Hanceville third-graders John Laguna, left, and Mia Smith, right, try their hands at a using a traditional two-man saw while Peinhardt volunteer Bob Burgess supervises.

While the city of Cullman continues to develop into bustling micropolitan, each October residents have an opportunity to take a step back into a more simple time, when Peinhardt Farms opens its doors to the public for its annual Farm Days celebration.

Located just beyond the tree line of two of Cullman’s major roadways — U.S. 278 and Insterstate 65 — Peinhardt Farm is a sprawling 40 acre property dedicated to the preservation of 1930’s and 1940’s agriculture history. Sabrina Peinhardt Hudson, said during the last 30 years the annual public Farm Days event has set its sights on reconnecting to the general public its agricultural roots, and educate them on where the food we eat originates from.

She said children in particular have become increasingly less knowledgeable about agriculture as a whole, which is why Peinhardt Farm has welcomed third-grade field trips and is one of the only “teaching/learning” farms providing a true hands-on learning experience where students are able to “learn and see and pick and do.”

Hudson said some of the most common misconceptions she has heard from students are the belief that chocolate milk comes directly from cows and has had more than a handful of children swear off chicken nuggets after learning where they come from.

“A lot of these kids don’t even know what they’re looking at when you show them a vegetable. … They don’t look at a chicken and connect it with, that’s where their chicken nuggets come from,” she said.

During the course of their field trip, students rotate between five stations where they are able to learn everything from housework and ways to prepare a true farm-to-table meal, to how to trap small animals and early 20th century woodworking techniques. However, she said the true magic comes when those students invite their families to return during the public Farm Days weekend.

This year the farm will be open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 15 from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Unlike the field trips, which provide a more quiet educational environment, Farm Days will be a true celebration.

Hudson said the properties eastern pasture will be filled with period correct craftsmen holding demonstrations. Bluegrass bands and dulcimers will provide entertainment as visitors enjoy one of the weekend’s several antique tractor parades. The property’s pumpkin and sweet potato fields will also be open for those hoping to take home a few seasonal ingredients.

“It’s really a day for the whole family. It’s wonderful when older generations come in and reminisce with their grandchildren or great-grandchildren. There’s just that bond that they can have where all the generations of the family can enjoy it,” Hudson said.