Fall is in the air as Hardman Farm celebrates its arrival

Hardman Farm State Historic Site near Helen held its fourth-annual Fall Celebration Festival on Saturday.

The event featured demonstrating artisans and crafters, old-time exhibitions and tours of the first floor of the Big House on the property.

Additionally, visitors had the opportunity to hand crank a cider press, try their hand at making butter, watch black powder rifle and blacksmithing demonstrations, and see a moonshine still the way it might have looked in years past.

Will Wagner, who manages the 173-acre site, talked with AccessWDUN about the event.

“This is our fourth year doing it,” Wagner said. “It actually came from Smithgall Woods. It’s been going on there for nearly 20 years, if you count the four years here. We brought it over here where it fit the farm. We can bring Appalachian living history to life out here. We’ve got more demonstrators out here this year than we’ve ever had.”

Ideal fall weather Saturday brought a large crowd to the property, located at the intersection of Ga. 17 and Ga. 75.

“In the four years, we’ve gone from 500 to 1,300 people last year, so we hope to break those records today and just grow it every year,” Wagner said. “We’ve got all kinds of new stuff. The hayrides are new, and moonshine, rifle demonstrations, blacksmithing – those are all new.”

In addition to the normal number of vendors, the event drew more food vendors this year.

“The most exciting thing is this is the last year that we’ll kind of be off the grid,” Wagner said. “Next year we’re actually going to be wired for these events where all the vendors will be able to plug in, the stage will be able to plug in, and we just hope to see more and more events out here to bring the farm to life.”

Asked for an update on Hardman Farm State Historic Site, Wagner said, “In 2018, … we have seen over 20-percent growth every month in visitation than we did in 2017, so we’re real proud of that and we think it will continue to be 20-percent growth next year, just because the farm is so new and there’s so much to see here. And it’s not one of those historic sites where you check it off your list and you come back next decade. This is a historic site where you visit three or four times a year because it’s different every time you come, whether we’re plowing with horses or whether we’re having our Corn Festival that we do in the summertime, or our Farm to Table huge event that we did this year, or the big Fall Celebration.”

Historic site visitors center hours will expand next year, and an additional staff position will be added.

“We’re not even tipping the iceberg on the capacity of people we can handle here, so we’re just real excited,” Wagner said. “We’re going to open up the brick store in 2019 another day. We’re Thursday through Sunday right now. We’re going to start being Wednesday through Sunday. We’re hiring another tour guide, another docent, for 2019, so we’re pretty stoked about the way things are headed for sure.”

Lee Carpenter of Hardman Farm State Historic Site demonstrates a muzzle-loading rifle during the property's Fall Celebration Festival on Saturday.

Dr. Scott Hancock of Nacoochee Valley Farm demonstrates mule-drawn plowing.

Cooler temperatures and clear skies greet visitors to the Hardman Farm State Historic Site Fall Celebration Festival.

Emory Jones, author of "The Valley Where They Danced", talks with visitors about his novel.

Hardman Farm State Historic Site Fall Celebration visitors check out the hayrides added to the event this year.

Reproduction period rifles rest on pelts of a beaver, coyote, fox, bobcat, fox, skunk, squirrels and a mink.

Lee Carpenter of Hardman Farm State Historic Site talks with visitors about the black powder rifle he is demonstrating.

Visitors to the Hardman Farm State Historic Site Fall Celebration help with a cider press before tasting apple cider.

Visitors stroll along a portion of the Unicoi Turnpike at Hardman Farm State Historic Site. The 200-mile route went from Toccoa to western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. It began as a buffalo trail, then was a Native American trading route.

Built in 1870 by Captain James Nichols, the mansion at Hardman Farm is an example of Italianate architecture and originally was known as "West End" because it was located at the west end of Nacoochee Valley.

Visitors to the Hardman Farm State Historic Site Fall Celebration enjoy lunch on the grounds near the mansion.

Hardman Farm State Historic Site volunteer Leigh Vinson talks with visitors about the process of making butter.

Hardman Farm State Historic Site Fall Celebration visitors pan for gold and gemstones.

Festival visitors try their luck on wooden stilts.

Visitors check out the gift shop at Hardman Farm State Historic Site near Helen.

Lee Carpenter of Hardman Farm State Historic Site watches as one of the visitors stirs the mash in the barrel of the moonshine still.

Artist Mack Anderson paints on the grounds of Hardman Farm.

With the Sautee Nacoochee Indian Mound and Yonah Mountain in the background, Dr. Scott Hancock and Frances Moore demonstrate a horse-drawn smoothing plow.

Site Manager Will Wagner serves as the official starter for the afternoon potato sack race at Hardman Farm.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/10/723969/fall-is-in-the-air-as-hardman-farm-celebrates-its-arrival