Our county’s Farm-City Days celebration is Oct. 12-15. This year there are lots of fun, free activities for families and people young and old.
On Thursday evening, games will be set up at Riverside Park for all children. From 5 to 6:30, Humanity House will be cooking up and serving a free community dinner of their famous chicken and homemade noodles, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Follow that up with homemade apple pie and ice cream and then sit back and relax with a free movie in the park.
Friday’s activities for kids begins at 8 a.m., with a sidewalk chalk art contest. There will be no school on Friday, so kids will be able to work on their art all day, with judging at 5 p.m. Children should come to the Town and Country store beginning at 8 a.m. and sign up to receive their number and chalk. Humanity House will be serving breakfast and lunch to the kids.
Friday evening, awards will be given for the sidewalk art and photography contests after the opening ceremony, and the winner of the Medallion Hunt will be recognized.
On Saturday, along with a fun carnival, there is a terrific parade, tons of vendors showing and selling their crafts, and lots of musical artists in town to provide entertainment throughout Saturday. Finishing off the event is Sunday at Strickler’s Holstein farm.
Farm-City Days is a perfect example of what can happen when individuals work together to make something amazing happen for a community. Everything from planning, fundraising, organizing, cooking, overseeing games, pie baking, ice cream serving, barn cleaning, making hundreds of phone calls and charts, and the hundreds of details that go into an event of this size, all are done by volunteers working toward one goal, to give the people in our county a fun fall festival that gets people out of their houses. Together, families enjoy the fresh air for 10 days as they search for the medallion. They listen to the different music, see all of the fantastic craftsmanship from vendors, taste good food and rare treats, and stand in the Kansas sunshine and watch the parade floats and marching bands go by. It’s a perfect way to enjoy the lovely autumn weather in Kansas.
As with any event, the challenge is to come up with funding. Farm-City Days, Humanity House, ACARF, Hope Unlimited, Santa’s Toy Shop, CASA, Pregnancy Resource Center, Elks Scholarship Program, PTO, Booster Club, Wings of Warriors, and the many others groups and projects in Allen County — none could continue their good works without donations, large and small.
Kindness comes in many forms. Volunteering for a community project with either your time, your talent, or your treasure is one of the best ways to show your neighbors that you care.
Kindness matters!
Lots of opportunities for free food, free activities at F-C Days
