Introduced in 2024, Wild & Uncommon Weekend is an expansion of the Horn Farm’s annual Pawpaw Festival.

Thanks to partnerships with local businesses and nonprofits, a variety of special tastings, educational experiences, and other activities will be offered across the Lower Susquehanna Region from September 18-21, 2025. Many of these satellite events feature the pawpaw fruit and spotlight other unique foods and experiences characteristic of the region’s natural resources. Head to the Wild & Uncommon Weekend Guide to see how you can participate!

Like the steady-growing pawpaw tree, the Pawpaw Festival has flourished exponentially over the past twenty years. It has transformed from a humble seedling planted by curious local foodies to a sprawling grove attracting people from across the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

The Pawpaw Festival has surely helped to uplift “America’s Forgotten Fruit,” but as the land teaches us, resilient ecosystems need biodiversity to thrive. It’s part of the Horn Farm Center’s mission to seek nature’s inspiration in many aspects of what we do; from land stewardship to community engagement, we’re always asking, “what would nature do?”–challenging ourselves to “think like an ecosystem.”

That’s why we’re excited to move toward a more lush and diversified event–one that captures the richness of our local resources by celebrating not just the pawpaw, but the abundant ecosystem of local foods, makers, and nature-based experiences that characterize the Lower Susquehanna Region. Pawpaws live naturally in community–they are networked understory trees within layered, dynamic forests–so we too are striving to create a “networked” event. It’s important for us not just to highlight the unique and alluring pawpaw fruit, but to create enjoyable, fun, and educational experiences rooted in the greater landscape that the pawpaw calls home. Indeed, the festival has naturally tended in this direction over its 20-year history, involving a wider array of vendors and classes with each year it has grown.

If there’s one major message we hope to share through the renewed focus of Wild & Uncommon Weekend, it’s this: pawpaw is far more than a fleeting fruit with a funky taste. It’s an invitation for us to connect more deeply with the natural world, to learn how we can live in gratitude for the gifts and limits of the seasons, and to explore the special offerings of our Place, strengthening both community and care for the land.

Some events of Wild & Uncommon Weekend require pre-registration while others do not. Many events are free or request a nominal fee or donation. For a map of regional events and details about whether or not you’ll need to register, visit the Wild & Uncommon Weekend Guide. Most events have limited capacities, so we encourage you to register soon!

Yes–just make sure to plan! The Pawpaw Festival takes place all day on Saturday, September 20th (9am to 5pm), so there should be time for you to attend the festival while also visiting concurrent satellite events, like guided hikes at nearby preserves and kid-friendly programs across the area.

The most important factor to keep in mind as you plan for Saturday is transportation. For general admission ticket-holders, parking takes place off-site (see details below). Attendees will board a shuttle to travel to and from the festival grounds. Three shuttles will run consistently throughout the day, and we’re anticipating between 15- and 30-minute wait times between shuttles and 7 minutes per trip (subject to change). If you purchase a general admission ticket to the festival, you will need to factor in this “travel cushion” to determine when you will depart the festival for another event.

Please be considerate of variable wait times. Below is a listing of satellite events occurring on Saturday, September 20th that begin at specific times. Events marked with a (***) require pre-registration:

• 10AM-3PM // It’s All About Trees at Kreutz Creek Library
• 10:30AM-11:30AM // In Search of the Old Ones: Local Author Talk*** at Kreutz Creek Library
  • 9 minute drive from off-site parking; 4-minute drive from festival grounds
• 10:30AM-11:30AM // Weird Fish & Fishing Weirs*** at Columbia Crossing River Trails Center
  • 14-minute drive from off-site parking; 12-minute drive from festival grounds
• 12PM-4PM // Party by the River at Riverfront Park
  • 13-minute drive from off-site parking; 10-minute drive from festival grounds
• 1PM-3PM // Service Learning Day*** at Graham Nature Preserve
  • 8-minute drive from off-site parking; 5-minute drive from festival grounds
• Uncommon Calm Massage Packages*** at Firefly Hollow Holistic Wellness
  • Call to Book: (717) 814-9136
  • 21-minute drive from off-site parking; 21-minute drive from festival grounds

Other Saturday events that do not require registration and are taking place throughout the day (no specific arrival time) are listed here:

• Pick Your Own & Farmers Feast at Flinchbaugh’s Orchard & Farm Market (9am-4pm)
• Wildly Made (& All Things Elderberry) at White Clover Family Farm (9am-7:30pm)
• Let’s Eat More Local Food! at Leg Up Farmers Market (9am-7pm)
• Pawpaw Beer & Local Craft Brews at Collusion Tapworks (12-10pm)

Yes, advance-purchased tickets are REQUIRED to attend the Pawpaw Festival. There will be no tickets available at the door. Any day-of purchases will be online only. Festival-goers must have an electronic or printed ticket to be admitted to the festival.

Tickets are available ONLINE ONLY. Here’s the link to purchase tickets: events.humanitix.com/york-pawpaw-festival-2025

General Admission: Includes full-day admission to the pawpaw festival and a free shuttle service to and from the festival grounds (see parking information below).

• VIP Parking Passes: To park on-site, attendees may opt to purchase a parking pass for an additional fee of $25 per vehicle. Available while supplies last.

Premium Early Entry: Includes on-site parking and early access to the festival before it opens to the general public—perfect for those who want to skip the crowds and enjoy an exclusive experience.

Whichever ticket option you choose, all attendees will enjoy over 40 regional food, craft, and plant vendors, free walking tours of the Horn Farm’s demonstration field and pawpaw orchard, live music, educational programs from partnering vendors, and the opportunity to purchase fresh pawpaw fruit and products.

Note: Tickets do not include pawpaw fruit or merchandise.

VIP Parking passes are per-vehicle! Plan ahead and carpool together.

Please note: VIP Parking Passes are not tickets! To be admitted to the parking area at the festival grounds, each vehicle must present one parking pass AND each passenger of the vehicle must present their general admission tickets at the entrance.

To help manage traffic throughout the day, you will select an “arrival window” when purchasing your festival tickets. We ask that you plan to arrive at the parking area associated with your ticket within the window of time you’ve selected. You do not need to arrive right at the beginning of your time slot!–in fact, it’s good to note that the busiest times will likely be at the beginning of each arrival window, so we encourage you to consider that when planning your travel.

Timed tickets do not influence how long you are allowed to stay at the festival. Once you are at the Horn Farm, you are welcome to stay until the festival closes at 5PM.

NOTE to general admission ticket holders that the last shuttle departs at 5:15PM.

No refunds will be provided; all ticket sales are final. The Pawpaw Festival is a fundraiser for the Horn Farm Center, a 501c3 non-profit organization. All ticket proceeds support regenerative land stewardship and educational programs at the Horn Farm Center.

The event will be held rain or shine. Only under severe circumstances will the event be canceled. These include severe weather conditions, emergency situations, or catastrophic events. In the event of a cancelation, attendees will be notified by email and public announcements on Horn Farm Center’s website and social media.

The Pawpaw Festival will be held rain or shine.

All event parking will take place off-site at the Church of the Open Door, except for the following:

• You purchased a VIP Parking Pass
• You purchased Premium Early Entry Tickets
• You have a disabled parking placard for your vehicle.

General Admission: Parking will take place off-site at the Church of the Open Door, located seven minutes from the Horn Farm Center. The lot address will be provided with your ticket. From the parking lot, school bus shuttles will run throughout the day to transport attendees to and from the festival grounds.

VIP Parking Pass: A limited number of VIP parking passes are available for parking on-site at the Horn Farm Center. Parking at the farm will take place in a grass field with a slight grade.

Premium Early Entry Tickets: A limited number of Premium Early Entry Tickets are available for exclusive access to the first hour of the festival. For pawpaw fanatics, a Premium Ticket includes on-site festival parking at the Horn Farm Center as well as exclusive access to the festival grounds, vendors, and pawpaw sales before the crowds arrive.

Disabled Parking Permits: Attendees with a disabled parking permit placard will automatically be granted on-site parking with a general admission ticket.

Three school bus shuttles will run at regular intervals throughout the day to transport general admission ticket-holders to and from the festival grounds. The travel time from the parking area to the festival (and vice-versa) is about 7 minutes. The average wait time for a shuttle to arrive is about 5-10 minutes.

The pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is America’s largest edible native fruit, and it grows in abundance across the forested hillsides and fertile valleys of the Lower Susquehanna Region where the Horn Farm resides!

An outlier among native fruits, the pawpaw is a member of the Annonaceae, or custard apple, fruit family, which is otherwise exclusively tropical. In fact, the pawpaw is the only fruit of its kind to grow in temperate regions like ours. Pawpaws ripen for a short window from late September to early October each year, and resist commodification because of their very short shelf life. To learn more about the biology and culture of “America’s forgotten fruit,” click here.

All pawpaw fruits, trees, merchandise, and vendor products will be available the day of the event while supplies last. In order to ensure that all attendees can enjoy the pawpaw fruit that we have available, pawpaw fruit purchases may be limited. It’s also important to note that pawpaw fruit is bound by natural limitations and a short growing season, so fruit availability for purchase is very likely but not guaranteed.

We encourage you to BYOS (Bring Your Own Spoon) if you’re interested in sampling pawpaw fruit purchased at the event. Ripe pawpaw fruit has a soft exterior skin and a custardy interior, so it can easily be “sliced” down the middle with a spoon. Remember–only the fruit flesh is edible! Do not eat the skin or the seeds.

BYOS is not only encouraged so you can try pawpaw on-site–it also helps to keep our event earth-conscious. Single-use disposable spoons will NOT be provided. You can also hold onto the skin and seeds to compost at home or deposit in a natural area where pawpaws grow, helping steward this unique natural resource.

First things first: only the yellow, custardy inner fruit is edible. The outer skin contains toxins that can cause an upset stomach, so it should not be consumed. For obvious reasons (they are large and solid), you should not ingest the seeds either.

Pawpaw should also be consumed only in moderation. Perhaps it’s fitting that the fruit has such a short shelf life and limited season: consuming large quantities of pawpaws can lead to considerable gastrointestinal upset, even nausea and vomiting. Refrain from eating more than a reasonable amount of pawpaw fruit in a sitting–with its rich and complex flavor, just one to two fruits in a day is sufficient. Pawpaw is a treat, not a meal.

It’s important to note that pawpaw is a new food for many people. Just like anything we introduce to our bodies for the first time, we may react or adjust in unexpected ways. Some people have reported minor stomach upset and nausea after trying pawpaw, which may be a sign of sensitivity. If you are experiencing the fruit for the first time, we recommend taking one taste and waiting to see how your body feels. Allergic reactions are uncommon, but it’s better to play it safe when trying any new food–especially one as robust as pawpaw. Interestingly, experiences of digestive irritation are higher in cases where pawpaw is incorporated into prepared foods like baked goods.

The last thing to consider with pawpaws is their appearance. Ripe pawpaws show bruising–this means they are ready to eat. Pawpaws with unblemished skin may look more appealing, but the correct way to harvest pawpaws is when they are soft to the touch and bruised. In fact, most pawpaw growers and foragers harvest pawpaw fruit from the ground, not directly from the tree, since dropped fruit indicates ripeness. Unlike common groceries like pears and tomatoes, unripe pawpaws will not ripen over time on the counter–they only ripen on the tree. This is another reason why pawpaws resist easy commercialization: fruits picked prematurely are a lost cause, and the best fruits aren’t exactly the most attractive.

As for the taste, the only way to get an impression is to try a pawpaw yourself! There are so many descriptors for the flavor, which can vary from fruit to fruit based on its ripeness, habitat, or cultivar (if trying a “cultivated variety”). The flavor is often described as broadly tropical–a combination of mango, banana, and pineapple with tangy, sunny, champagne-y, sometimes “funky” hints.

Yes! Children under the age of 12 can attend for free.

The event includes a children’s activity area with a coloring contest, scavenger hunt, willow flower crowns, and more. Local author John Brandstadter will also host two readings of his educational children’s book “The Adventures of Fuzzy & Buzzy,” times TBA.

Purchasing and tasting pawpaw fruit is just a piece of the Pawpaw Festival experience!

Throughout the day, we will host tours of the Horn Farm’s pawpaw orchard and demonstration field. You can sign up to join a tour at the Info Table. Note that each tour can accomodate a limited number of sign-ups!:

• Pawpaw Orchard Tours will visit the 50-tree pawpaw grove planted at the Horn Farm, which includes over 20 cultivated pawpaw varieties. The orchard manager will share the history of the orchard, his experience with growing cultivated pawpaws for fruit production, and lessons learned over 10+ years. This is the tour to take for all your burning pawpaw questions!
• Horn Farm Tours will visit our hands-on demonstration field. From elderberries to three sisters gardens, rapid-growth mini-forests to basketry willows (and even wild pawpaws!), you’ll see ways of growing food and fodder that actively enrich the health of the land. Join us to glimpse the Horn Farm’s mission in action while finding inspiration as a fellow caretaker for the earth!

The Pawpaw Festival will also feature live music from local bands Owl Valley Jazz, performing upbeat jazz standards from 9AM to 10:45AM, and Nodding Onion, an ambient jam band that improvises over plant wave frequencies, performing from 11:30AM to 1:15PM. Live music is contingent on weather, and will likely be canceled in the event of rain.

Following the music sets, three vendors will take the stage to provide back-to-back 30-minute talks:

• 2-2:30PM | Establishing, growing, and processing lavender with Wildwood Lavender Farm
• 2:30-3PM | Functional mushrooms for personal health with Cove Mountain Mycology
• 3-3:30PM | Growing and processing chestnuts in an agroforestry setting with Swallowtail Forest Farm

Programs for youth will also be provided. One of the Horn Farm’s greenhouses will be transformed into a kid-friendly activity area, with coloring pages for a Pawpaw Coloring Contest, a Pawpaw Scavenger Hunt, nature crafts like make-your-own Willow Flower Crowns, and more! Local author Josh Brandstadter will provide two readings of his educational children’s book, “The Adventures of Fuzzy & Buzzy,” times TBA.

Tickets: make sure to bring your tickets with the provided QR codes so our team can scan them and provide admission. Virtual or printed tickets are acceptable. NOTE that if you purchase a VIP Parking Pass for your vehicle to park on site, you will be asked to show both the Parking Pass and tickets for each passenger in your vehicle in order to gain entry.

Shopping Bag or Basket: with over 40 vendors selling regionally-made foodstuffs, crafts, plants, produce, and more, the Pawpaw Festival is a one-stop-shop for eclectic gifts and goodies. In the interest of sustainability, we encourage you to bring a reusable tote or basket to carry your purchases. If you’re considering a larger plant purchase, like a tree sapling, please plan your carrying materials accordingly. NOTE that large crates or boxes are not acceptable for pawpaw fruit purchases, which will be limited to a certain quantity per customer. Any purchase limits will be announced to ticket-holders via the email you provided when you purchased your ticket.

SPOON!: if you’re interested in sampling fresh pawpaw fruit at the event, we invite you to BYOS (Bring Your Own Spoon!). Ripe pawpaw fruit has a soft exterior skin and a custardy interior, so it can easily be “sliced” down the middle with a spoon. Remember–only the fruit flesh is edible! Do not eat the skin or the seeds.

Refillable Water Cannister: please pack in your own water. Single-use water bottles may be available for purchase from some vendors, but skipping the plastic waste is a no-brainer!

Sturdy Shoes and Outdoor Clothing: the Pawpaw Festival is a primarily outdoor event, and we will proceed rain or shine. Make sure to check the weather in advance and dress accordingly. If you plan to join one of the Horn Farm’s walking tours (taking place at 11AM, 1PM, and 3PM), we’ll be walking through some moderately uneven, mowed terrain with potential mud patches. The sloped field where you will park if purchasing a VIP Parking Pass is also liable to present some muddy conditions with recent rain.

No outside food or drinks – refillable water bottles are permitted. We hope you enjoy the diverse offerings of our community vendors.

There are no indoor restroom facilities available. Portable toilets with hand sanitizer units will be stationed near the pick-up and drop-off area for the parking shuttle.

The Horn Farm is a working farm with variable accessibility. Accessible parking will be available at the event. However, many surfaces on site are grass, gravel, unpaved, uneven, and can present difficulty to those with limited mobility. Please plan accordingly.

No. For safety, we do not permit dogs at the festival. We appreciate your consideration!

The consumption of alcoholic beverages or illegal substances is not permitted at the event. The Pawpaw Festival is a family-friendly event. Anyone consuming alcohol or illegal substances will be asked to leave the premises immediately with no ticket refund.