FARMINGTON – Tents and sandwich boards sprang up around the Emery Community Arts Center this morning, as the 3rd Annual Maine Fiddlehead Festival: Local Food Day came to town. Events in the downtown and University of Maine at Farmington will run until 3 p.m.
The creation of the festival, which celebrates the region’s agricultural roots and local foods, was accomplished through a partnership with the UMF Sustainability Campus Coalition, UMF Partnership for Civic Advancement and other local organizations. A festival committee grew out of the initial concept, moving ahead with the first Fiddlehead Festival in 2012. In the second year, organizers opted to change the name to the Maine Fiddlehead: Local Food Day and added local food producers and live music.
The event also features “Tent Talks,” focusing on such topics as wine making, fermentation, canning and preserving. The Franklin County Fiddlers will be providing music, as well as other musicians. There are also farm vendors as well as other local food vendors and children’s activities.
Members of the festival committee include Sarah Marble, of Marble’s Family Farms, Cynthia Stancioff, Dave Fuller with the Maine Cooperative Extension, Katie Beach, Lauren Crosby, Liz Quigley, Jordan Nicole and Paul Santamore.
A schedule of events can be seen here:
10:30 Keeping a Dairy Goat for Milk, Cheese, and Fun
11:00 Pressure Canning Without Fear
11:30 Build a Simple Hoop House for Season Extension
12:00 Break for Lunch
12:30 Making Your Own Wine
1:00 The No/Low-Knead Fantastic Bread Method
1:30 Some Edible Wild Mushrooms of Western Maine
2:00 Rocket Stove Construction
2:30 Fiddlehead Walk/Talk
Thank you to all who turned out to make the 3rd Annual Maine Fiddlehead Festival: Local Food Day a resounding community-focused success with increased attendance and increased participation of local vendors. A win for all in increasing overall participation in the local food movement! The committee really appreciated the support of the Daily Bulldog in promotion and coverage of the event!
It’s too bad this wasn’t advertized earlier. I would have loved to have gone