In 2015, the Grayson County Extension Agents and the Grayson County Extension Council started the Extension Family Farm Fest to provide opportunities to families in the community to experience agricultural activities. From picking and painting their own pumpkins and petting friendly farm animals to community services providing information at booths and door prize drawings; families and youth have been able to get a firsthand experience with some of the agriculture in the county. The continuing success of this event has grown each year, giving the third annual event the largest attendance by far!

For the 2017 Extension Family Farm Fest, agents worked closely with the planning committee to ensure the success of this year’s event. Save the date information went out to the schools, social media, and Chamber of Commerce newsletter to the community in August and letters went to past vendors at that time as well. Heavy promotion for the event started at the end of September, just before Fall Break for the school system. A half-sheet flier went to every elementary aged student at all four of the elementary schools, plus a stack to the front office at the middle school. Ads were purchased in the local papers as well as the local radio station to run the week leading up to the event. Agents went to 94.3 the WOLF in Elizabethtown to promote the event, as there are many listeners to that station locally.

The day of the event, there were fourteen booths. While some were vendors selling local homemade goods; many were set up to provide more information about their services they offer locally, like Grayson County Public Library with the book mobile, Leitchfield Animal Shelter, and Grayson County Beekeepers Association, to name a few. Warren Rural Electric provided demonstrations with their safety trailer; Taking Kids Outdoors provided an inflatable BB gun range; VanMeter Farm provided the fieldtrip sized pumpkins for the kids to pick while the 4-H Teen Club members assisted with the pumpkin painting, face painting, and supervising the other children’s games that were provided. Smokey the Bear made appearances and the friendly farm animals; sheep and chicks; were a big hit as children were able to pet them!

The Grayson County Cattlemen’s Association provided cooking of the hamburgers and hotdogs that were free for event attendee’s. While not everyone who came to the event stayed or arrived to get food; those who planned to eat had to receive a ticket. Agents and the planning committee had planned for 350 based on the estimated number from the previous year. When it appeared that there were more people to feed than the amount of food planned, the Cattlemen sent members to get more hamburgers, hotdogs, and buns to make sure there was enough of the main food for everyone. The cattlemen collected those tickets as people came through the line; at the end of the event, the tickets were counted. 444 people came through the line for the meal! Agents estimated an additional 150 persons that came before and after food to add to the total attendance. 

Many parents were asked during the painting activities why they decided to come out with their family, and the largest response was due to the flier their child(ren) brought home from school. Knowing that information allows for promotional planning in the years to come. This growing event has been a great marketing tool for the Extension Service. Having an event locally where families can pick their own pumpkins; for free; is a big draw to the local community, as it is at least 30+ miles for them to be able to have that experience. Patrons leave from the event having experienced farm friendly activities and full bellies!