Saturday’s Farm Parade marked another indication that fall has arrived to the islands. The parade featured local farmers and supporters in trucks, on horses and on foot. This year’s theme was “Let my people grow.”

People carried stalks of amaranth, pulled pigs in carts and drove trucks of bamboo in the parade, and a number of banners and signs took the occasion to voice opinions on recent issues like greenhouse regulations (No farms no food: Greenhouses forever) and the ongoing lawsuit against Fieldstone Farms that shut down marijuana grow facility San Juan Sun Grown last December (Let Jenny Farm). The lawsuit has gone on for almost one year, despite the closure of San Juan Sun Grown last year.

Sweet Earth Farms, Horseshu Ranch, Aurora Farms, Wild Bird Bamboo, and Heritage Farm were a few participants in the parade that looped around to Brickworks for a chili cook-off and live music. The chili cook-off was well attended, and Jake Beliveau was named the winner.