Hoes Down Harvest Festival

Last weekend we headed to the countryside and attended the Hoes Down Harvest Festival at Full Belly Farm in Yolo Country.

Ava and Lola were so excited about going to the festival. They couldn't wait for all of the hands on farm fun and crafts but the biggest draw card for them was the fact that we'd be camping out overnight. This was the first time that we went camping as a family and the big girls were so excited about it. Ava has been asking to go camping for years so it was about time we finally got around to it!

We arrived at the festival quite late in the day as we had a birthday party to attend in the morning and then a two hour drive to get to the farm. Oh boy, is October a busy month in our house! As we arrived quite late we missed out on a lot of the entertainment and kids' activities but we still had a fantastic time. The girls were keen to squeeze in as many activities as possible before the kid's area closed up at dusk. They tried their hand at weaving, made corn dollies, painted gourds, practiced milking a "cow", played on a hay bale fort, rode a zip line and watched an acrobatics show while seated on a tractor. So much fun crammed into a few short hours!

Oh, and Ava took part in the Olive Olympics. Here she is below in the olive pit spitting competition. If you look carefully you'll see that she's actually spitting the entire olive. She couldn't stand the taste so spat the entire thing. I love how determined the guy next to her looks!

In the evening we listened to bands play, ate delicious food, checked out the jack-o'lanterns on display (we unfortunately missed out on the pumpkin carving during the day) and, of course, camped out.

On the Sunday we woke to a beautiful morning. The morning air was still a little chilly as we made our way to breakfast but within a few hours the sun was blazing down on us again. The Saturday had been incredibly hot (around 38c I believe) and Sunday had the same weather in store for us. Even though these sorts of temperatures are common back home in Australia we've become completely unaccustomed to the heat living in the Bay Area. In fact, I've never liked hot weather so the heat was the only downside of the festival for me. That and the fact that I completely forgot that Ava is a little allergic to hay. Next year I'll make sure to pack her antihistamines, eye drops and lots of tissues. And maybe a slightly bigger tent. Five people crammed into a three person tent was a little squishy!

The Sunday was filled with various workshops. We didn't take part in any of the workshops however Ava was super keen to join in the Kids' Day Camp. As Lola was too young to join in as well we decided to give it a miss this year. We'll definitely be heading back next year though and will make sure to sign both of our big girls up for the day camp on the Sunday.

We had such a fantastic time at the Hoes Down Harvest Festival. We can't wait for next year!