The Denair Farm and Family Festival will be returning for its 12th year on Sept. 10. This year’s edition of the popular community event is expected to be one of the biggest yet, as there will be more vendors and entertainment options than ever before.

Festival chairman James Shehan explained that the festival aims to bring visitors to Denair, showcase the city’s agricultural roots and provide Denair community members with family fun.

“We put this festival on every year to spread awareness of the community. We have a lot of farmers in our community, so we put on a whole show focusing on agriculture, showcasing new and old ag equipment for everybody to see. We just want to entertain the community and get everybody out to do something,” Shehan said.

Shehan added that the festival will also raise money for local youth.

“Another thing is that we have the most sponsors we’ve ever had, so all the money that is raised through sponsors or through donations go towards scholarships for seniors in Denair at the high school and the charter school,” he explained.

The festivities will kick off with the tractor parade, which will make its way through Main Street and into the community center. Attendees will then be able to get an up-close look at the machinery.

“Last year, we had about 35 to 40 tractors in the parade and on display. This year, we’re expecting that number to be around that same number, maybe a little more,” Shehan said.

As the festival planners are expecting slight increases in the number of equipment showcased, they are also expecting a massive increase in vendor involvement. According to Shehan, there are already over 115 vendors signed up to be at the festival.

“We are over capacity,” Shehan said. “We have more vendors this year than we’ve ever had and we’re just trying to pack them in wherever we can.”

Vendors are currently being highlighted through the festivals’ official social media accounts, which is @DenairFestival on both Facebook and Instagram.

In addition to the showcases and vendors, there are several children’s activities planned, many embracing the agricultural theme of the festival. These activities include milk chugging competitions, watermelon eating contests, hay bucking competitions, pedal tractor pulls and homemade ice cream demonstrations.

More information on the 2022 Denair Farm and Family Festival can be found at www.denairfestival.com.