by Elena Byrne

Partnering this year with the Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester, the Feast! Local Foods Marketplace festival planning team is happy to bring some new family-interactive fun to the festival’s Children’s Area. 

The Feast! mission involves connecting people with their food, so it’s fitting to feature the Farmers’ Market and Garden exhibits.

As seen in the museum pictures here, there’s lots of potential hands-on play for ages 3-8 to enjoy with parents and others. Kids can identify the veggies and load them into shopping baskets at the market, and plant “veggie” markers in the fabric rows of the garden.

For making it come to life on another level, the Museum’s play farm truck will be great for climbing on, loading up and hopefully, making some “vroom, vroom” sounds!

Also on loan from the Museum will be their (almost) life-sized Holstein cow model, another great way to keep farms in our hearts and minds. We won’t be surprised to see some grown-up kids sneaking in some photo ops! (It might be a perfect selfie station for those so inclined!)

Along with this partnership, all Minnesota Children’s Museum Rochester members can show their membership card at the festival entrance to get free youth admissions with any paid adult ticket. Also, the Museum will be handing out 2-for-1 general admission coupons in the week leading up to Feast!