DULUTH, Ga. — Farmers get to see the reward of their growing season from late September to early December. To pay homage to the busiest time of the year for producers, Georgia's most diverse farmers will host a Fall Harvest Festival.
"We are so pleased and proud to present a free occasion where everybody can come and celebrate," James Lee, Executive Director of the Georgia Korean American Farmer Association (GKAFA), said. "The harvest moon is the time of plenty, time of happiness, time for reflecting on the last year."
To show support for its members and a recent grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the farmer association will host its annual harvest festival on Oct. 4 at the Atlanta Coliseum in Duluth.
Since its establishment in March 2019, the farmer association has focused on facilitating the gathering and sharing of information among farmers from diverse minority communities in Georgia, not just those that are Korean American.
The event is open to everyone in the community and allows locals to experience Korean and Chinese cultures.
Held in partnership with the Hmong Farmer Association, representing refugees from Thailand and China who relied on their agricultural heritage to make a living in the U.S., the event will feature free food and entertainment.
For farmers across the country, a Harvest Festival is a long-standing tradition that celebrates a successful season of growth.
Annual harvest festivals typically coincide with the sighting of the harvest moon, the name given to the full, bright moon that occurs closest to the start of autumn. The name dates back to a time before electricity when farmers depended on the moon's light to harvest their crops late into the night.
Lee, GKAFA's President Joseph Koh and Chi Soo Kim from the Alliance of Asian Farmers' Associations encourage all community members to attend the festival.
Meals for 3,000 people will be offered; free parking is available for attendees.
To learn more about the event, click here.