face painting. To sign up to volunteer, or for more information, visit www.youthgardenproject.org/harvestfestival.
Info
What: Youth Garden Project Harvest Festival
When: Saturday, Sept. 25 from 3 to 7 p.m. Jam and pie submissions accepted Friday, Sept. 24 from 3 to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 25 from 9 to 11 a.m.
Where: Youth Garden Project, (530 S. 400 East, Moab)
Cost: Free to attend; prices for food vary
Info: youthgardenproject.org/harvestfestival
