On Saturday, October 6, 2018 from 11 am – 3 pm the beautiful fields surrounding Verrill Farm will be transformed into an old fashioned fair ground for the 12th Annual Harvest Festival and Benefit for Pediatric Care at Emerson Hospital. The event features a petting zoo, pony rides, face painting, carnival games, music, food, a raffle and hay rides to pick-your-own pumpkins out in the fields. The rain date is Saturday, October 13 from 11 am – 3 pm.
Proceeds from the Harvest Festival are used to support pediatric care at Emerson Hospital, including the Coping Kit program, which helps children successfully manage the hospital experience. Coping Kits are small bags of developmentally-appropriate toys given to children to help cope with their stress while they are at Emerson. The contents of the Coping Kits are specifically chosen based on the unique needs of each young patient to help them have a smooth experience. For example, bubbles help children take deep breaths for physical exams, and ease their anxiety. Since their introduction in 2006, over 36,000 Coping Kits have been distributed. To date, the Harvest Festival has raised more than $140,000 for pediatric care at Emerson.
Activities include:
• Hay rides, pony rides and petting zoo
• Pick-your-own pumpkins
• Crafts and carnival games
• Violet the Clown - entertainment, balloon animals and face painting
• Fire truck tours
• Live Music by the Sandy Ridge Boys
• A raffle of items for family entertainment and dining, gift baskets and certificates - all items are generously donated by local businesses.
• Delicious food and beverages a la cart
Tickets for games and activities can be purchased at the festival for $2 each or 12 for $20. Community sponsors of this year’s Harvest Festival are: Verrill Farm, Cambridge Savings Bank, AFA OB/GYN Associates, Emerson Anesthesia Associates, Emerson Emergency Physicians, LLC, Emerson Pediatric Hospitalist Group, Lexington Eye Associates, Massachusetts Eye and Ear of Concord, Pediatric Dentistry, Concord OB/GYN, NeuroCare, Inc., Orthopedic Affiliates, Inc., and Learning Express Toys of Acton.
This year Verrill Farm celebrates 100 years of Farm to Table. When the farm was established in 1918, it followed the founding of Emerson Hospital by just seven years. As long-time neighbors, owners Steve and Joan Verrill and their daughter Jennifer Verrill Faddoul decided to support Emerson Hospital by making Verrill Farm’s annual Harvest Festival a benefit event with proceeds going to help children at the hospital. Harvest Festival has grown in attendance, becoming one of Verrill Farm’s most popular annual events.
