Fresh cut flowers and herbs.  Handcrafted soaps and bath products.  Handmade clothing, jewelry and accessories.

That’s just a sample of the fare offered at the Garden and Craft Fair at the third annual Harvest Festival this Saturday at the Brownwood Area Community Garden.

Visitors to the festival can look forward to a full slate of activities and offerings, including a wide selection of food and refreshments, tours of the garden, and live music by area musicians Sun Duo. The Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is a rain-or-shine event.

Brown County Master Gardeners will present a Rain Barrel Demonstration at 11 a.m.  Barrels plumbed for rainwater catchment will be for sale for $50 each on a first-come, first-served basis, to those who attend the program.

For younger festival goers, face painting and pumpkin painting will be offered, and Oscar the Grouch will be on hand with his Trashcan Veggie Roaster, serving up fresh ears of corn on the cob.

Visitors to the Harvest Festival are invited to tour the Community Garden while there and learn about the Garden’s 6,000-gallon rainwater harvesting system, state-of-the-art drip irrigation, composting and vermiculture.

Festival organizers have tried to keep costs to a minimum to accommodate families on a budget.

Established in 2009, the Brownwood Area Community Garden is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing area food pantries with fresh, naturally grown produce year-round as well as providing gardening space for area gardeners.  So far this year the Garden has donated more than 1,400 pounds of fresh produce to area food pantries and the Salvation Army Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen.

The third annual Harvest Festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 13, from 10 to 4, at the Brownwood Area Community Garden behind Central Texas Opportunities offices at 1500 Dublin St. in Brownwood. Parking is available at the Salvation Army building on Lakeway, which runs between Belle Plain and West Commerce Ave.  The Garden is a short walk from the Salvation Army parking lot.

For further information, contact Mary Green Engle at 325-784-8453, or Daniel Graham at 325-641-9029.

Pictured top left:   Garden Coordinator Daniel Graham cuts fresh flowers and herbs for the Brownwood Area Community Garden’s third annual Harvest Festival on Saturday.