Celebrate spring on the farm this weekend

Published 7:23 pm Thursday, March 24, 2016

KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER | DAILY NEWS SPRING FESTIVITIES: A spring celebration featuring the Easter Bunny and a host of farm animals is planned for Saturday at Raised in a Barn Farm in Chocowinity.

KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER | DAILY NEWS
SPRING FESTIVITIES: A spring celebration featuring the Easter Bunny and a host of farm animals is planned for Saturday at Raised in a Barn Farm in Chocowinity.

CHOCOWINITY — Farm animals, hay rides, music, Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny and fundraising efforts benefiting Relay for Life will all be part of this weekend’s spring celebration in Chocowinity.

The daylong festivities will be hosted Saturday by Raised in a Barn Farm.

“This will be a day of fun and fellowship for the whole family,” said Mandie Boahn, whose family owns and operates the farm. “We’ll have something for everyone.”

The celebration kicks off at 10 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m. The schedule includes hayrides with the Easter Bunny and egg hunts; several thousand eggs will be hidden, with 200 of them containing certificates for free kids’ meals at Texas Roadhouse restaurants, according to Boahn.

There will be barrel train rides for children, with a fee of $1 per rider benefiting Relay for Life, and other games and activities for youngsters are planned as well. Children are invited to decorate their own personalized wooden egg, and up and coming farmers may paint a flowerpot and plant a seed to take home.

Food vendors will be on site, according to Boahn, and the goodies offered for sale include funnel cakes, hamburgers, hot dogs, jams and jellies, desserts and fresh-baked breads. Photo opportunities with Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny will be available throughout the day.

A highlight of the celebration will be live music, with featured performers including Refuge From the Edge, Raining Mercy, Sydney Moore, Caroline Dare and Covenant Church.

“Refuge From the Edge has planned all the music for us this year and they’ll be holding a concert and fundraising activities for Relay for Life,” Boahn said of the gospel group, which is based at Second Baptist Church in Washington. “Part of the admission price will go to Relay for Life, and they’ll be having raffle drawings, a silent auction and selling baked goods, too.”

Members of the Raised in a Barn Farm 4-H Club will be on hand to show off some of their rabbits, goats, lambs and pigs, Boahn added. Club members will answer questions about raising farm animals and explain how they train for livestock shows.

Arts and crafts vendors will show and sell a variety of wares, including jewelry, personalized children’s books and hand painted pieces.

For more information about Saturday’s festivities, including ticket prices, call 252-945-6153 or 252-945-3398 or visit www.raisedinabarnfarm.com. The Raised in a Barn Farm Facebook page also features a full schedule of events and is updated daily.

Raised in a Barn Farm is located at 2106 N.C. Highway 33 just east of Chocowinity.