A group of farm stands in the area is teaming up during September to bring residents a seasonal, family-friendly adventure, a Fall Farm Stand Scavenger Hunt. Across three weekends, September 12-13, 19-20, and 26-27, the event invites participants to visit six farm stands across Chenango and Delaware counties. By searching for hidden colored items and uncovering a secret fall phrase participants qualify for a chance to win a grand prize basket filled with seasonal goods.

Organizer Jen Cutting, of Bella's Hen House & Farmstand, said the idea grew off the momentum of the farm stand passport initiative and a desire to do offer something more interactive.

“I chose these stands to try to be more inclusive of our area and invite more to be a part,” Cutting said.

The participants in the Fall Farm Stand Scavenger Hunt are: Bella's Hen House & Farmstand (Masonville), Ryan's Yak Farm (Oxford), The Little Cooler Egg Stand (Oxford), The Modern Homesteader (Walton), The Mix (Greene), and Catskill Cookie Cottage (Walton).

Each location features a hidden item in a designated color, a dusty pink chicken, a country blue yak, a sunflower yellow egg, a sage green tractor, an orange pumpkin, and a barn red heart cookie. Each item has a secret word written on it, when all six words are found across locations they reveal a fall themed phrase “to welcome in the change of the season,” Cutting said.

“People should come prepared with their looking eyes,” she said. “These items will be hidden.”

She emphasized that the scavenger hunt is on the weekends only, and visitors should plan accordingly as several stands are only open on weekends. Participants can pick up and return scavenger hunt sheets at any participating stand by September 27 to be eligible for the prize drawing.

Ryan's Yak Farm: 'We all win when people shop local'

At Ryan's Yak Farm in Oxford, owner Cody Ryan, said joining the scavenger hunt was an easy decision.

“I just thought it was a really fun idea. I'm always trying to find new ways to get people out to the farm,” she said. “I also really like anything that supports other local farms and small businesses. We all have something different to offer so why not work together and get people out to see all of us.”

Their farm stand is also known as the Milk House Market. The market is attached to the big red barn customers see when they first pull into the driveway. Milk House Market is the white portion with the star on it. The market is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for scavenger hunters and shopping.

“We have homemade items, farm products, locally made products and different things depending on what’s in season,” Ryan said.

In addition to the Milk House Market, Ryan's Yak Farm offers animal viewing and related add-on experiences on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. by reservation. Though there is an admission fee for the animal portion of the farm, entrance to the market is totally free.

The farm has been in the Ryan family since 1906 and is currently run by Cody, her husband, and their three children. Ryan's Yak Farm will be bustling throughout the fall season, September and October with various offerings and activities.

“Fall is my favorite,” said Ryan. “The cooler weather, the yaks getting extra fluffy, pumpkins, fall food, the leaves changing and just being outside on the farm.”

For the scavenger hunt prize basket, Ryan said they plan to contribute a Ryan's Yak Farm shirt, goods from the Milk House Market, and “maybe something that gets the winner back out to the farm again.”

Her clue for scavenger hunters: “Make sure you look around the Milk House Market.”

“I just hope people have fun with it and actually check out the stands while they’re doing it. Don’t just run in, find the word and run back out. Look around. You might find something you like or a farm stand you didn’t even know was here,” Ryan said. “I like supporting each other. I don’t think we need to compete with each other. If someone comes to my farm because another stand sent them here, great. If someone comes here and I can send them somewhere else local, even better. We all win when people shop local.”

The Little Cooler Egg Stand: 'I am very thankful for our community'

The Little Cooler Egg Stand in Oxford, is stocked each weekend with fresh eggs and homemade items by owner Diane Beadle. The scavenger hunt offers a chance to showcase the growing business and the community that encouraged it.

“I started off tending to my chickens and being encouraged by so many local women to do more with my abundance of eggs,” said Beadle.

Beadle has been raising chickens for three years now and has grown a network of support of both customers and other farm stand owners including scavenger hunt organizer Cutting. Beadle's daughter is also a key part of running the stand, helping with the chickens and stand operations. “When Mom can't do chicken and stand things, she steps in and she loves it,” she said.

For the fall season, they have begun working on new dry mixes for easy and cozy fall meals.

“I am still new to the chicken raising and homemade goods, three years chicken tending and just this summer I have ventured into homemade dry mixes,” she said. “Our homemade Sloppy Joe mix has been a hit.”

For the scavenger hunt, Beadle chose sunflower yellow, her favorite color, and an egg as her hidden item. She plans to contribute her dry mixes, and of course fresh eggs to the prize basket. She encourages participants to check Facebook pages for updates before heading out, to better plan their trips.

“I suggest checking Facebook pages before you plan to hunt for items and visit the stands. All the pages will be actively sharing information and what they have to offer,” said Beadle.

A community-centered fall initiative

Cutting said the scavenger hunt fits neatly into her own “Fall in the Farm Stand” theme for September. Bella's Hen House & farm Stand will offer a fall cookie and treat line throughout the month.

She hopes the event brings people together and encourages them to explore local small businesses. Cutting has regularly organized collaborations among local farm stands, and the like, creating a supportive community and bolstering local offerings.

She reminds hopeful participants to check each stand's hours before making a trip. They all can be found on Facebook

To complete the scavenger hunt, participants need to visit all six participating farm stands over the next three weekends. Find each stand's hidden colored item and write down the secret word on the scavenger hunt sheet. Once all six words are collected, a fall phrase is revealed. Participants can turn in their completed sheets at any of the six stands by Sunday, Sept 27 to be entered into the drawing for a grand prize basket. A winner will be selected at random.