Celebrating 50 Years of Tradition Down on the Farm® at the Bob Evans Farm Festival

Since his early days on the farm in Rio Grande, our founder, Bob Evans, had always been an advocate for building and fostering community. From the food he served, to the people he surrounded himself with, he made Bob Evans Restaurants, the place Where Good Grows starting in Rio Grande, Ohio.

The Bob Evans Farm Festival was first held in 1971 during the early beginnings of Bob Evans Restaurants. Now a half century old, the weekend-long event is anticipated to bring nearly 30,000 visitors to revel in the history of the farm and original Homestead of the Evans family. The event also falls right before National Farmer’s Day on October 12 — another reason to honor and recognize the work that Bob, and other farmers, have done to provide us with farm-fresh food.

Besides celebrating tradition, visitors can actually experience it by taking part in various activities during the fun-filled weekend. Activities include:

Enjoy Farm-Fresh Classic and Fall Favorites: Grab a cup of the iconic, tasty Farm Festival Bean soup or try some of our signature sausage (where it all started for Bob Evans!) in a sandwich or in our sausage gravy on top of our freshly-baked biscuits. Visitors can also enjoy a wide variety of fall-themed food options from local vendors including cider slushies, apple dumplings, kettle corn and Ohio-made cheeses.

Listen to Your Favorite Tunes. Enjoy live performances from incredible country music and bluegrass acts, including the legendary country music band, Exile; the award-winning bluegrass group, Dailey & Vincent; and long-time Farm Festival performers, Johnny Staats & The Delivery Boys and The Rarely Herd, among others.

Spend the Night Down on the Farm: FREE primitive camping (no electric or water hookups are available) will be offered. Spots are on a first come, first served basis. No reservations are needed (there's plenty of space!). Potable water, porta-john restrooms, a dump station and 24-hour security are provided.

Ride Your Favorite Amusement Park Rides: All-day ride wristbands can be purchased for $10 for adults ages 13 and up and $5 for children 12 and under. Individual ride tickets can also be purchased for $1 each. Additionally, the Kids' Farmyard Fun area will feature face painting, a hay bale maze, game tent, kiddie train rides, and a corn pile.

Watch Live Performances: Catch performances from lumberjacks, chainsaw carvers, an opportunity to interact with Columbus Zoo animals (Sunday only), and farm demonstrations, including sheep shearing by Stanley Strode and horseshoeing by the Hocking College Equestrian Program, will also be a part of the festival. Additionally, the professional, high-energy Ready Go Dog Show will wow crowds throughout the weekend with their natural ability to fly through the air and the Lily Pearl’s Square Dancing Tractor team will show off their fancy driving routines (on Saturday only). Fireworks will round out the night on Saturday with the colorful display provided by the Village of Rio Grande starting at 8:30 p.m.

Stop by anytime from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Sunday and 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. General admission tickets can be purchased at the entrance gate for $5 each with free admision for children under the age of five. On Friday, all school and chartered buses will receive free admission.

We are looking forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Bob Evans Farm Festival and hope you’ll join us to celebrate its milestone year! Don’t forget to snap a photo of our farm festivities and share on social media. Use the hashtag #BEFarmFest and tag @bobevans on Facebook or @bobevansfarms on Instagram or Twitter.

To learn more about this year’s Farm Festival and the schedule of events, please visit: https://www.bobevans.com/farm-festival.