Families visited Stonewall Farm from near and far to attend the Keene mainstay’s 30th-anniversary celebration on Saturday.

The event — held at the farm at 242 Chesterfield Road — featured an array of activities that paid homage to traditional farming techniques. These ranged from demonstrations of blacksmithing by Gary Kalajian from Bradford and woodworking by Douglas Finke of Keene, to guided tours of the farm and wagon rides from Iron Kettle Farm in Winchester.

Attendees were also invited to visit one of the more than 20 local craft and food vendors, grab a sample of a local beer, or listen to performances by New Hampshire-based bands. Families could try out traditional contra-dancing or sit down for a story time with local children’s book author Jeanette Leclaire.

Stonewall Farm is a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship through educational programming and community involvement. Saturday’s celebration, themed “Back to Our Roots,” allowed visitors a glimpse at farm life with sheep herding, beekeeping and haying demonstrations.

Derek Smith, the farm’s event coordinator, said it was important to prioritize hyperlocal vendors for Saturday’s event.

“This is a great opportunity to give these local entrepreneurs the visibility they deserve,” he said. “They get a lot of foot traffic and the chance to highlight things that have roots right in our state.”

Executive Director Gina De Santis said that while the event was aimed at reconnecting the community to one of its local food sources, it was also a way for others to give back to the nonprofit farm. All proceeds from the event will go toward the farm’s educational programming in public schools and funding its sustainable farming practices, according to De Santis.

She noted that after the farm ceased its dairy production operation in 2022, the nonprofit has been in a transition period. Saturday’s event was an opportunity “to go back to our roots to support our future,” De Santis said. She added that the farm has only five staff members, and having volunteers year-round is crucial for the nonprofit’s future.

“We’re a community hub. We love to support our community any way we can,” she said. “We’re open year-round, from sunrise to sunset. … We want to not only bring the farm to the people, but hopefully draw more people to us, too.”

De Santis said she estimated more than 650 people had attended the event throughout its six-hour time frame on Saturday.

Mike Kidder, the founder of the farm, sat on a bench in the shade with his family amidst the festivities.

As he watched families walk by on one of the guided farm tours, he had only a few words to say about the event’s impact.

“I’m so thankful.”