Pawpaws are the most abundant edible fruit native to the eastern United States, and they are only in season for a few weeks in September through mid-October. The fruit grows in the Susquehanna River region, and it will get its time in the spotlight at the 18th annual York County Pawpaw Festival. Sponsored by the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education and UPMC, the festival will be held at the Horn Farm, 4945 Horn Road, York, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, and Sunday, Sept. 25.

"The big draw for this festival are the pawpaws themselves," said Alexis Campbell, executive director of the Horn Farm. "There will be pawpaws for sale, pawpaw trees for sale, and we even have a couple of food vendors that are incorporating pawpaw into their food options."

Fresh produce from the Horn Farm, native plants, jams, jellies, honey and more will be for sale as well, and visitors will have the opportunity to tour the farm and pawpaw orchard. Vendors will include Off the Beaten Path Nursery, BeeBees All Naturals, Candi J. Duda Stained Glass and Garden Art, Historic Wrightsville and Wildwood Lavender Farm. On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Joyful ViBRAYtions will host a community weaving project. People will be invited to watch woven art in action and contribute to an original, spontaneous project that will use repurposed and natural items sourced from the Horn Farm. The resulting artwork will be displayed at the festival on Sunday and will be celebrated in the Horn Farm Center's new building once its constructed. A fire destroyed the farmhouse in 2021 and plans are underway to rebuild, with a goal of opening the new space by the fall of 2023, Campbell said. "The weaving project is an opportunity for a healing, collaborative community activity," she noted.

The Pawpaw Festival is part of York County Watershed Week in partnership with the Watershed Alliance of York, Campbell remarked, adding that water-awareness activities will be taking place throughout York County from Thursday, Sept. 15, through Sept. 25. York Water Company will be providing drinking water for the pawpaw festival, and people are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles.

A donation as admission to the festival will be requested at the door, and all proceeds will support the local regenerative agriculture and educational programs at the Horn Farm Center.

Due to damage from the farmhouse fire, Horn Road will be closed to local traffic at the intersections of Millstone and Tracey School roads. Festivalgoers should enter at Millstone Road only. For more information on the festival, visit http://www.hornfarmcenter.org/pawpawfest.