Drive-it-yourself kicks off with brunch

Staff report

MERCER COUNTY, PA.

The Mercer County Country Drive it Yourself Tour kicks off with a free brunch on the Square in Mercer from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

At the brunch, farmers will provide locally produced foods including beef, sausage, potatoes, corn, eggs, dairy and more from Mercer, Erie and Crawford counties.

For free brunch tickets register at www.mercercountyagdevelopment.com or pick up tickets at the following locations: Mercer County Visitors Center, Sharon; Hermitage Agway; Ritenour Equipment, Hadley; Western Reserve Farm Cooperative, New Wilmington; Grove City Agway; and the Mercer County Extension Center, Mercer.

Those attending will be able to enjoy Touch-a-Tractor, the Farm Bureaus Mobile Agriculture Lab (a traveling educational center), agricultural displays from local farmers and the opportunity to meet the Mercer County Dairy Princess.

After the brunch participants can take a self-driving tour to five participating stops to experience Mercer County agriculture first hand.

Stops include the New N.W. Sales Co., a local livestock auction business; Apple Castle, the Johnson family farm since 1845, where visitors will learn how to grow fruit, particularly apples; Whiting Family Farm, a retail, wholesale and custom meat shop specializing as a processor for area livestock producers; and Western Reserve Farm Cooperative, a full-service agronomic facility for area farmers.

The self-driving tour is offered on both Saturday and Sunday.

The rest area for the Farm Tour is The White Chapel United Methodist Church, New Wilmington, with time to enjoy a light lunch or snacks. The Pennsylvania WoodMobile will be exhibited at the church. Visitors can learn about state forest resources through this traveling display.