Fall Fest At Hillside Farms--Go If You Can!

The complete name of this place is The Lands At Hillside Farms, and I wish I had had more advance notice of their Fall Festival so I could have shared it with you sooner. (The dates--note them now--are Saturday, Oct. 2 and Sunday, Oct. 3. For further information call 570-696-4807).
I don't want to discourage you and your family from visiting as many Fall festivals as possible. This one will have many of the same features as all of them do--hayrides, story telling, refreshments, cooking classes, and demonstrations by such craft workers as blacksmiths, stone and wood carvers, and basket weavers. But the venue of the Fall Fest of The Lands At Hillside Farms makes it different--and, possibly, more memorable than most.
Why?
Because it is an important site, historically, culturally, and environmentally. And because it may be the only place in Pennsylvania where you can buy an ice cream cone and then wonder off with it to enjoy the site and whatever is going on at the time.
Only a couple of decades ago this 412-acre parcel of land in Shavertown, with the buildings on it, seemed destined for what is sometimes called "redevelopment." It was a decayed summer estate and dairy farm. Then it was taken over by a determined non-profit organization.
Today the public is welcome to visit, and to enjoy the revitalized venue. The place is the last working, self-sustaining dairy farm in Luzerne County. This means you can buy top-quality Hillside Gold dairy products in the dairy store there--ice cream, milk in returnable glass bottles, and more--all from grass fed cows which are free of Bovine Growth Hormone. Then you can walk over and make the acquaintance of the cows who provided the milk.
The site is open all the year round; and, under the eye of staff and volunteers, you can stroll the hiking trails and interact, not only with the cows, but with the horses, goats, and other animals.
In addition, there are other festivities, not to mention quality educational experiences, available all through the year.
The Lands At Hillside Farms can be found at 65 Hillside Rd., Shavertown 18078; its enticing website is www.thelandsathillsidefarms.org. As noted above, its phone is 570-696-4807.
I will be doing more posts on this place in the near future. It has too much to offer for one post to suffice.
I will make it a point, too, to tell you how to help it keep doing what it does.