H.A.R.D. Acre Farm owners and co-directors, Jennifer Hardacre and Beth Snyder, are brimming with excitement in anticipation of H.A.R.D. Acre Farm’s upcoming Grand Opening Fall Festival. The festival will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17 at the farm. H.A.R.D. Acre Farm is located at 1536 N. Hampton Rd. just outside of New Carlisle.
According to Snyder, there is plenty to be excited about.
“We will have food, vendors, crafts, fall produce, and decorations. We will also be raffling of some beautiful gift baskets that have been generously donated for the event. There will also be games for the kids, pony rides, and people can paint pumpkins they pick right from the garden. There will also be live entertainment! The Kate Hasting Band is going to be here. There will also be acoustic vocalists, a Scottish musician and vocalist, and square dancing! There will literally be something here for the whole family!”
The Fall Festival will cap off a successful inaugural season for H.A.R.D. Acre Farm. The farm has buzzed with activity all season as its owners have gotten their hands dirty getting the farm ready to accomplish the purpose it was founded for.
H.A.R.D. Acre Farm serves as an alternative to the typical programs serving adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), aging adults living with dementia, and adults with other disabilities. Most traditional programs take place indoors. In contrast, H.A.R.D. Acre Farm is a working, for profit farm and the people it serves really do become “farmers.” They learn how to grow crops, care for animals, and do other maintenance projects to keep the farm working. The farmers also learn how to do craft projects, can food, and sell things in the farm’s retail shop.
All of the farmers receive a portion of the farm’s profits, which helps cultivate a sense of ownership and incentive for them. According to Snyder, that sense of ownership, coupled with the fact H.A.R.D. Acre Farm exists to serve its farmers, is the reason the farm’s first season has been so successful.
“Unlike similar programs, this farm doesn’t have contracts that dictate how much produce we need to grow,” explains Snyder, “That is very freeing for us. Without contracts looming, we can serve the farmers the way they need to be served. So, say we are in the middle of picking green beans and they decide they want to go for a hike instead. We can stop picking green beans and hike to the pond for a little while, then come back to work. The work is outside in the fresh air too, which they really enjoy.”
Hardacre and Snyder can’t wait to show off the farm’s recently-installed parking lot too, something that has been on their wish list all season. “The parking lot looks wonderful! It will be so nice for the festival, and It feels great to get another thing accomplished this year! I’m so excited about it, I even took video of the installation!” laughs Snyder.
Everyone at H.A.R.D. Acre Farm sends an enthusiastic invitation to the community to join them for the Grand Opening Fall Festival, “It will be a great time and people will get to see what we do here. We look forward to seeing everyone out here at the farm!”
Anyone wanting to participate in H.A.R.D. Acre Farm’s Fall Festival as a vendor or volunteer can call the farm at (937) 882-6087, send an email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or stop by the farm Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
