Queens Botanical Garden hosts annual Harvest Fest
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Kids picked pumpkins at Queens Botanical Garden’s Harvest Fest. Eagle photos by Ayse Kelce.
By Ayse Kelce
Fall is in the air, especially at Queens Botanical Garden.
QBG hosted its annual Harvest Fest on last weekend’s unseasonably warm Sunday, drawing New Yorkers from across the five boroughs for a day of fall fun.
The garden hosted a pumpkin patch and a mini maze, along with all-day activities, stations and performances, such as inflatables playzone, face painting, puppet and chemistry shows, trivia, petting zoo, a bee demo and live performances by School of Rock Queens and Heidi & the Troubadours.
QBG’s farm was open to the public during the festival. QBG Marketing Manager Anne Tan-Detchkov told the Eagle that the garden’s farm is usually closed to visitors to protect the crops that will later be donated to local charities.
Harvest Fest also worked to raise awareness about ecological issues.
A NYC Compost Project stand invited visitors to spin a wheel and answer a simple question about composting to win a bag of compost.
Around 100 volunteers including students from various colleges helped with the setup of the festival starting from a few days before Harvest Fest. Some volunteers who had completed the NYC Compost Project Master Composter Certificate Program helped visitors with separating trash, recyclables and compostables.
A NYC Compost Project stand invited visitors to spin a wheel and answer a simple question about composting to win a little bag of compost that they could take home.
“We are promoting that [compost] here at the QBG, that is a host side for the New York City compost project. We take food scraps from four local farmers markets, we process them here on sight, and we are also giving it back to the public. But then also, providing an opportunity to give it back to the farm, where there is an actual instance that people can see it as a full cycle,” Outreach Coordinator for NYC Compost Project Duke Yun said. The Compost Project is an initiative by the New York City Department of Sanitation to teach New Yorkers how to make compost and its benefits for the environment.
People who are affiliated with community gardens also ask for help about composting, and where to start. “NYC Compost Project will go these community gardens and sites, and give them little technical assistance, and get them started,” he said.
Harvest Fest ended with a fire show, which was a big hit for both younger visitors and adults.
“I come every year. I like that everything is included, especially for my kids. It is an educational and fun experience for them,” said Emily Sheahan, a mother of three, about her experience at the Harvest Fest.
