Fraser Valley Celebrates Harvest Time with Circle Farm Tour

image courtesy of Circle Farm Tour

FRASER VALLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, September 27, 2011 — As leaves begin to fall and we try to squeeze every last drop out of summer, enjoy the bounty of the harvest on a Circle Farm Tour in the Fraser Valley. Learn to fish, make an autumn-inspired planter, drop in for a honey tasting, or let someone take care of preparing Thanksgiving dinner. Kids can make a birdfeeder, get lost in a corn maze, or pick the perfect pumpkin for carving. Families and friends can take advantage of the season with these fall events:

Abbotsford

Art in the Barn at Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm & Meadery

October 29 – 30, from 10am – 4pm, be sure to check out Campbell’s Gold barn, which will feature a variety of artisan vendors, including pottery, painters, photography, jewellery, glass art, fibre art, art metal, woodcraft and much, much more. A great place to pick up the perfect Christmas gift.

Tanglebank Gardens

Create a beautiful fall planter for your front door or patio, put together a crazy hair pumpkin planter, participate in a candy toss or add a little colour to your winter garden; Tanglebank Gardens offers a variety of events for the whole family this fall.

Pumpkin Patch at Maan Farms

Pumpkins are ready at Maan farms! Growing 25 of the most popular varieties of pumpkins, and open from September 10th – October 31st with free admission, you’ll be sure to find the perfect pumpkin.

Langley

Fort Langley’s 15th Annual Cranberry Festival

Celebrate Fort Langley’s proud berry history, October 8 – 9 from 9am – 5pm. The fun starts with a pancake breakfast, continuing through the day with activities for the whole family: contests, live music, cooking demos, a fashion show, and over 80 vendors showcasing a marvelous selection of products.

Grave Tales at Fort Langley National Historic Site

From October 7-30, spine-chilling tales of love, mysterious burials and old-school amputations – Fort Langley’s past is depicted at night by expert storytellers, and will leave you spellbound as you weave through the village from the misty cemetery to the deserted Hudson’s Bay Company fort.

Grape Stomp & Harvest Party

Get your feet wet at Township 7 Vineyards’ annual grape stomp and fall release party this Halloween. Vendanges, La Vendemmia, la Vendimia! The Grape Harvest in all cultures signifies not just the picking of grapes but a cause for celebration. The bounty from a year’s worth of carefully tended vines will be harvested with extended families and friends gathering to celebrate, which culminates with a traditional harvest lunch. Festivities include a grape stomp competition; new fall releases; and live music.

Chilliwack

Chilliwack Corn Maze

Challenge yourself to find the one true way through this unique 14-acre cornfield maze. Worried you’ll never be able to find your way out? The maze becomes an interactive experience with passports and challenges as you navigate your way out, or instead, enjoy the kiddy bale maze, pumpkin patch, animal viewing area, and u-pick apples.

Petey’s Pumpkin Patch

October 2-31, come visit one of the most amusing and picturesque pumpkin patches in the Valley. There is over 5,000 square feet of indoor activities for family fun, including a big concession with hot and cold food, a train or wagon ride, farm animals, and so much more!

Agassiz Harrison Mills

2011 Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival

There are many different stops over this two-day event (November 19-20th) that are both educational and entertaining. At the Kilby Historic Site see demonstrations on how to create your own winter container garden and presentations on attracting birds to your backyard.

Harvest Celebration at Limbert Mountain Farms

Want to try a unique U-Pick experience? Why not try Hazelnut picking in Agassiz. Hazelnuts are ready for picking in late September through October. Visitors to hazelnut farms can explore the orchards and pick their own hazelnuts from the trees or choose to buy them on site from the farm shops. Popular on their own or as a flavour in cooking, hazelnuts are the perfect winter treat (and ideal fall-time harvesting activity).

Kilby’s Annual Thanksgiving Celebration

Prepare to loosen that belt for Kilby Historic Site’s very popular, traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, October 9 & 10. Dinner includes roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash, brussel sprouts, homemade rolls, cranberry sauce and gravy, and a beverage with dessert. Indulge in all of the traditional fixings without preheating or dishwashing, for only $15.95 per adult. By reservation only.

Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows

Bruce’s Apple Festival

Many varieties of new and heritage apples grown in BC, apple pies and crisps, live local entertainment and sampling at Bruce’s Country Market on October 15th & 16th from 10am – 5pm.

Mason Bee Workshop at Amsterdam Greenhouses

Do you have fruit trees and small fruits in your garden? On October 29th the experts at Amsterdam Greenhouses will explain how to increase your fruit production by setting up and maintaining your own Mason Bee house.

The Circle Farm Tour project enhances the Circle Farm Tour concept initially created by the District of Kent in Agassiz and Harrison Mills in 2003. Today there are five communities in the Fraser Valley participating; between Abbotsford, Agassiz/Harrison Mills, Chilliwack, Langley, and Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows, over 65 farm and artisan partners are represented. The Circle Farm Tour provides easy to follow self-guided road maps through the beautiful British Columbia countryside, directing visitors to a variety of specialty farm-gate vendors, open air markets, glorious display gardens, artisans and charming eateries.