Festivals, Educational Programs/Conferences, and Events

Attend festivals, educational programs/ conferences, and events featuring Indiana’s locally grown and/or raised foods.

If you know of a festival, educational program, conference, or event which features Indiana locally grown or raised food or a related topic and it’s not listed here, email me (victoria@goinglocal-info.com ) with the name and a brief description of the event  dates, website, and telephone number. All listings are free of charge.

2009 Indiana Wine Events

Click here to get information about all 2009 Indiana wine events, new releases, plantings, and activities at Indiana's local vineyards.



2009 Festivals, Educational Programs/Conferences, and Events

July 19
Summer tour of LIFE Farm, Hunter's Honey and Harvest Moon Flower Farm in southern Indiana. Registration fee of $60.00 per person includes transportation and dinner at Harvest Moon. Click here for details.

August 8-9
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Mansfield Village Watermelon Festival
Beat the August heat with thick juicy slices of Indiana watermelon. There'll be games, competitions, shopping, lots of gret food, and a walk/run/sprint through scenic Parke County.

August 13, 14, & 15
Van Buren Popcorn Festival
Visit Van Buren, Indiana- Popcorn Capital of the World, for food (including plenty of popcorn), crafts, princess pageant, parade, over 100 booths, tractor show, and kids' safety festival.

August 15
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Wabash Herb FestivalHerb and garden items, free seminars, herb walks, and car show.

August 22
Kouts Pork Festival
Crafts, entertainment, hog raffle, 5K walk/run and plenty of delicious pork.

August 27-30
Swiss Wine Festival
Salute the cultural heritage of Switzerland County with tradition, fun, and, of course, wine. Don't miss the grape stomp!

September 4-7
Hours vary
Marshall County Blueberry Festival
Indiana's largest four day festival! Enjoy luscious blueberry treats, hot air balloons, parade, fireworks, classic car show, carnival, and lost of family fun.

September 10-12
11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Tipton County Pork Festival
Art show, pageant, entertainment, parades, and a mouthwatering menu featuring (what else?) PORK!

September 12
7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Valparasio Popcorn Festival
The Valparaiso Popcorn Festival has been named the "Best Festival of the Region" by The Times readers for the past 12 years! More than 300 arts and crafts booths, 50 food booths, two stages of entertainment, and kids activities. Home of the nation's original Popcorn Parade.

September 12-13
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Bonneyville Mill Celebration
Hop aboard the horse drawn tram to visit a turn of the century agricultural operation. Enjoy watching historic crafters, steam powered equipment demonstrations and taste wholesome period food. Tour Bonneyville Mill, Indiana's oldest continuously operating grist mill. $3.00 admission

September 13
Hours vary.
Hobbit Gardens Herb Festival
Garden tours, yoga for gardeners class, seminars about growing,cooking, and preserving herbs as well as information about eating locally and seasonally. Harvesting of organic herbs, flowers and vegetables. Admission $3.00 

Mid-September
Nappanee Apple Festival
Apple pie baking contest, pie eating contest, entertainment, parade and food.

September 19
Hours vary
Brookston Apple Popcorn Day
Celebrate the local popcorn and apple harvest with races, crafts, food, apple bobbing, pancake and sausage breakfast, pizza eating contest, apple dessert contest, pedal tractor pull, and special events.

September 17-20
Nappanee Apple Festival
Apple baking contest, apple peeling, pie eating contest, parade, puppet shows, senior bingo, farm tractors, singing, dancing, two stages of entertainment, and the world famous 7 foot apple pie.

Late September
Batesville Applefest
Food and fun to celebrate the apple harvest in Batesville. Call 812-934-3201 for information.

September 21-26
Hours vary.
Mitchell Persimmon Festival
Persimmon pudding contest, food, crafts, parade and free entertainment.

September 25-27
Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cory Apple Festival
Antiques, flea market, parade, fish fry, hog roast, chicken and noodles, carnival, helicopter rides, entertainment and, of course, apples.

Late September-October
9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Fall Harvest Festival
Hosted by Waterman's Farm Market, this festival has something for everyone!
Take a farm tour hayride to the pumpkin patch, wander three corn mazes, visit with farm animals, climb straw mountain or straw hill, or try your luckat the "all you can carry challenge" where one person has to carry as many pumpkins as she/he can for 5 steps. If you don't drop any, all those
pumpkins are yours for $30.00.

October 2-4
Popcorn Festival of Clay County
Enjoy free popcorn, free entertainment, artists, car show, great food, and fun. Enjoy the Orville Redenbacher look-a-like contest. 

October 3-4
Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Apple Festival of Kendallville
Music, food, Civil War Re-enactment, puppets, storytelling, dancers, sheep shearing and other demonstrations, 85 craft booths, and "all things apple" will celebrate the 24th Apple Festival of Kendalville. A great family event.

October 3-4
Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday noon to 4:00 p.m.
Grape Harvest Festival
Celebrating grape harvest season with wine tastings, winery tours, exhibitions, live music, and prizes. Admission $5.00

October 4
Fall Homegrown Indiana tour of Olde Lane orchard and Graber's Produce. Registration fee is $14.00 per person and includes transportation and dinner at Graber's. Click here for details.

October 3-4 and 10-11
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Heartland Apple Festival
Held annually at Beasley's Orchard, this fun filled event features hayrides, pumpkin patches, a corn maze, and plenty of great food including apples and apple cider.

October 10-11
Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday Noon to 6:00 p.m.
AppleFest 2009
HighPoint Orchard in Greensburg has an annual festival that is not to be missed! There's great food, live entertainment, an 1800s pioneer encampment, an apple pie baking contest, wagon rides, and fun for the kids. And of course, plenty of Indiana apples! Free Admission. Call 812-663-4534 for more information.

Early October
Apple Dumpling Festival
Enjoy Grabow Orchard and Bakery's apple dumplings which have been featured on the
Food Network's "Food Finds" program and shipped to every state in the union.

Early October
Apple Tasting  at Bloomington Community Farmers Market featuring 15 varieties of apples and Asian and European pears.

October 17
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sorghum Festival
This annual fall event showcases the outstanding work of Indiana local artists and craftsmen. Live demonstrations, food booths, and lots of entertainment are also included. And don't forget that delicious homemade sorghum.

October 10-11
Hours vary.
Mt. Zion Apple Harvest Festival
Enjoy horse drawn carriage rides, kiddie tractor pull, antique tractors, food, live entertainment, pottery demo, and a slice of Indiana's largest apple pie at this festival held on the beautiful Honey Creek Farm.
 
2010

Mid-January
Indiana Horticultural Congress
Educational meeting designed to meet the needs of fruit, vegetable, wine grape, organic and specialty growers and marketers in Indiana and surrounding states. For more information contact Tammy Goodale (tgoodale@purdue.edu or call 765-494-1296)

Mid-January
Sixth Annual Midwest Organic Production and Marketing Conference
Speakers will cover topics ranging from composting and cover crops to livestock production and food safety regulations. For more information contact Jim True at 812-385-3491, jtrue@purdue.edu

Late January
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Porter County Master Gardeners' 6th Annual Garden Show
Get ready to plan your summer garden with advice from the pros. There'll also be a seed exchange and lots of vendor booths and exhibits.  

Late February
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Sap to Syrup Day at Holliday Park
Walk around trails and learn about the history of maple sugaring, sample syrup, and enjoy a breakfast featuring, of course, maple syrup. $5.00 fee. Registration required. Call (317) 327-7180.

Late February
Chocolate Lovers Weekends
Join the hundreds of chocolate and wine lovers in Indiana by partaking in the Indiana Uplands Valentine's event.  Chocolates and chocolate delicacies with the best wines in southern Indiana will be offered FREE at the eight wineries on the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail - Butler, Oliver, Brown County, Carousel, French Lick, Winzerwald, Turtle Run, and Huber.

Late February/Early March
8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Parke County Maple Syrup Fair
Tour maple syrup camps, enjoy pancakes with lots of maple syrup, browse through arts and craft booths.

Early March
Annual Maple Syrup Festival
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Wagon rides, kids activities, pancake and waffle breakfast, tours, demonstrations, free tapping and maple syrup making demonstrations.

Early March
7:00 p.m.
Maple Syrup by Moonlight
Bendix Woods County Park: Glenn Bauer Shelter
Fee:  $3.50/person
Take a guided twilight stroll through the sugar bush, learn how to tap a tree by candlelight and observe maple syrup being made (weather permitting). Then enjoy a warm beverage and dessert made from pure maple syrup while warming in the shelter. Pre-registration and payment are required for this program by March 2. Please call 574/654-3155 for more information or to pre-register. Visit www.sjcparks.org for details.

Mid-March
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
National Maple Syrup Festival
Medora, Indiana is home to the National Maple Syrup Festival. It's an annual celebration filled with special events, music, syrup making demonstrations, an eating competition, delicious food, and plenty of maple syrup! Sign up for the festival newsletter here.

Mid-March
11:30am-2:00pm
Maple Chili Lunch
Bendix Woods County Park:  Glenn Bauer Shelter
Fee:  $6/adult - $3/child ages 6-11 – 5 and under FREE
Enjoy homemade chili, cornbread and desserts made with maple syrup from the area's sugar bush. After lunch, head to the sugar bush to tap a tree and visit the sugar house to see maple syrup being made (weather permitting). Pre-registration and payment are required by March 9. For more information or to pre-register call 574/654-3155 or visit www.sjcparks.org

Late March
Maple Syrup Time at Deep River
Guided tours, sugar shack, syrup making, and freshly ground cornmeal. Watch the entire process of maple syrup making from tapping the trees to evaporation to the finished product.

Late March

8:30am-3:00pm
Sugar Camp Days

Fee:  $5.00/vehicle

Visit Bendix Woods County Park in celebration as the end of winter nears! Watch sap cook into syrup, enjoy a pancake and sausage breakfast (a New Carlisle Lion’s Club fundraiser), tour the Sugar Bush, purchase home-made baked goods made with pure maple syrup, enjoy family music and much more! Stay the day! For more information, call 574/654-3155 or visit www.sjcparks.org

Mid-April
Hours vary
Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival
Events, entertainment, food, arts, crafts, and maple syrup lore!

Late April
8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
La Porte County Master Gardener Association "April in Otis"
Day long seminar held at St. Mary's Parish Hall to feature, among other presenters, Jim Long--author of more than 2 dozen books about gardening, herbs, and history. He'll offer suggestions on how to "Eat Your Landscape". There will also be vendor booths and door prizes. Registration $25 in advance/ $30 at the door. Incldues lunch. Contact Marcia Wolf at 219-324-9407 to register or for more information.

Late April
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
2009 Garden Expo
Tippecano Master Grdener Association and Purdue Cooperative Extension
There'll be plants galore, a Garden Cafe, kids' booth, and great lectures including one from Indiana producer Kevin Cooley from Cooley Farms who will speak about organic vegetable gardening. The event will be held at the Tippecanoe Fairgrounds. For more information, click here.

Late April
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Mansfield Mushroom Festival
Ready...set...hunt! Hunt for mushrooms, buy or sell them at an auction, enjoy a car show and fine crafts. Prizes for the largest and most mushrooms found.

Late April
Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sassafras Tea Festival
Free sassafras tea and cookies. Civila war reenactments, mock battles, and working blacksmith shop. No admission fee.

Early May
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
5th Annual Garden Celebration
The Johnson County Garden Club and the Purdue Master Gardener Program of Johnson County have teamed up to offer a great day for the home gardener. The event, which will be held at Scott Hall on the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Franklin, IN, will feature garden items for sale and speakers offering tips about orchid growing, backyard ponds, flower arrangements, rain gardens, and how to plan your garden for food production. Admission is free if you bring a non-perishable food or toiletry item for the Inter-Church Food Pantry or $2.00 per person. Free tree seedlings and planting instrucitons will be given away while supplies last.

Early May
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Saturday)
10:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m. (Sunday)
Southwestern Master Gardener Association Plant Sale
There will be over 12,000 plants at the sale including 40 varieties of tomatoes! Event is being held at the Vanderburgh County 4-H Center, Booneville-NewHarmony Road, Evansville, IN. For more information contact: Delores.mason@insightbb.com

Late May
Hours vary
St. John's Starlight Strawberry Festival
When thousands of folks come year after year from as far as Michigan and Minnesota to enjoy the strawberry shortcakes served at this festival, you know they've got to be special.

Early June
Hours vary
Kokomo Strawberry Festival
Locally baked shortcakes loaded with strawberries, ice cream, and free musical entertainment.

Early June
Rosedale Strawberry Festival
Friday 4:30- 9:00 p.m.; Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Sunday 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Stage presentations and live bands ranging from country to trendy contemporary and Christian rock. Artisans, crafters and goods vendors; classic car, tractor and motorcycle shows; model train show & swap, street-sized Thomas-the-Tank ride, and local historic/antique displays. Parade, KidZone's no-lose games, youth scavenger hunt, adult activities, contests, and pageants. Jonah fish fry, spaghetti supper, Sunday breakfast, and morning devotions, and strawberry shortcakes.

Early June
Strawberry Daze
Indulge in delicious homemade strawberry shortcakes with all the trimmings.

Mid-June
Vintage Indiana Wine and Food Festival
Enjoy more than 100 Indiana wines, entertainment, food, cooking demonstrations, and wine classes.


Mid-June
Very Berry Strawberry Festival
Festival parade, booths, and plenty of strawberry delights!

Mid-June
Strawberry Festival
Great food and strawberry delights. Queen contest, entertainment, arts and crafts, kids' programs, athletic events, tractors, classic cars, and motorcycles. Something for everyone!

Mid-June
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Southwestern Master Gardener Association Garden Walk 2009
Tour 12 beautiful gardens including an herb garden. Tickets are $12 in advance and $16 the day of the tour.