Cal Expo's historic urban farm is throwing open its gates for a harvest-season reception next Thursday, September 10, aiming to raise money that will help it grow — and give away — even more fresh food. Tickets for An Evening on the Farm run $51 per person, with the event running from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the CA State Fair Farm at Cal Expo, and the timing is no accident: it lands squarely in Sacramento's official Farm-to-Fork month.
The reception is a new gathering celebrating the region's farm-to-fork identity, hosted by the California State Fair Foundation and featuring seasonal bites from regional chefs alongside award-winning California wines, according to FOX40. Guests will get a chance to explore the working farm itself, which has connected Californians with agriculture since 1984. The foundation behind the event is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports Cal Expo through donor partnerships and capital projects, according to the California State Fair Foundation.
A Working Farm With a Bigger Mission
The CA State Fair Farm is a 3.5-acre working agricultural site that cultivates more than 90 varieties of fruits and vegetables, along with insect and aquaculture pavilions, according to a video posted by the California State Fair. It's not just for show — the farm serves as a living classroom offering spring and fall tours for K-6 students at $7 per child, teaching soil health, worm composting, crop cycles, and tree ecology at the adjacent one-acre California Forest Center, per Cal Expo's own farm tour materials.
The event's proceeds are meant to expand that mission. According to the foundation's own account, the September reception is not simply a social tasting event but part of a capital and programming campaign to build a year-round living classroom, revitalize the farm's greenhouse, and scale up its crop production for local families in need. The broader vision includes additional growing space, hands-on educational programming, and stronger partnerships with growers, educators and community organizations, the station reported.
Where the Harvest Actually Goes
The farm doesn't just grow food for demonstration purposes — it donates its annual harvest to the Sacramento Food Bank. In 2025 alone, the farm grew and gave away 11,000 pounds of fresh produce to support families facing food insecurity, a figure that underscores why organizers are pushing to expand the greenhouse and establish a year-round supply of local food.
That harvest lands amid enormous need. Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services distributed more than 40.5 million pounds of food in 2025 — the equivalent of nearly 33.8 million meals — serving an average of over 324,000 residents every month, according to the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. More than one in four Sacramento County residents live below 200% of the federal poverty line, a statistic Hoodline has previously tied to local fundraising efforts for the food bank.
A Fitting Home for Farm-to-Fork Month
Sacramento officially branded itself America's Farm-to-Fork Capital in 2012, a designation meant to highlight the region's 1.4 million acres of surrounding farmland and its farm-to-table culinary culture, according to UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. September carries that identity forward as the city's official Farm-to-Fork month, anchoring traditions like the Tower Bridge Dinner, established in 2013, and other large-scale public food showcases, per Visit California.
Cal Expo itself spans 350 acres and was dedicated in 1968 under Governor Ronald Reagan as a permanent site celebrating California's agriculture, diversity, and industries, according to Cal Expo. The grounds host hundreds of community, athletic, and trade events year-round beyond the State Fair — a fair that, as Hoodline has reported, is shifting from July to autumn starting in 2027 due to rising summer heat.
An Evening on the Farm gives students, families and visitors a chance to see the agricultural living classroom up close before that seasonal shift arrives. For a farm that has spent four decades reconnecting Sacramento with where its food comes from, the September 10 reception is a bet that a wine glass in hand might be the easiest way to get people to care about a greenhouse.
