Little Farm Hands celebrates 20 years at the Minnesota State Fair
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The first day of the State Fair is all about anniversaries and milestones.
Little Farm Hands is celebrating 20 years at the Fair and the exhibit gets more popular each year.
"This is the first place we came to today at the Fair because they've been talking about this all year. They love this exhibit," said Kate Monroe, of Edina.
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No matter where you come from, Little Farm Hands allows you to be a farmer for a day. For two decades now, kids have been able to drive tractors, pick eggs and learn about where their food comes from.
"It's fun to pretend to be a farmer. We're in Prior Lake and we don't live on a farm," said Joan Reuter, of Prior Lake.
That's what fair organizers were hoping for when they started the program in 2003.
"When we first opened the doors we did not know what we would have," said Beth Schuldt, coordinator. "Initially, we basically had six small raised-bed gardens."
Safe to say, Little Farm Hands has grown.
About 320 kids come through this exhibit every hour, and those numbers add up fast. By the end of the fair about 40,000 kids will have come through the Little Farm Hands exhibit.
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In addition to having steady traffic, 1,200 volunteers lend a hand. Every one of them has chores to do at this farm within the Fair.
"We are teaching them where our food comes from. That's the goal, " said Schuldt. "Start the conversation, take it home, and keep the education going."
Like a lot of exhibits at the Fair, the staff at Little Farm Hands starts planning for next year's fair as soon as this fair is over.
