A Fort 91原创 cranberry family-run farm is inviting the public to their first-ever harvest party this Saturday.
The Bog at Riverside Cranberry Farm is hosting a Harvest Kick-Off Party for the season on Sept. 23.
For the one-day, special event, guests will get to participate in the 鈥渃ranberry plunge鈥� where they can don waders and experience the bog in the boots of a cranberry farmer.
Mandy Dewit, owner of Riverside, said it鈥檚 their first year hosting the party.
鈥淚t鈥檚 partly to take a moment and celebrate how harvest is really a culmination of a whole year鈥檚 worth of work,鈥� Dewit explained, adding that her husband鈥檚, Brian, birthday is during harvest so it鈥檚 a way to celebrate him too.
The party will have live music by Old Growth band, a demo bog in addition to the dip in the real bog, and drinks from local breweries including Roots & Wings Distillery, Locality Brewing, The Irony Spirits, and Mr. Mead Winery.
鈥淎ll the alcohol vendors have used our cranberries in their products, which is a very important part of our business model,鈥� Dewit said.
Tickets include one complimentary drink.
Food will be provided by the Chef鈥檚 Acres food truck, and the farm store will be open for guests to browse and buy as they please.
Guests can also enter to win a prize gift basket from the bog.
Tickets start at $25 plus tax, and can be bought at .
For those who can鈥檛 make it to the harvest party, the season鈥檚 farm tours at Riverside start on Sept. 29 to Oct. 9 (Thanksgiving Day). Tickets can be bought through the farm鈥檚 .
The cranberry plunge will also be offered on non-tour dates Sept. 25 to 27, and Oct. 2 to 4, from 12 to 4 p.m.
鈥淭his is a very short time experience as this is an actual bog and the cranberries will be sent off for further processing after the season,鈥� Dewit warned.
The Dewits have owned the 35-acre farm since 2010. Twelve years in, they are still passionate about cranberries.
鈥淲e enjoy the farming lifestyle, wide open spaces for our large growing family, working the land, and being in tune with the seasons,鈥� Dewit said.
She added that this harvest season was a big step up as they have new equipment to learn to operate while they are harvesting.
鈥淲e are looking forward to successfully completing our goals and overcoming a lot of challenges along the way,鈥� she said.
Over the last three summers, the farm has seen die back in its bogs due to the dry weather, but Dewit said this harvest still looks promising.
鈥淪ome bogs [are] looking to have high crap yields, while others have suffered from die back and winter damage. Cranberries are a slow growing plant, so it takes a long time for damaged areas to be recovered,鈥� she explained.
Riverside farm is located at 26885 88th Ave.
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