Annual Kootenai Harvest Fest celebrates local food

Celebrate the fall harvest season with local food, live music and fun for the whole family at the fourth annual Kootenai Harvest Festival, hosted by Montana Wilderness Association with the Libby Community Garden and Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

This is a free event open to all ages. The festival will take place at Riverfront Park in Libby from noon to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15.

Dance to live music, play games with the kids, eat locally grown food and shop with over 30 Northwest Montana food and crafts vendors. Find locally grown vegetables, handmade crafts, custom jewelry, homemade jams and jellies, and upcycled treasures.

Free children’s activities include tug-o-war, sack races, coloring games, tic-tac-toe, pumpkin ring toss, straw play fort, water-balloon flight, candy scavenger hunt, free dance lesson and more.

“Our goal with the harvest festival is to bring the community together to enjoy the outdoors and recognize all the great things Northwest Montana has to offer,” chairperson Grete Gansauer said. “This event is powered by a hardworking group of volunteers, and it has been embraced by the community. It wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the community coming together to support it and make it happen.”

Don’t forget to bring apples to use in the complimentary apple cider press provided by Yaak Valley Forest Council. The cider press is free to use, but you must bring your own non-sprayed apples, as well as a container for your cider. Five gallons of apples creates approximately one gallon of cider.

Savor a delicious garden-to-table supper prepared by the Gracious Table for just $10 per plate. The meal includes a pulled-pork sandwich or harvest squash soup served with your choice of a side and cobbler for dessert. The meal will be sold from noon to 7 p.m. All vegetables used in the dinner have been grown locally by individual gardeners or at the Libby Community Garden, and all other ingredients in the meal are locally sourced. Beer provided by Cabinet Mountain Brewing Co., will be served to those of age for $3 a glass. Support the Harvest Festival by purchasing a custom T-shirt for $10, or by putting your name in the hat for a raffle prize, generously donated by Ace Hardware of Libby and Homesteaders Ranch and Feed. Raffle tickets will be sold individually for $5 or 5 tickets for $20. Pre-purchase your raffle ticket at Rosauers in Libby on Saturday, Sept. 8 at the Harvest Festival booth.

There will be live music at the Harvest Festival from noon to 7:30 p.m. featuring Rod and Anna Snyder and Billy Powell.

For more information, contact Gansauer at 406-284-1747 or ggansauer@wildmontana.org. You can find more information about the event online at wildmontana.org/harvestfest or on Facebook by searching “Kootenai Harvest Festival.”