The Queens County Farm Museum announced its 39th annual county fair will take place the weekend of Sept. 9 to 11, which also marks the opening of the museum’s three-acre “Amazing Maize Maze.”
The theme of this year’s maze was inspired by a work from legendary artist Georgia O’Keeffe, “Ram’s Head Blue Morning Glory.” This work symbolizes O’Keeffe’s respect for land and culture. These are also core values for what the Queens County Farm Museum represents.
“We are excited to have Georgia O’Keeffe’s work and legacy shared in a new way for a new audience,” Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Director Cody Hartley said. “O’Keeffe had a long history in New York, both in New York City and at Lake George. She also had a tremendous passion for gardening, growing her own food and education — the cornerstones of Queens County Farm Museum. Seeing O’Keeffe’s work in a place where her history and her passions meet will be a treat for anyone who visits.”
In addition to the maze, the county fair will have plenty of entertainment for the whole family. Kids can enjoy the carnival rides and games, sack races, spoon relays and kids’ crafts. There will also be historic farmhouse tours, cooking demonstrations with locally grown produce, tractor-drawn hayrides and visits to the farm’s goats, sheep, alpacas, pigs, hens and steer.
Those interested in participating can now register to take part in pie-eating and corn-husking contests and produce and arts and crafts competitions. Winners of each competition will receive a first-place ribbon.
Entertainment from many local homegrown talents will be on display through live musical and theatrical performances. Additionally, there will be roaming musicians, acrobats and a unicycle clown. Queens-based marching and samba band FogoAzul NYC will also be making an appearance at the county fair.
Several local vendors will be on hand to provide food and drinks to attendees. Some of the local businesses that will be represented there are Queens’ Rockaway Brewing Co., East Coast Street Tacos, Tania’s Kitchen Caribbean, CBao Asian Buns, Ed’s Polish Kielbasa, Bayside Corn, Horman’s Pickles and fresh Long Island oysters. In keeping with the fall theme, there will also be apple cider donuts and a cider booth.
“As Queens County Farm celebrates its 325th year, we transport visitors and families back in time to the early days of farming with our own fun twist with the Queens County Fair,” Queens County Farm Museum Executive Director Jennifer Walden Weprin said. “People of all ages, including family herds, are welcome to step right up to enjoy the farm and games and ram through our labyrinth of a corn maze.”
During the final day of the county fair, on Sunday, Sep. 11, the Queens County Farm Museum will be partnering with the New Yorkers for Parks’ Daffodil Project to provide daffodil bulbs that will serve as tributes and living memorials to those lost on 9/11.
Tickets for the fair are $14 per person for Friday, Sep. 9, from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. and $20 for Saturday, Sept. 10, and Sunday, Sept. 11, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets for kids from ages 3-12 are $15 for Saturday and Sunday. Three-day passes are also available for $45 per person for adults or $35 for kids aged 3-12.
Classified as a New York City landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Queens County Farm Museum showcases the 300-year history of agriculture as a way of life in New York City. Free admission is offered by the Queens Farm 354 days each year and it welcomes more than 500,000 visitors each year. In addition to serving as a vital resource connecting people to agriculture and the environment, it also hosts a wide variety of acclaimed education programs and public events.
