JBG FALL OPEN HOUSE THANKS + RECAP!

11/02/18 — Heydon Hatcher

Tracey leading the last farm tour. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

What an amazing Fall Open House! We loved having the community out to enjoy the autumnal weather and see this magical, transitional time at the farm. A huge thanks to everyone who made the trip out to see us. It was the largest attendance at a farm event ever. We estimated that there were more than 800 people! We had absolutely NO idea that we could accommodate that many vehicles! Thanks to the work of Casey, her husband, Brian, and Ada, we made it work. Teamwork definitely makes the dream work.

The scavenger hunt, tractor school, trampoline, jungle gym, and sandpile were all hits as always, with kiddos exploring and playing until the long after the sun went down. The veggie monster station was absolutely incredible. A huge thanks for Kathryn Klepac for heading the operation. We were amazed and spooked by all the diverse, scary monsters! Check out our favorites here. We are grateful for Alek Trail from Austin Yoga who led an amazing evening yoga session for those who needed to get some fresh air and stretch, too.

The farm tours, led by JBG staff, were an amazing opportunity for our community to experience firsthand the seasonality of the fields. Attendees saw a vibrant juxtaposition of fading summer crops like squash next to rows of verdant and thriving fall crops like kale and lettuce. Folks learned about a range of subjects, from succession planting to direct seeded crops vs. transplanted crops. Also, realities of the farm, like pest pressures, mud, etc, were experienced firsthand! People could really understand the conditions in which our farm crew works and see what it's really like out on the tractor.

Beth Chrisman and her friends played amazing music all night long, and we are ever-so-grateful to them. What an amazing outfit of musicians! A huge thanks to Tiny Tails to You! Petting Zoo! They were so popular that folks waited in line to hold one of their many adorable animals (porcupines were the crowd favorite for sure). We are immensely thankful for The Ginger Armadillo and Farm to Market Pizza food trucks for slinging epicurean delights all night, too!

Thanks again to everyone who made this such an extraordinary gathering. It really was the best yet. 'Til next time.