Cane Hill Harvest Festival Returns With Pie Auctions, Sorghum Making and Historic Tours

Cane Hill has been running this show since 1986, and forty years in, they still know how to throw an Ozark harvest party. If you’ve never smelled sorghum cooking down or bid on a homemade pie, you’re about to find out why this stretch of Washington County pulls you back every fall.

THE DEETS

📅 Saturday, September 19, 2026
🕑 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM
📍 Historic Cane Hill, 14219 College Rd, Canehill, AR 72717
🎟️ Festival admission: $5 for adults and free for kids 12 and under | Breakfast and festival bundle: $12 for adults and $5 for kids
🔗 More info | Tickets

A Tradition Rooted in Cane Hill History

This festival is your chance to walk through buildings that have been standing on this campus since before Arkansas paved most of its roads. Step inside the 1886 Cane Hill College and the 1891 Cane Hill Presbyterian Church, then swing by the Kirby-Colburn House, a 2024 Arkansas Preservation Award winner for its restoration work.

While you’re wandering the grounds, look for the Bur Oak near the campus. It’s the state Co-Champion Bur Oak, and it’s also considered a witness tree to the Trail of Tears.

Breakfast, Pie Auction and Food Trucks

You can start your day with the Ozark Country Breakfast, served from 7 to 10 a.m. for $8 as an adult and $5 for kids 12 and under, or save a few bucks with the breakfast and festival bundle for $12. Once you’re full, food trucks take over from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with the full 2026 lineup still to be announced.

Time your visit for 10 a.m. if you want in on the live pie auction. Community members and local businesses donate homemade pies, so bring cash if you’re hoping to walk away with one.

Music, Crafts and Family Activities

Live music runs from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (lineup coming soon), so bring a chair or plan on dancing in the grass. If you’re bringing kids, drop them off at the Kids Zone for activities from Macaroni Kids, Washington County 4-H, the University of Arkansas Entomology and Plant Pathology Department, and free face painting.

Wander the Arts and Eats Market for goods and gifts from local artisans and crafters, then head over to watch the sorghum pressing demonstration, where draft horses power an antique press that turns cane juice into molasses. You’ll also find craft demonstrations throughout the day covering lace tatting, textile spinning and weaving, blacksmithing, beekeeping and antique tractors.

If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at pottery, stop by the Community Creative Center’s Wheel Mobile for a free 30 minute mini workshop (ages 10 and up). Cap off your visit at the Quilt Show and Drawing, where you can browse antique and contemporary quilts from around the region.

If you run a local business and want your name attached to this one, reach out about sponsoring the 2026 Harvest Festival at festival@historiccanehillar.org.