Without a doubt Howell Farm saved my sanity over the years. It is part of the Mercer County, New Jersey park system and because it is less than 5 miles from my house it served as an extra playground for the kids when they were growing up. We'd pile in the car, sometimes with an extra body or two from the neighborhood, and drive over to the farm to pet the sheep, feed the chickens (sometimes helping the staff pluck an egg from the hen house), water the horses or just meander around the grounds. Each Saturday they would put on a special event, like digging up potatoes, or maple tree tapping. One year we went up there for the Easter Egg Hunt. It was a joy and it was all free and mostly we would have the place to ourselves during the week. It was close enough to home to bounce over there for an hour when the kids were restless and the playgrounds of Lambertville held no interest for the kids. 
Now this was nearly twenty years ago and thankfully the place hasn't changed much. I went there this past weekend when the better half of the VHF team was cavorting about in slower lower Delaware and I had to remain home. The barns and buildings at Howell Farm still have that old weathered look and are all open for exploration. One can walk into the hen house or the barn to pet the horses. The farm house still looks like it needs a lot of work and in the past one could meander through it, but this past weekend they had it roped off and there were construction supplies at the ready. The garden near the farm house was untended and wild. One major change is the administration building they built near the entrance to Howell Farm. The building also serves as an event hall and they've arranged for a lot of parking nearby. Over the years it seems many people have also discovered Howell Farm and the simple joy it offers. This past Labor Day weekend the place was brimming for it was the 27th annual Plowing Match!
It was well attended by both spectators and contestants and there beneath a brilliant sun and the surrounding hills shilouetted in the light I watched as teams of horses or oxen with their humans and their moldboard plows work the fields in as straight a line as possible at just the right depth in a competition using early 20th century technology. I arrived too late to sign up for a chance to try my hand at plowing, but marveled at others as they commanded the horse teams. A fellow in period dress held the reigns for the team and a lady with a clipboard from the farm uttered instructions to the participants who struggled with keeping the lines straight and the ends even. Afterwards the other teams who had finished the competiton waited patiently. Later in the day, after the awards were given out for the plowing competition, there was a pig roast and chicken barbeque, a children's craft program and pony rides, and an obstacle course for wagon driving. All the while a bluegrass band played from a stage near the house. This was all great fun; there were lots of kids at the event. As I waited in line for my roasted pig sandwich a man plucked meat from the offended porker, laying in a pan with an ear of corn in it's mouth, and offered some excellent meat for free. By the time I reached the end of the line and my sandwich I had had enough to eat, but I figured that was too sleazy and decided to open my wallet to spend the $5.00 for the meal. I filled my water bottle up several times at two different pump wells and saved on drinks as well. Each time I let a kid pump the handle so the water would flow and they were happy.
Each weekend there is a new event at Howell Farm. Save your sanity, and your pocket book.... Go...
