(Buford, Ga., May 2, 2017) – Spring is the time to prepare the soil and begin planting.  Join the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center (GEHC) as it celebrates the region’s agrarian past with its Spring Planting Festival at McDaniel Farm on Saturday, May 6, 2017.  The event will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and features hands-on opportunities to learn about life on the historic farm.

The festival highlights the history of McDaniel Farm and the role agriculture played in Gwinnett’s past.  GEHC Director of Programming Jason West said, “McDaniel Farm is one of the last remaining large tracts of land from the 1820 land lottery.  The property continued to be farmed until the 1990s.  This festival not only celebrates the McDaniel property as a cotton farm but also stresses the sustainability of agriculture and how this is experienced through the farm landscape.”

The festival features a number of activities and games that make the connection to farming including blacksmithing demonstrations, weaving activities and examining tools and tasks of the past.  Guests should be prepared to get dirty as they explore for earthworms, discuss composting and assist in planting corn and cotton in the farm’s fields. Gwinnett County Master Gardeners plan to provide tours of the demonstration garden and provide attendees with a small seed in a container to plant at home.   Participants also have the opportunity to make an herb sachet and learn how to establish and reap the benefits of their own herb garden.

The program fee for the Spring Planting Festival is $8 per person.  GEHC members and children under the age of two are free.  Pre-registration is encouraged and can be done online at www.gwinnettEHC.org.  Guests can also pay the program fee at the gate on the day of the event.

McDaniel Farm is located at 3251 McDaniel Road, Duluth, Ga., 30096.  For additional information, visit www.gwinnettEHC.org.