If you grow it, they will come

BUTTE — Few traditions are more down to earth than celebrating a successful harvest.

For millennia, people have paid tribute to the importance of agriculture. The ancient Greeks held autumn festivals to honor Demeter, goddess of grains, while Romans followed suit with their own Cerelia, an event dedicated to Ceres, their goddess of grains. America has its Thanksgiving held the fourth Thursday of November, and closer to home in the Valley, harvest is a reason to celebrate at Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm.

The 250-acre family farm has been marking harvest with a community celebration for six years. On Saturday, families filed into the fields to pick produce, enjoy hay rides and play kids games.

“I got a yellow pumpkin and a hat!” said an excited Jacob Egan, 5. “I’m gonna paint it. I’m gonna make sharp teeth, and then the eyes and then make the mouth.”

Jacob and dozens of other children enjoyed fun activities while learning more about where their food comes from. That’s the point, said Janet Dimwiddie, a member of the Pyrah family.

“We originally started the harvest festival about six years ago with the idea to give thanks for the bounty and the blessings,” she said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of that going on up here. Families need a good, wholesome place to go — for cheap — to have fun and enjoy the harvest.”

One of the more popular areas was a pit filled with autumn leaves where squealing children jumped, rolled and threw the leaves with abandon.

“They’re just making a mess, having a good time,” said Anchorage resident Phil Tremarco, who brought his sons Nicholas, 5, and Mason, 2.

“It’s just kind of an appreciation to see the whole (agricultural) process so kids can make the association and see things don’t just magically appear at the supermarket,” he said. “There’s a process involved in getting food to the market.”

Watching her 6-year-old daughter Makenna burn off energy in the leaf pit, Palmer resident Sarah Bowerfind found herself wishing she were younger.

“I just want to jump in and throw leaves too,” she said. “This is our first year coming year, and it’s a lot of fun.”

In addition to the Ag 101 booth, where kids can pick carrots and dig potatoes while learning about the tasty tubers, many found themselves in the fields for the first time picking their own vegetables.

Kristen Anderson and her daughters Sydnee, 10, and Devyn, 8, left with two bags brimming with fresh broccoli and turnips.

Sydnee enjoyed the experience, but admitted she’s “not so much” a fan of broccoli. Devyn could hardly contain her excitement showing off a flawless broccoli floret and a stick-thin baby carrot.

“I found a carrot,” she said, adding there was something special about her floret. “It’s the only one that wasn’t all flowery. I found a big one that had lots of flowers on it and I wanted it.”

The experience will make a long-lasting impression on the family, Kristen Anderson said. “I think it’s important they learn about this, and I think we’ll start a garden next year. I think they need to learn where food comes from.”

With a 100-day growing season and more federal regulations on agricultural production, “It’s getting harder and harder to participate in agriculture,” Dimwiddle said. “That’s why we do school tours as well, and I am continually amazed at how many kids who come out and have never gotten their hands dirty or have seen vegetables grow.”

The harvest festival wasn’t all that impressed Peg Jacobson, who is visiting from her home in Nevada.

“I think this state of Alaska is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been,” she said, while shading her face from the autumn sun with a large cabbage leaf. “You could say I’m going green. I’ve never seen so many young children and young mothers having fun. And your scenery is absolutely amazing up here. It’s just absolutely stunning.”

For Dave Marsett, the festival was a way to spend time with his two grandchildren. But even the lure of fresh, local produce couldn’t fully distract him from another fall tradition.

“You wouldn’t happen to know the Notre Dame score?”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.