Update: 2009 festival dates are October 17 – 18th.

Recuperating from outpatient surgery, I was getting a touch of cabin fever so we set out for “Farming Yesterday & Today: A Snohomish County Fall Farm Festival,” a weekend that “offers visitors a chance to tour local farms not usually open to the public.”  The weather was ideal, cool and unseasonably sunny for a Northwest fall.  This festival was new to us and looked exactly like what we were looking for that day: something outside the city with a variety of area locations and offerings.

We should note that while the festival takes place in mid October, many of the farms are open throughout the year and make great day trip destinations.  This festival took place mainly around Arlington, with one site in Marysville. Most of the 10 farms and 6 other locations making up the festival are situated along State Highways 530 and 531.  A couple were more east, up into the foot hills of the Cascades.  We planned a Sunday trip without looking closely at the information first. Although this event was a two day festival, several offerings were available Saturday only. Undaunted, we set out with a backup plan if pickings were slim.