DECATUR, Ga. – DeKalb County’s 3rd annual Fall Harvest Festival promises a whimsical twist this year. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 7, from
10 a.m.–2 p.m. at UGA Extension DeKalb County, located at 4380 Memorial Drive in Decatur.
Sponsored by the “Fresh on DeK” DeKalb Mobile Farmers Market, the festival, which is free and open to the public, will feature a demonstration of someone making a fruit smoothie, while riding a stationary bike, as well as foods including grilled corn and peanuts, health education and medical screenings, and lots of fresh produce.
“It’s going to be a very festive event so that everyone can get something from it,” said DeKalb County Extension Director and Mobile Farmers Market Manager Lynwood Blackmon. “The education is the most important aspect, but we want the community to look at food differently. We have to change how we view food and what we put in our bodies.”
The festival is the culminating event for the 2017 Mobile Farmers Market season, which included four months of week-day stops at various locations in south DeKalb County, with limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The market offers shoppers fresh produce at affordable rates, as well as information about healthy eating.
The Mobile Farmers Market, which kicked off in May, has attracted nearly 7,000 shoppers this season, according to Blackmon.
The market accepts cash, credit, check and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/ EBT benefits and operates in partnership with the DeKalb County Board of Health and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, with funding from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant.