Front page festival!

 We were not tucked away on page 5 this year, but featured on the front page and were mighty grateful for that, thanks, Cassandra and The Southland Times!
My from-the-roof-of-the-veranda shot of the happy potato-gatherers made it there also and looks a picture. Here's the story that went with it. The festival preparations, I have to say, are going exceptionally well.

ROBYN EDIE/Fairfax NZ
SORTING SPUDS: Harvest festival organiser Robyn Guyton sorts 27 varieties of heritage potatoes with Keisuke Amano, bottom, and Ayano Amano, both visitors to Riverton from Japan, in preparation for the Heritage Harvest Festival this weekend.



Fruit, flax and farm machinery are on the agenda as Southland Heritage Month events move west this weekend.

A range of rare heritage fruit and vegetables will be on display at Aparima College during the Heritage Harvest Festival tomorrow and Sunday.

Festival organiser Robyn Guyton said the event would feature workshops and talks on many aspects of harvesting, and there would be an apple press on site for making homemade apple juice.

The festival opens at 10.30am tomorrow and runs until 4.30pm on Sunday, with a gold coin entry fee.

Also involved in the heritage month celebrations is the Templeton Flaxmill Heritage Museum, which will have an open day tomorrow afternoon.

Museum fibre seller Janice Templeton said curator Vaughan Templeton would demonstrate the machinery used to strip flax and refine it for sale in the early 20th century.

The mill sat empty for three decades after it closed 1972, before the family restored it and reopened it as a museum, she said.

The live demonstrations run every 45 minutes from 1pm until 3.30pm, and entry costs $5 per adult or $10 per carload, with children admitted free.

Demonstrations of haymaking through the ages will be held at the Thornbury Vintage Machinery Museum on Saturday and Sunday.

Vintage Machinery Club committee member Tony Strang said the event would include demonstrations of everything from the basic haymaking techniques using scythes and forks through early hay baling to the latest hay baling equipment.

The demonstrations would run twice a day on each day, allowing people time to visit the other heritage events on in the area, he said.

Entry would be $5 for adults and free for children.

The museum would be open from 10am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.