The free, family-friendly event celebrates the season’s harvest while highlighting the importance of self-reliance, emergency preparedness, local food, service, and community connection.

Now in its fifth year, the Community Garden and Harvest Festival continues to grow, creating opportunities for residents to learn practical skills, connect with local resources, enjoy the harvest, and lend a helping hand to neighbors in need.

“This is about much more than gathering a harvest,” says event organizer and founder Russ Olsen. “It’s about bringing our community together and building the skills, relationships, and resources that help our valley become stronger and more self-reliant. Community Unity is what this event is all about.”

A Harvest Worth Celebrating

One of the biggest highlights of the weekend will be the annual potato harvest, where volunteers can get their hands in the dirt and help gather potatoes for local food banks and other community organizations serving people in need. Volunteers can also earn potatoes for their own families, making the harvest a little bit like an Easter egg hunt, only with potatoes!

Children will have the opportunity to participate in the fun as well, including contests and prizes for those who discover the largest potatoes.

Throughout the weekend, attendees can enjoy:

• Free admission
• Potato harvesting and volunteer opportunities
• Contests and prizes
• Children’s activities
• Entertainment
• Information about self-reliance and emergency preparedness
• Local farmers’ market vendors
• Locally grown produce
• Local honey for purchase
• Food vendors featuring pizza and hamburgers
• Opportunities to purchase locally raised meat
• Opportunities to connect with organizations and vendors focused on
  self-reliance and preparedness

Local Food and Self-Reliance

The festival will bring together vendors and community organizations whose work supports self-reliance and emergency preparedness, giving attendees an opportunity to discover resources and practical information they can use at home.

Local gardeners will also be invited to bring their own produce to sell at the festival’s farmers’ market, helping connect neighbors directly with locally grown food.

Honey will be available for purchase, along with meat raised on a regenerative ranch. The ranch has had its beef tested through Utah State University, with organizers highlighting its nutritional qualities compared with conventional grain-finished beef.

Food, Fun and Community

The festival kicks off Friday evening, October 23, from 5–8 p.m., with pizza and hamburgers for attendees to enjoy while taking part in the festivities.

On Saturday, October 24, the day begins at 9 a.m. with a free breakfast, followed by additional food offerings, including pizza and hamburgers, from noon to 2 p.m.

Whether you’re interested in growing your own food, preparing your family for an emergency, supporting local producers, volunteering, learning something new, or simply enjoying a fall day with your neighbors, the Annual Harvest Festival offers something for everyone.

After five years of growth, organizers hope the Community Garden and Harvest Festival will eventually expand to involve communities throughout the Heber Valley.

The goal is simple: bring people together, strengthen local connections, share resources, and build a more self-reliant community — together.

About Heber Valley Self-Reliance

The Heber Valley Self-Reliance Group is a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to strengthening community resilience and personal capability through practical education, training, and collaborative support.

The group provides workshops, events, and hands-on opportunities focused on emergency preparedness and self-sufficient living skills, including food production, water management, alternative energy, and financial resilience. Through these efforts, the organization works to empower individuals and families with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to navigate life’s challenges with greater confidence and self-reliance.

The group also places a strong emphasis on community building, bringing residents together to share knowledge, develop practical skills, and create a more prepared, connected, and capable Heber Valley.

The Wasatch Community Foundation is proud to partner with the Heber Valley Self-Reliance Group by helping provide resources, sponsorship, and visibility for initiatives including self-reliance fairs, community events, and hands-on skill-building projects.

For more information about Heber Valley Self-Reliance, visit hebervalleyready.org.

Event Details

2026 Annual Harvest Festival
Presented by: Heber Valley Self-Reliance Group and Wasatch Community Foundation
Dates: Friday, October 23, 5–8 p.m. & Saturday, October 24, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Location: 1335 East Center Street, Heber City, Utah
Admission: Free

For more information, visit hebervalleyready.org.

Meet a majestic Bald Eagle with HawkWatch International and get an up-close look at a beautiful female Red-tailed Hawk!

In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, discover the fascinating story behind our nation’s iconic bald eagle, its significance as America’s national symbol, and the incredible raptors that call our region home.

Bring your family, invite your friends, and come celebrate wildlife, history, and the soaring spirit of America!

📅 October 3 | 1:30 PM
📍 130 West Main Street, Midway, Utah 84049

✨ Come for the birds, stay for the stories, and leave inspired!

Candidates for Utah House of Representatives District 59 and Wasatch County Council Seats A, C, and F have been invited to participate.

The forum will provide an opportunity for community members to hear directly from candidates and learn more about the issues facing our community.

📅 October 15, 2026
🕕 6–8 PM
📍 Wasatch Fire District Community Room 

The event is being held in partnership with KPCW, which will monitor the forum and provide a live stream through its radio feed.

Everyone is welcome.

Join the entire Heber Valley community as we honor the 25th anniversary of September 11th through a day of remembrance and service — and celebrate America’s 250th year in the most fitting way possible: by serving one another.

• Saturday, September 12, 2026
• Opening Ceremonies: 9:00–9:30 am, Service Projects: 10:00 am to Noon
• Heber Main Street Park | 200 S Main Street, Heber City, UT

Start the morning with a free light breakfast, a flag ceremony, and a heartfelt remembrance of 9/11. Then choose from a variety of service projects across Wasatch County — there’s something meaningful for everyone, every age, every ability.

• Bring your family and friends and help us come together as a community in the spirit that has always defined America — neighbor helping neighbor.
• Ready to serve? Sign in to your JustServe account at justserve.org to view and register for available projects. New to JustServe? Sign up free — it only takes a minute.

Fred Mertlich’s artwork captures the places, structures, landscapes, and subjects that help tell the story of Utah and Wasatch County. His detailed illustrations preserve the past while documenting the present for future generations.

Through his artwork, Mertlich has helped create a visual record of Wasatch County, capturing historic buildings and familiar scenes that connect generations. His work is not limited to the past; recent illustrations include the Wasatch County Library buildings and surrounding schools. His work reflects a lifelong appreciation for history, architecture, nature, and the communities that make Utah unique.

Art Reception: Friday, September 25, 5- 6 p.m., at Wasatch County Library. Community members are invited to attend the reception and recognize an artist whose work has contributed to the preservation of local Wasatch County history. This reception will also be in honor of Mertlich’s 90th birthday.

Contact: Juan Lee, Wasatch County Library Director,
435-654-1511, jlee@wasatchcounty.utah.gov

On September 19–20, 2026, some of the world’s best mountain bikers will descend on Soldier Hollow for the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series presented by Scott Sports. Athletes from around the globe will compete on the same mountains that have made this valley a destination for elite outdoor competition—and they’ll be doing it right here in our backyard.

And while the racers are the stars of the show, this is about more than bikes.

It’s an opportunity for Heber Valley to welcome the world.

From Olympic Legacy to Mountain Bike Mecca

Soldier Hollow has been welcoming world-class athletes for more than two decades. As one of the primary venues for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, it hosted cross-country skiing and biathlon and established itself as a place where extraordinary athletes come to compete.

Today, that Olympic legacy continues—on two wheels.

The Soldier Hollow mountain bike course will put elite athletes to the test with steep climbs, technical terrain and high-speed sections. The weekend will feature two disciplines: Cross-country Olympic (XCO), a mass-start, multi-lap race that typically lasts 80–90 minutes for elite competitors, and Cross-country Short Track (XCC), a shorter, faster race lasting roughly 20–25 minutes.

In other words: bring your cowbell. This is not your average Sunday bike ride.

The event also builds on Soldier Hollow’s successful hosting of the 2024 Pan American Mountain Bike Championships, further establishing the venue as a premier destination for international cycling competition.

A Big Weekend for a Small Valley

When an international sporting event comes to town, the impact reaches well beyond the course.

Athletes arrive with coaches and support teams. Fans travel to watch their favorite riders. Media members need places to stay, eat and work. Visitors fill gas tanks, grab coffee, shop, explore and experience everything the valley has to offer.

That makes an event like the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series an important local economic opportunity—and a chance to showcase the Heber Valley businesses that make our community special.

Our hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, retailers, outfitters, service businesses and attractions all become part of the welcome.

This is what it looks like when our community becomes the destination.

And for visitors arriving from around the country and around the world, a mountain bike race may be what brings them here—but the Heber Valley experience is what they’ll remember.

Cheer on the World

The best part? You don’t have to travel across the globe to experience world-class competition.

It’s coming to us.

Head to Soldier Hollow on September 19–20 and watch Olympic-caliber athletes battle their way around the course. Cheer for the Americans. Pick a favorite international rider. Bring the kids. Bring your friends. Bring plenty of enthusiasm.

Among the athletes with a special connection to our region is Haley Batten, the Park City native and Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalist who has trained at Soldier Hollow. Her presence is a reminder that some of the very best athletes in the world have deep roots in Utah’s mountains.

For young cyclists in Heber Valley, seeing that level of competition up close can be especially meaningful. Today’s spectators may be watching tomorrow’s Olympians.

A Heber Valley Welcome

There’s something pretty wonderful about watching the world arrive in a place we get to call home.

We know these mountains. We know the trails. We know the drive through the valley, the views from the Wasatch Back and the little places worth stopping along the way.

Now, for one September weekend, we get to share it.

So let’s give these athletes, teams and visitors the kind of welcome Heber Valley does best.

Welcome to Heber Valley.

Come for the racing. Stay for the mountains. Explore our businesses. Eat local. Shop local. And while you’re here, cheer on some of the most talented mountain bikers on the planet.

The world is coming to our backyard. Let’s show them what makes Heber Valley special.

WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series
September 19–20, 2026
Soldier Hollow Sport Discovery Center | Midway, Utah

For event and spectator information, visit the official WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series event page

Learn more about our local Team Soldier Hollow Mountain Bike Team https://hebervalleylife.com/dream-big/

The free community event will take place on Wednesday, December 9, 2026, with two performances at 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Wasatch County Events Center in Heber City.

Guests are invited to experience a live presentation of the Nativity and enjoy light refreshments following the celebration. Admission is free, making this a wonderful opportunity to gather with family, friends, and neighbors and enjoy a meaningful start to the holiday season.

Event Details:
When: Wednesday, December 9, 2026 | 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Where: Wasatch County Events Center, 415 Southfield Road, Heber City, Utah 84032
Admission: Free

Bring your family and invite your friends and neighbors to this annual Heber Valley Christmas tradition.

WHIMSY! was written by local playwright and artist Susette Gertsch and is directed by Laurie Turnblom, retired director of the Wasatch High School Theatre Department. WHIMSY! is a heartwarming musical fantasy celebrating imagination, courage, and the extraordinary things that happen when we dare to dream beyond the voices that whisper, “Not good enough.” Filled with original music, memorable characters, and uplifting storytelling, the production is designed to delight audiences of all ages. The Ideal Playhouse’s large LED screen and imaginative staging will help bring the magical world of WHIMSY! to life.

“WHIMSY! is a story of courage, love, and imagination. It celebrates the creative spark in every heart,” said Susette Gertsch. “We can’t wait to share this story with our community and invite audiences of all ages to experience the magic together.”

We invite you to be a part of this exciting world premiere. Video auditions remain open through August 19, and the production is seeking performers, paid production team members, volunteers, sponsors, and community partners to help bring this exciting new musical to life.

WHIMSY! is made possible in part through generous support from the Heber City TAP Tax, Wasatch County TAP Tax, Art Around the Square, and additional community sponsors and donors.

Art Around the Square is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the Wasatch County and Heber Valley communities by creating high-quality performing and visual arts experiences that inspire, educate, and bring people together.

Performance Dates

October 15–17 & 22–24, 2026

Evening performances and Saturday matinees at the Ideal Playhouse, 113 North Main Street, Heber City, Utah.

Tickets Now on Sale

Be among the first to experience WHIMSY! For tickets, audition information, volunteer opportunities, and additional details, visit WhimsyMusical.com. Email questions to WhimsyUpdates@gmail.com.

Don’t miss this cast of nationally acclaimed singers bringing Copland’s timeless score to life, accompanied by a chamber orchestra. Before the curtain rises, enjoy complimentary American bites by Chef Galen Zamarra, a cash bar with a signature cocktail by Alpine Distillery, and folk music!

Join us July 18 & 19th at Temple Har Shalom—get your tickets today!

About The Tender Land:

Deeply rooted in the American spirit, Copland’s The Tender Land portrays one young woman’s quiet but radical act of choosing her own future. Set against the open landscapes of the American West, The Tender Land is a coming-of-age story about longing, independence, and resilience in the face of hardship.

As Laurie stands on the brink of her high school graduation, the arrival of a handsome outsider awakens dreams of a life beyond her family’s farm. When hope, love, and disappointment collide, she must decide whether to remain within the life she knows or step boldly into the unknown.

Unsure which plants to use in your landscape conversion project?  Check out the following plant lists specific for Utah landscapes:

• cuwcd.gov/plants
• conservationgardenpark.org
• water.utah.gov/water-wise-plants
• utahplantfinder.com