Fiddleheads, farmers, foragers and food-lovers will be the focus of the seventh annual Maine Fiddlehead Festival on Saturday on Academy Street in Farmington. (Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser)

FARMINGTON — The seventh annual Maine Fiddlehead Festival will be held Saturday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Emery Community Arts Center on Academy Street.

It’s a celebration of the farmers, foragers and food-lovers in the region. Fiddleheads, the immature fronds of the ostrich fern, and all locally grown or processed foods will be featured.

The festival is the culmination of Growing Roots, a weeklong exploration and celebration of community and food in Greater Franklin County.

“It’s a great partnership,” Luke Kellett, University of Maine at Farmington Sustainability Campus Coalition coordinator, said. “They’re trying to build it to become more than a one-day event around local foods.” 

Kellett said the theme is food waste. There will be compost demonstrations and the Farmington Compost Cooperative will sell compost from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, May 6, at the compost pad on the Farmington dump road.

The first outdoor Farmington Farmers’ Market of the season will be part of Saturday’s festival. Dozens of vendors will set up in the courtyard of ECAC and the grassy area beside it.

Children and adults can learn more about farm animals such as goats, rabbits and emus. Supervised children’s activities, such as decorating watering cans, making pine cone bird feeders and planting seeds, will be offered. 

Visitors may learn more about edible mushrooms, plant-based diets, raising rabbits and hemp farming during the tent talks.

Local musicians will provide entertainment.

Ashley Montgomery will give fiddlehead cooking demonstrations and the Rev. Paul Dumais will man his popular ploye station. Food trucks from Sweet Life Kettle Corn, Fiddlestick Farm and Steel House Oven will be set up in the parking lot of Henderson Memorial Baptist Church.

Festival organizers are Kellett, Cynthia Stancioff, Kelly Tooney, Connor Marland, Casey Dennison, Marjorie Cormier, Drew Barton, Erika Emery and Brandon Becker.

The Greater Franklin Food Council formed last year to promote healthy food systems. Organizers include the Healthy Community Coalition, United Way of the Tri-Valley Area, mainefoodatlas.org, Rustic Roots Farm, Catholic Charities SEARCH program and the Care and Share Food Closet.

For more information, visit https://www.mainefiddleheadfestival.com/.

pharnden@sunmediagroup.net

 Ashley Montgomery, right, will give fiddlehead cooking demonstrations at the seventh annual Maine Fiddlehead Festival on Saturday at the Emery Community Arts Center on Academy Street in Farmington. (File photo)

Emu chicks from Birds of a Feather Emu Farm were popular at last year’s Maine Fiddlehead Festival in Farmington. (File photo)