Come check out our "Cool Critters" area. Meet and greet the animals of the Sourlands.....domestic and native.
There will be hands-on activities for children. Naturalists will be on-hand to answer questions about our beautiful Sourland Mountain region and its wildlife.
A fun and educational afternoon for all ages!
Some of those joining us this year will be:
Woof . . . Woof Translates “Come meet my friends from The Seeing Eye.” Learn about this amazing organization (www.seeingeye.org) and how they are changing people’s lives.
Swallow Hill Farm Alpacas will be with us again this year
www.swallowhillfarmalpacas.com
Learn about Raptors and how to make origami birds plus pine cone feeders
www.conservewildlifenj.org
Say Hi to Wally the Woodchuck and his friends from the Watershed Institute!
www.thewatershed.org
Bee amazed – See a demonstration hive where you can watch bees working inside the hive. The Raritan Valley Beekeepers Association will be there to answer your questions.
Raritan Valley Beekeepers
Mercer County Wildlife Center is an Animal Rescue Facility which supports our area. Meet a representative from the Wildlife Center Friends who will tell you about the Wildlife Center and answer your questions on what you should do if you encounter a distressed animal.
www.wildlifecenterfriends.org
Come see and learn about the amazing world of insects.
The New Jersey Audubon from Plainsboro will be back again this year helping you identify the many birds you see in your backyard.
Learn about Amphibians as one of Somerset County Parks Commission’s Naturalists brings some of his friends for you to meet.
The Mercer County Park Commission is back again this year. Their Naturalist will have materials of interest for all age groups.
What do you know about the history of the Sourland Mountain Region? Most people are aware the Charles Lindbergh estate is located in the Sourlands and know about his son’s kidnapping.
Were you aware that 240 years before this year’s Sourland Music Festival, on June 23 – 24, 1778 there were 12,000 colonial troops encamped on the John Hart farmstead and the hills above Hopewell Borough – the same John Hart who signed the Declaration of Independence? And that George Washington, along with Generals Lee, Lafayette and Steuben, held a council of war in the nearby Hunt house. Four days later they would be involved in the Battle of Monmouth.
And then there is the role of the Sourlands as a refuge for those that were persecuted, such as fleeing slaves, and those wishing to avoid the law (and make moonshine).
There is a rich history in this “Wild West of New Jersey”. This year we are introducing “History Lane”, an area that will be devoted to helping us better understand this heritage. There will be historians available with displays and ready to answer your questions. When you come to the Music Festival, please join us and take a walk down “History Lane”.
Some of those who will be joining us include:
Outwater’s Militia
Outwater’s Milita will have a group of Colonial Reenactors to show and tell you what it was like to be living in our area during the Revolutionary War time period. Join them for a look at life during a different time.
Van Harlingen Historical Society
Learn about our local area. Materials will include oral histories from long time residents and other booklets of interest. Activities will be included.
Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum
Find out more about an important part of the Sourland’s History
Hopewell Valley Historical Society
Are you interested in the real history of Washington’s encampment in 1778? Would you like to learn more about John Hart or the many early families from the area? Be sure to stop at the Hopewell Valley Historical Society’s table.
Find out more about the Sourland Region History
The Northeast Organic Farming Association will bring alive the history of farming in the Sourlands