BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Joe Peden worries Monroe County is one generation away from having any children who grew up on farms or who have ever been on a farm. So, he continues an annual farm festival for youngsters that his parents, Richard and Rachel, started in 1953.

Schools from Monroe and surrounding counties in south-central Indiana send busloads of kids, from preschool to third grade. Peden said the buses line up for a quarter-mile to let kids off to visit his farm north of Bloomington.

This year’s festival is set for Sept. 30-Oct. 1. He and about 200 volunteers are expecting between 2,200-2,500 kids this year. The preschoolers bring their parents or grandparents. One teacher from Indianapolis, who visited the festival as a child, brings two busloads every year, Peden said.

There will be 90 stations on the farm featuring a variety of demonstrations. He mentioned corn meal grinding, corn shelling, making apple butter and cider, a blacksmith making crosses and horseshoes, wool spinning and weaving and farm safety.

“It’s funny. People come out here and don’t see something that they do, so 30 minutes later, they are back with a display or a demonstration,” he said. “I tell them if they want to share with the children, you come ahead.”

Among his faithful demonstrators are a dentist, a surgeon and an Indiana State Police detective.

The festival has grown from a few stops on the farm to a daylong experience for the young visitors. Buses start rolling in about 9 a.m. and the children can stay until 2 p.m. They each bring a lunch, he said.

Lunch is provided for the volunteers, and the local Lions Club mans water stations to keep visitors hydrated. Monroe County Farm Bureau and the extension office send volunteers, too. Even Peden’s high school classmates who graduated with him in 1958 come out every year to help with the festival.

Many of the stations offer hands-on experience. There’s an area with animal hides children can touch. They get to hold baby chicks; they see a sheep getting sheared and feel the wool. They can handle eggs from chickens, ducks, geese and an ostrich, he said. He said a new shipment of baby ducks arrived last Thursday.

“We have some kids who haven’t touched an animal before,” Peden noted.

There are stations on pond management, tree planting, growing herbs and their use and some history of the Peden farm, which was started in 1941. South Central REMC teaches about downed power line safety.

The Save a Life fire safety trailer will be there, as well the Indiana State Police and Ellettsville Police and the Indiana Farm Bureau trailer. Visitors can have photos taken on an antique buggy or a 1934 tractor.

Fourteen hayrides using long trailers haul up to 500 visitors at a time, Peden said. They get to see cows, pigs, horses, ponies, sheep, goats and all manner of fowl, from chickens to peacocks. They drive by corn and soybean fields.

Volunteers start at 4:40 a.m. making popcorn for their visitors. Peden said 70 4-H Junior Leaders help with demonstrations and other activities during the two-day festival. “It’s a great experience for them,” he said. “They help with demonstrations and get to talk about their 4-H projects.”

There are games on the front lawn and music on the porch, for those who still need something to entertain them. Preregistration is needed to attend the event, Peden requested – he can be reached at 812-320-1613.

“We want the kids to see how food is produced on farms, by farmers,” he said.