Are you proficient at preserves, brilliant at baking, daft at crafts, well-versed at veggies or adept at flower arrangement? If so, we might have a great opportunity for you to show off your skills.
We’re excited to announce that on Sat Sept 28th and Sun Sept 29th, the Grist Mill and Gardens at Keremeos will be hosting our tenth annual Heritage Fall Fair! There will be almost fifty exhibit categories to see or compete in as well as heritage games of skill, concessions, entertainment and more. The whole site will be filled with family-oriented activity for the day.
Admission to the Fall Fair is $20 for adults, $15 for students and seniors.
This year, we’ll be providing a shuttle service from downtown Keremeos. Check our Facebook Page or this website a couple days before the event for the details!
2024’s Activities Include:
| SATURDAY | SUNDAY |
| Site Activities | |
| Summer Kitchen Music Stage (11AM-3PM) Our Summer Kitchen provides a great rustic outdoor venue and we look forward to hosting a variety of regional talent through the day. Sat 11-1 – Ari Neufeld | Sat 1:30-3:30 – Nightgirl and YouRLove Sun 11-1 – Will Schlakl | Sun 1:30-3:30 – The Organic Trio | |
| Carnival & Field Games (All Day) Enjoy some of the many pass-times that children and adults would’ve enjoyed in the 1880’s, from peg-in-the-bottle and “graces” to races and relays. This year, we’ll also be hosting 8 classic carnival games of skill. (Carnival games are $0.25 to play.) | |
| Scavenger Hunt (All Day) Use clues to find locations around the site; fastest to complete it wins a prize! | |
| Gotta Goat Farm (10AM-2PM) Visit with the cutest goats in the South Okanagan. There may be both Nigerian Dwarf and Miniature Silky Fainting goats coming to play. | |
| Axe Monkeys (All Day) Try your hand at the fine art of axe throwing with the folks of Axe Monkeys Kelowna. This activity is sponsored by TL Timber. | |
| SATURDAY | SUNDAY |
| Exhibit Category Display (All Day, 11AM Judging Results) Are you proficient at preserves, brilliant at baking, daft at crafts, well-versed at veggies or adept at flower arrangement? If so, we might have a great opportunity for you to show off your skills. Details here. | Exhibit Category Display (All Day) See the best our community has to offer, including top-notch arts and crafts, stupendous veggies, and much more. |
| Tug-of-War Competition (1:00PM) Pull together and earn bragging rights as the best tug-of-war team in the Similkameen! Details here. | Apple Pie Baking Contest (1PM Drop-off, 3PM Results) This very popular contest returns, with the community contributing their best! Our celebrity judges will then choose this year’s best pie. Details here. |
| Zucchini Races (2:00PM) Children of all ages design and decorate giant zucchinis—complete with wheels—and race their creations down the Great Zucchini Race ramp. Details here. | Apple Race (2:30PM) One of our favourite kids’ activities is our annual apple race down Keremeos Creek. Fastest apple down the rapids, wins! |
| The Return of the “Zucca Reunion” (All Day) This year’s bumper crop of the incredible “Zucca Melon” at the Grist Mill has inspired us to bring back an old tradition: the Zucca Reunion. If you’ve grown any, or have stories or photos to share, please get in touch! | Heritage Apple Display (All Day) Again this year, we’ll be featuring a spectacular display of heritage and non-market apples to see, taste and maybe even buy (in 2022, we had almost 100 historic varieties represented!) |
| Blacksmithing Demonstrations (All Day) by Hartfieldforge | Blacksmithing Demonstrations (All Day) by Hartfieldforge |
| Antique Tractor Display (All Day) | Antique Tractor Display (All Day) |
| In the Upper Field: Walk our Sunflower Path, Disc Golf Demonstrations, Enjoy the Fire Pits and more | In the Upper Field: Walk our Sunflower Path, Disc Golf Demonstrations, Enjoy the Fire Pits and more |
| Vendor Alley (All Day) Join artisan vendors and community groups from around the Similkameen and Okanagan as their sell their hand-crafted food, arts and crafts. Want a table? Get in touch! | |
| Saturday Vendors Include: Forest Learning Tools The Country Cat Sweet & Crusty Bake Co. Maggie’s Labour of Love Sharpe Distillery Sweet Mutsu Brenda & Shiela Similkameen Artists Residency Chris Laas RDOS Recreation Trailer Sugar Crafts Laura.M.Jewelry VeroTortue (jewelry) Seeds & Weeds BeautiBull Tallow Upcycled Button Jewelry Carseso Woodcraft Leaf Filter Quail & Vine Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Pheasant Acres Hummingbird Cottage Ever Freeze Sweets Safe Air Keremeos Garden Club Happy Pappy’s Okanagan Spice Sisterhood of Fun Ideas Pineview Services Maude St. Pierre JL Artworks Letty’s Elixers & Apothacary Groovy Girls | Sunday Vendors Include: Forest Learning Tools The Country Cat Maggie’s Labour of Love Sharpe Distillery Sweet Mutsu Brenda & Shiela Chris Laas Sugar Crafts Laura.M.Jewelry VeroTortue (jewelry) Seeds & Weeds Upcycled Button Jewelry Carseso Woodcraft Leaf Filter Quail & Vine Pheasant Acres Hummingbird Cottage Okanagan Bat Program Penny’s Pawfections Crowsnest Woodcraft The Art of Lindsay Peltz Ever Freeze Sweets Crayon Kids Happy Pappy’s Okanagan Spice Sisterhood of Fun Ideas Industrial Pixie Fundraiser for Yolanda |
We’ll also be offering a BBQ lunch both days with a variety of tasty options.
…and more!
If you’re interested in learning more about the exhibit categories you can compete in, the 2024 list and rules are available below:
Thanks to our amazing sponsors including the Grist Mill Foundation, TL Timber, Ashnola Electric, Lordco, Gotta Goat Farm, Axe Monkeys Kelowna, Home Hardware Keremeos, Home Hardware Osoyoos, Peach King, Mariposa Fruit Stand, Similkameen Clean Interior Auto Detailing, Sharpe Distillery, Valley First Credit Union, KGI Industries, Fix’em Automotive, Copper Ridge MHP, STK Autoworks, Safeway, Canco and Sportschek for their generous sponsorship of this event.