Tag: farm tour

  • Saturday, April 25, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – 33rd Annual Sheepshearing Festival: Postponed

    Gore Place, 52 Gore Street in Waltham, will hold its 33rd Annual Sheepshearing Festival on Saturday, April 25, from 10 – 5. Enjoy demonstrations of sheep-shearing, herding dogs, spinning, weaving, and gardening, on a beautiful 50-acre estate. There will be a large (more than 70 vendors) crafts fair, live entertainment, historic demonstrators, games and farm animals. Wagon rides and museum tours are available (additional charge).

    Shepherd Dave Kennard and his border collies are always among the main attractions. Once again, Dave will demonstrate how the collies control a flock of sheep by following a complex series of whistled commands. Every year, when the collies finally coax the flock through the obstacle course and into the pen, the audience gives the dogs a big round of applause!

    Master shearer Kevin Ford will demonstrate the traditional way of shearing sheep with hand-shears. Kevin is one of the few shearers still practicing this art and it’s a special think to see.

    Musicians, historic re-enactors, a puppeteer, traditional dancers, and performers from Circus Smirkus will entertain crowds throughout the day.

    Admission is $20 adults and teens; children 12 and under (with adult) and Gore Place members are free. Food vendors on site. Free parking. No dogs or other pets allowed. For more information visit www.goreplace.org. There will be an additional charge for wagon rides and house tours.

  • Saturday, September 24, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm – Coastal Farming Tour

    Explore Historic New England’s Cogswell’s Grant at 60 Spring Street in Essex, Massachusetts on Saturday, September 24 from 11 – 12:30, and discover its history as a working farm.  Walk through fields and to the marsh, discover the rich history of the families who lived and farmed here, and learn how coastal farming has evolved over the centuries.  Free.  For directions or more information, visit www.historicnewengland.org, or call 978-768-3632.

  • Sunday, September 25, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Off the Beaten Path

    Watson Farm managers Don and Heather Minto lead a tour of this seaside working farm, located at 455 North Road in Jamestown, Rhode Island, on Sunday, September 25 from 2 – 5.  The evolution of the farm, now a property of Historic New England, is placed in the larger context of the local island community and Rhode Island history.  $3 for HNE members, $8 for non-members.  For more information, visit www.historicnewengland.org, or call 401-423-0005.  Image of Watson Farm from www.en.petitchef.com.

  • Wednesday, September 14, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Design Magic for a Family Farm

    Join Ecological Landscaping Association host Laura Kuhn on Wednesday, September 14 beginning at 3 pm for a unique glimpse of Bent Stone Farm, a 32-acre private property transformation in Sudbury, from a horse farm to gourmet vegetable production, in a beautifully landscaped setting.  Located in a picturesque New England setting, this tour features a major repurposing of a 200+ year old property from horse farm back to its 20th century agricultural roots, updated to gourmet vegetable farming for the high-end Boston restaurants.  This project included removal of paddocks and extensive soil management, barn renovation and expansion, greenhouse installation, new orchard and vineyard, as well as updates to many of the utility systems.  The project involved both infrastructure as well as artistic design elements and necessitated a careful balance to ensure success as both a business and residence.  The property straddles a flood plain and there are three buffer zones and a nearby vernal pool which posed additional design challenges.  Reuse of materials was a priority, including large stone slabs that became steps and landings throughout the property and hundreds of weathered paddock cedar posts and rails, which were later used in the orchard and as fencing.  The property’s sense of place as a historic farm in a rural setting served as a constant guide during design.  Maintaining the bucolic views while providing adequate privacy was accomplished in part by the installation of large ornamental gardens outside the patio.  Wide meandering paths are sized appropriately for the large property and provide access s well as a sense of mystery as they curve just out of sight.  The design includes a mixture of both native and non-native plants and includes many large drifts reminiscent of farm gardens from a century ago.  Register online at www.ecolandscaping.org, or call 617-436-5838 for more information.  $20 ELA members, $25 non-members.

    Sudbury Farm Design

  • Sunday, August 30, 1 – 3 pm – Discover Cornell Farm

    The Trustees of Reservations continue to protect new special places all the time, with a particular focus on the agricultural heritage of the South Coast region.  Be one of the first to enjoy a guided tour of this newly protected farm and explore its varied habitats of field, forest and salt marsh with naturalist Garry Plunkett.  Cornell Farm is located in South Dartmouth, admission to the event is free, and directions and further information can be obtained by calling 508-679-2115, or emailing seregion@ttor.org.