Western Herald

On Sunday, Sept. 20, the seventh annual Southwest Michigan Community Harvest Fest returns to Scotts, Mich.  

The festival will be an opportunity for the community to learn about local food and other environmental subjects.

“The aim is increasing people’s awareness of local, organic, sustainable food, and promoting the support of the entire community around that,” said Lori Evesque, chairman of the festival.

Harvest Fest will include musical performances by Greensky Bluegrass, K’zoo Folklife Organization, Whiskey Before Breakfast, Lee LaVanway, and Arcadia Way.

 “I find [Greensky Bluegrass] so much more interesting live than other bluegrass bands because of their energy and spontaneity,” said Dave Doss, a Western Michigan University sophomore. 

“Now that I’ve heard they’re coming to Harvest Fest, I’ll almost undoubtedly be going,” Doss said. “[Greensky] represent the area so well with their sound.  They remind the older generations of how bluegrass was in their time, and inspire youth to explore this simple lighthearted genre.”

The band’s appearance will help tie together the longevity of the festival, as people reminisce on past years, and create new memories.

“Greensky Bluegrass were at our first festival,” Evesque said. 

“They’ve been to the festival before, and we’ve been trying to get them back for a couple years.  It’s a reunion of sorts.”  

Evesque mentioned that Harvest Fest planners kept more-acoustic acts in mind.  “It just fits in with the atmosphere of the festival,” she said.

However, musical performers will not be the only attractions.  Harvest Fest will also host author and cook Sherri Brooks Vinton, who will be holding a live cooking demonstration.  Vinton is the author of the book “The Real Food Revival.”

“That book is kind of a beginner’s guide to changing the way you think about eating,” Evesque said. “[Vinton] does things that are more accessible to people.”

Overall, the festival has grown this year.

“We have a couple more exhibitors so far that have signed up, and the range of exhibitors continues to expand,” Evesque said. “There are about six local growers of fruits and vegetables.  We have people who have meat and dairy products as well.  We’ve got two renewable energy suppliers and we’ve got a lot of nonprofits.”

Those who are interested in volunteering for Harvest Fest are advised to visit www.swmiharvestfest.org.

“On the Web site, there’s a link for contacting us, so anyone who’s interested in becoming more involved can do that,” Evesque said.  

The Web site also includes Evesque’s contact information, which is another way for those who are interested to learn more about volunteering.

“It’s always somewhat of a struggle getting volunteers,” she said.

 “We try to make it as easy as possible for people to volunteer.  All of the committee will be [at Harvest Fest] and you can talk to any one of us about becoming more involved.”

Admission will be $10 per car load.  However, those who ride bikes to the event will get in for free.

“We’ve always wanted to keep this festival as accessible as possible,” Evesque said. 

“Many of the festivals of various kinds throughout Southwest Michigan charge a fee per person, that can be a bit daunting to people without a lot of means.” 

Evesque said that when the weather is nice, many people enjoy the scenic bike ride to Tillers International.

“We want to encourage people to reduce their carbon footprint… we encourage carpooling,” she added, 

“We encourage people to load up as many people in the car as possible.” 

The seventh annual Southwest Michigan Harvest Festival will be held at Tillers International, which can be found at 10515 E. OP Ave., right off of I-94.  

Gates will open at 11 a.m. and the festival will run from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.