FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Looking for a great family outing this summer? Bring the kids along for a fun weekend in the countryside at the Ag+Art Tour, June 27-28 – rain or shine!
This year’s free, self-guided tour through Fairfield County includes six rural farm sites and will feature local artisans, farmers’ markets, barnyard animals, hayrides, history, food, music and lots of activities and events for the whole family. Be sure to bring a cooler along for toting the fresh produce and other farm stand treats available for purchase. The tour is open on Saturday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m.
And don’t miss the Jazz & BBQ kickoff event at the Terrace Under the Oaks at Mission Ridge Retreat in Winnsboro on Thursday, June 25 from 6 – 8 p.m., featuring local art, craft and farm exhibits. Barbecue plates will be $10.
Fairfield County’s Ag+Art locations include Celtic Lane Farm in Winnsboro, a 1940s replica General Store featuring historical artifacts, a greenhouse, beehives and a solar panel demonstration at 1 p.m. on Saturday. On-site artisans will include Barbara Yongue, a Plein Aire artist, and Herman Thompson, a metal sculptor whose work incorporates white-out, wool and crayons.
And at Ee-oh-lay Farm in Ridgeway, kids can enjoy feeding and petting the farm’s free-range chickens (and checking out the colorful eggs!) while grownups peruse the handloom knits and home décor of Perfectly Imperfects.
Elder Farms is a sustainable family homestead in Winnsboro that produces homemade soaps and lotions from goats’ milk, and the farm also features an aquaponics watering system. Kids can swing on tree ropes and visit with the goats, ducks and miniature horse. Bring a picnic and blanket to enjoy lunch under a shade tree, then check out artist Pelham Lyles’ live sketching and Voice columnist Brenda Tobin-Flood’s organic pet treats, Ruby’s Natural’s.
The Fairfield County Farmer’s Market at the Town Clock in Winnsboro will offer locally grown vegetables, honey and herbs for purchase. Special activities on Saturday include a raised-bed garden demo at 10:30 a.m. and grit-grinding demos by Congaree Mills at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Fresh homemade ice cream will be also available for purchase on Sunday from 3-5 p.m.
Christy Buchanan’s lushly blooming art studio in Winnsboro is another fun stop. The She Garden at the Painted Picket is a sustainable herb, flower and vegetable garden highlighted by the “Bottle House,” a whimsically colorful structure built with glass bottles and topped with a living garden roof, one of the location’s many delightful artistic features.
And in Ridgeway, you can visit Royal Greens, a comprehensive and inviting hydroponic facility featuring a “living wall” of hanging gardens. Guided tours will be available of the hydroponic seeding process and the outdoor raised beds, and a variety of lettuces and other greens will be available for purchase. Painting and pottery by artists on the Fairfield Arts Council will also be on exhibit.
Check out the Ag+Art website at www.agandarttour.com for maps, schedules and other tour info. You can also check out facebook.com/agandartfairfield or call the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce at 803-635-4242.