Aurora’s second annual agriculture festival comes this weekend, bringing wagon rides, immersive food education, food trucks and an alpaca petting area to the community Saturday.

Aurorans can learn about where their food comes from and celebrate the city’s agriculture at the Plains Conservation Center, 21901 E. Hampden Ave., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The cost is $5 per vehicle.

Tickets must be purchased in advance on the Denver Botanic Gardens website.

Fendi Despres, the natural resource specialist and volunteer coordinator for Aurora’s Open Space and Natural Resources Division, said while the event is fun, it also seeks to educate people about food and health.

For both people and the environment, food plays a huge role in health and wellbeing, Despres said. It’s important for people to understand where their food comes from.

On the people side of things, there are many new studies showing that a lot of major health issues stem from the food industry, she said.

On the environment end, mass production in the food industry leads to air pollution, soil depletion, pesticide contamination and other challenges, Despres said.

“We’re using (the event) as a way to bring awareness to people because so many of us have no idea what’s in our food and where it comes from,” Despres said. “We want to get people to ask ‘what is this? Is this good for me? Is this good for the environment at the same time?'”

The event includes fun festivities like wagon rides, an 1880s homestead and tipi camps — where where people can learn about indigenous agricultural practices and farming history.

People can also visit with farm animals, pet alpacas and have lunch at food trucks while learning about where food comes from and how they can support healthy environments with regenerative agriculture and sustainable eating.

Colorado State University master gardeners plan to be at the heirloom garden, where people can learn gardening techniques that they can apply to their own backyards, Despres said.

“Most of us living in urban areas, or bigger cities, just really have no idea what it takes for food to get into our hands and into our bodies to act as the nutrition we need,” Despres said. “I think it’s really important for people in Aurora to have an idea because it fosters appreciation and better relationships with our food.”

This is the second year the city is holding its agriculture festival and officials are expecting about 400 attendees, Despres said.

More information is available on the city of Aurora’s website.