PENINSULA, Ohio — Kids and their parents are invited to once again experience the magical realm of fairies this weekend at Heritage Farms' 10th annual Fairy Days Festival
 
The outdoor, two-day fairy event runs Saturday and Sunday, July 17 and 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Heritage Farms is located at 6050 Riverview Road in Peninsula. Admission is $10 for children ages 3-17 and $5 for adults. Kids under 3 are free.

What You Need To Know

  • The outdoor, two-day Fairy Days Festival runs Saturday and Sunday, July 17 and 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day

  • Children are encouraged to wear their fairy-wear for the festival, where they’ll explore the farm transformed into an outdoor country fairyland

  • The festival features a Magical Meadow Market, where fairy lovers can get a new fairy wand, a pair of wings or learn to grow a fairy container garden

  • Heritage Farm has been family owned and operated for nearly 175 years, hosting flea markets, fall-themed events and Christmas tree sales

Heritage Farms has been family-owned and operated in the Cuyahoga Valley for 175 years, said George Haramis, who runs the farm with his wife, Carol.

The pandemic kept the farm closed most of last year, he said, but Heritage Farms’ annual events are expected to go on this year. Social distancing, sanitization and other pandemic guidelines will be observed.

“What we're trying to do is create a fantasy environment, pure and simple,” Haramis said. “It's supposed to be something where mothers and their children can come out and play and enjoy themselves. It's outside, it's on the farm. We're providing a six-hour, real-life cartoon.”

Attendees are encouraged to don their fairy-wear for the festival, where they’ll explore the farm transformed into an outdoor country fairyland.

fairy
Children can explore the farm transformed into an outdoor country fairyland. (Courtesy Heritage Farms)

Children can participate in the morning costume parade, dance in the Rainbow Fairy Circle with their new fairy friends and build fairy houses in the field using only elements of nature.

Festival-goers can participate in whatever activities they wish or watch the festivities from the shade of the gazebo at the bridge. Vendors will be on hand, and several photo opportunities will be available throughout the day.

The festival features a Magical Meadow Market, where fairy lovers can get a new fairy wand, a pair of wings or learn to grow a fairy container garden. Crystals, jewelry and other magical items will also be available.

Kids can build fairy houses in the field using only elements of nature. (Courtesy Heritage Farms)

Fairy Festival activities include:

  • Hidden Fairy Trail: Look for the fairies hiding along the trail as it winds through fields and woods
  • Fairy Post Office: Write a note to your favorite fairy, have it stamped at the Fairy Post Office and place it in a magic mailbox
  • Naming Tent: Recite the enchanted spell and receive your magical fairy name chosen by the Fairies of the Valley
  • Unicorn Labyrinth: Enjoy a wander through the colorful path to find your unicorn name
  • Quest for the Dragon’s Nest: Uncover four clues that will help you search for the Dragon’s Nest
  • Your Dragon Guardian: Visit the special place beyond the Dragon’s Nest to choose your own Dragon Guardian who will watch over you always
  • Lunch, snacks and beverages will be available from Kait’s Karts Hotdogs by Vickie’s Mobile Mania

The fairy festival also supports the National Great Pyrenees Rescue, enabling attendees to learn about the Great Pyrenees breed and interact with a rescued Pyrenees. A raffle running throughout the day offers a chance to win a dog-, fairy- or unicorn-themed basket, a dragon wagon or another magical fairy item.

Annual events at Heritage Farms

Heritage Farms hosts several annual events, which are expected to take place in-person this year, Haramis said.

The Peninsula Flea runs the first Saturday of the month, June through September, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features artisan-style handmade, repurposed or vintage items.

Pumpkin Pandemonium, beginning in late September, draws people to the farm to buy pumpkins, gourds, corn shocks and straw bales and to enjoy hayrides, a corn maze and scavenger hunts.

Locally known as the “Christmas Tree Farm,” Heritage Farms for decades has enabled people to come cut their own or choose freshly cut firs, spruce, and pine trees.

For more information, visit the Heritage farms website