The Local Film and Food Festival will take place at the Hearst Center for the Arts this Saturday, March 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Hearst Center for the Arts is located at 304 W Seerley Blvd in Cedar Falls. Admission is free and all ages are welcome. The event will feature family friendly activities with something for everyone.

“I think that it’s a great opportunity for [students] to learn another way of eating and [an] opportunity to learn, where does the food come from?” said Jodie Huegerich, the UNI local food program manager. “My job is really education and awareness, and to connect […] the consumers with the local producers and the local products that we have in our area.”

Students and community members can come and go as they please, attending classes, films and visiting local vendors. There will be a series of local food-themed short films screened every hour with a running time of 45 total minutes, as well as two different gardening classes offered in two different sessions. “Gardening for Water Quality with Rain Gardens” will be offered at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. and “How to Get Your Garden Ready” will be offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Hansen’s Dairy, Laughing Tree Cafe, Fitkin Popcorn, two meat vendors and local bakers are some of the vendors that will be present. Representatives from Cedar Valley-based Farmers Markets and a Community Sustainable Agriculture farmer will be there to talk about their products and to educate the public about what they have to offer.

Huegerich is also in charge of the College Hill Farmers Market, which runs from May until October.

“I think that this can be a great opportunity to get [students] excited and then hopefully […] that it might inspire more students to be attending,” Huegerich said. “We are always looking for more students to be shopping at the market.”

More information about the UNI Local Food Program can be found on their Facebook page, and more information about the festival at CEEE.uni.edu/localfoodfestival.