photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Shirk's Barn, 1359 N 1900 Road

A nonprofit conservation group is hosting a field day at historic Shirk’s Barn, with live music, local food, workshops and family-friendly activities in the scenic Kaw River Valley.

The Kaw Valley Field Day will be hosted by Save Our Soils Kaw Valley Foundation, an organization that advocates for the preservation of prime farmland. The event will be held at Shirk’s Barn, 1359 North 1900 Road, on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 3 to 10 p.m.

According to a news release about the event, there will be hayrack rides, a pumpkin patch, local vendors and food trucks, as well as educational booths about local agriculture. There will also be performances from area musicians such as Chuck Mead, Jenna and Martin + Friends, The Swallowtails, Brody Buster, Sky Smeed, Ryan Manuel and Cade Polsgrove.

“I’m thrilled to invite our community out to the historic Shirk Farm in the heart of the Kaw River Valley for the first-ever Kaw Valley Field Day! This is a chance to experience the soil, farms, and foods of the Kaw Valley that make this place so special,” local farmer Scotty Thellman said in the release.

Though the Kaw Valley Field Day is a fundraiser for the Save Our Soils Kaw Valley Foundation, no tickets are required for anything except a limited-seat farm-to-table dinner with chef Vaughn Good of Kansas City’s Fox and Pearl. This dinner will be at 4 p.m., and tickets cost $120 per person. They can be purchased at soskawvalley.org/kaw-valley-field-day-2025.