BIG
Valley
Visitors and residents love visiting Big Valley to experience an interesting mix of bustling, modern community and turn-of-the-century rural America. The valley’s pastoral landscape consists of farms, fields full of crops, gently rolling swells divided by fence lines and meandering streams. Several small towns and a smattering of villages are separated by miles of scenic countryside.
Home to one of the state’s largest plain communities, many Amish and Mennonite families live in Big Valley. Their close-knit communities value family, church and self reliance with lives built around an agricultural lifestyle that was common in our country a century ago – working the fields and farms, raising dairy cows, sheep, goats and horses.
Hidden Acres Greenhouse
Whether the land is tilled with modern equipment or pure horsepower, farms are Big Valley’s defining characteristic. The rolling landscape is blanketed in a patchwork of century-old farms that recede into the distance, punctuated with barns and silos that make this area very popular with sightseers and photographers.
Officially known as Kishacoquillas Valley, Big Valley extends over 25 miles, bounded by Jacks Mountain and Stone Mountain. For residents of surrounding counties, exploring Big Valley is a favorite summertime activity, with many making a weekly pilgrimage to the area to stock up on garden-fresh produce, dine in local restaurants, visit area shops and take in “Sale Day,” as Wednesdays in the valley are known.
Sale Day started decades ago, at the Belleville Livestock Auction. The livestock auction continues but the “Sale Day” phenomenon has spread to include flea market vendors, farmer’s markets and more. Surrounding communities have joined in and the resulting weekly event attracts thousands of families and visitors. People come from great distances to explore the valley’s country roads and drop by the farmer’s markets, roadside stands, flea markets and livestock auction, which set up from early in the spring until late in the fall, as local weather conditions allow.
Sale Day started decades ago, at the Belleville Livestock Auction. The livestock auction continues but the “Sale Day” phenomenon has spread to include flea market vendors, farmer’s markets and more. Surrounding communities have joined in and the resulting weekly event attracts thousands of families and visitors. People come from great distances to explore the valley’s country roads and drop by the farmer’s markets, roadside stands, flea markets and livestock auction, which set up from early in the spring until late in the fall, as local weather conditions allow.
JayBeeYell
Daisy Lane Flowers
