While some may think of Green Creek as the more rural side of Polk County, the area has long been full of life and plans to celebrate that activity with the 15th annual Green Creek Heritage Festival Saturday, Sept. 7.

“Families can come out and bring their kids for a fun, family day and they don’t have to spend a dime unless they want to buy food or a craft,” said coordinator Krista Haynes. “It’s become a well-rounded festival.”

Haynes said the day would include horse and buggy rides, an archery competition, a 4-H livestock show, an antique car and tractor show, a silent auction, items for sale in an old-fashioned country store and a petting zoo.

Storytellers including Jim Hinsdale and Lance Smith will also be on hand throughout the day to tell people about life in the county over the decades.

There’s a reason festival organizers focus on crafts and skills such as sewing, blacksmithing, canning and cracklin’ rendering, said Haynes.

“The goal is to make it an educational festival to display how things were done 100 years ago in the community,” Haynes said. “I just think we’ve lost perspective of where things come from. Kids don’t know their potatoes come from the ground and their milk comes from a cow. We want to reconnect people with their heritage.”

Haynes said while she grew up on a farm, where they raised their own food and canned what they didn’t eat, most people didn’t and would be in trouble if they had to start doing more by hand. She said the festival reintroduces people to the knowledge of these skills in a fun, family-friendly way.

Haynes encourages families to start at the information booth as soon as they park in the hay fields to find out more about the day. She also stressed the festival supports a center of community life in Green Creek.

“Every dollar raised at this festival funds the operating expenses of the Green Creek Community Center,” Haynes said.

She added that the center is vital to many residents in the county. It serves as the Meeting Place II senior center, offering exercise and quilting classes; provides meals to senior adults Monday- Friday, both at the center and by delivery to their homes; serves