SATURDAY, MAY 8, 2010 FESTIVAL EVENTS:
TRACTORCADE: This signature opening event sees local farmers coming to the Fiddlehead Festival on their tractors and making a grand entrance to start the festivities. Old, new, big and small tractors pass the appreciative audience. Even people-powered tractors have been known to join these opening cavalcades.
WORKSHOPS:
Building Good Soils; Organic Pest and Disease Control: Learn how to analyze your soil with 3 easy tests you can do yourself, and how to improve your soil as needed. Rock powders? Azomite? Greensand? What do they do, how can they help you? Learn how to minimize diseases and pests without chemicals in the garden. How can you try to avoid the late blight on tomatoes that many of us suffered from last year? Bring your questions! Henry Homeyer -- Conant 103
Bread Shaping: This master baker from King Arthur Flour will demonstrate how to shape ″artisan″ breads. Lots of fun and decorative things will be done with bread doughs at this workshop. Included will be little animal figurines, decorative shapes as well as traditional designs. Jeffrey Hamelman - Conant 102
The Farmer's Kitchen: Learn about the nutrient dense diet and practical food preparation techniques. You will have an opportunity to sample some of the foods talked about, such as soup, cr̬me fraiche sourdough bread, lacto fermented vegetables and more. This workshop will give you the knowledge and resources needed to prepare foods that will nourish, restore and revitalize you and your family. Margaret & Stuart Osha -- Conant 101
Wild Edibles Workshop will again be hosted by three local aficionados of wild food, Les Hook, Nova Kim, and Chef Tom Bivins. This continues to be one of the most popular workshops held at each of the previous Fiddlehead Festivals. You will learn where you can find fresh foraged greens and early spring edibles and how to prepare them. This will not only be a learning experience -- you will also have an opportunity to taste the items prepared. Les Hook and Nova Kim are internationally recognized expert wildcrafters living in Vermont who have appeared on VPT, NPR and write for many food journals. Chef Tom Bivins, a Bethel resident, is currently executive chef at the Montpelier campus of New England Culinary Institute. He has been working with Les and Nova for more than 10 years. -- Conant 102
Gary Howe's Glimpse Of The Past: Gary Howe is a retired mechanic with a lifelong interest in engines and vintage farm equipment. This year he will show a restored Delco light plant. His exhibit will be on display from 11 am until 3:15 pm.
Tractor Obstacle Course: Teams of local farmers compete against each other to see which team has the best skills handling challenging tasks inside an obstacle course. The winning team takes possession of the Fiddlehead Festival trophy. This event made possible by the generous support of L. W. Greenwood & Sons.
FARMERS LUNCH: Friends and neighbors gather at 12:30 pm for a delicious lunch. Tickets for the lunch are $9 for adults and $4 for children under 12-years-of-age. Net proceeds from the lunch will be presented to the Farm to School food program that procures locally-grown food for local school lunch programs and the Randolph Habitat for Humanity.
LIVE DEMONSTRATIONS:Sheep Dog Demonstration: Steve Wetmore, assisted by Michael Dathe, will again conduct his popular demonstration of working sheep dog skills. A course will be set up for the dogs to herd sheep through obstacles to their final destination. Two performances are scheduled on the lower central lawn, at 11:30 am and again at 2:00 pm.
Oxen Animal Power Demonstration: See the primary motive power of the last century demonstrated as oxen go through their paces under the skilled direction of their handlers. Two performances are scheduled on the central south lawn, at 11:00 am and again at 2:00 pm.