AUGUST 13, 2009 ISSUE
54th Annual Farm City Celebration August 15
Beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 15, the annual Farm City Celebration will be held on the grounds of Blair Farm, located on Deerfield Road across from the Boone Golf Course.
“We wanted to go back to…the original roots,” said Joan Hearn, event co-chair. She added that when the event began, it was held “in the summer at Old Cove Creek High School. [Outdoors], you can do a lot more with animals [and] get the kids involved.”
Joan and her husband Dick Hearn are serving as co-chairs this year for the first time, but they had been involved for five to six years prior as part of the advisory board.
The Farm City Celebration is presented annually by the Watauga County Cooperative Extension Service, in conjunction with the Town of Boone, ASU, Watauga County and the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the historic and present ties between those who grow food and those that consume it and to grow healthy communities.
This event replaces the Awards Banquet held the last few years in November, and this year’s theme is “Growing Youth, Growing Agriculture,” to honor the 100th anniversary of the 4-H Clubs of North Carolina.
From 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., the public is invited free of charge to attend a Mini-Country Fair that will include live animals, demonstrations and exhibits. Alpacas, miniature goats, chickens, ducks and rabbits will be some of the animals present. Demonstrations will include a weaving and spinning exhibit called “From Shear to Shawl.” Other exhibits will include the Audubon Blue Bird project, a Water Cycle demo, a bee observation hive demo, a Farmers’ Market exhibit, a Christmas tree exhibit and exhibits by 4-H and the FFA, along with others.
“4-H had a contest statewide to come up with an ice cream flavor to celebrate their 100th anniversary,” Hearn said, adding that the 4-H kids will give out their ice cream for free during the event. The flavor they crafted involves graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows, she added.
Members of The Watauga Historical Society will conduct a house tour of the Blair Farm, which is in the process of being restored back to its original 1884 condition, and Mark Freed will provide continuous live music throughout the afternoon.
From 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., the Farm City Awards will be announced. Awards this year include Youth in Agriculture, Women in Agriculture, Youth and Adult Volunteers, Agri-tourism and Urban Gardening. A Farm and Food Steward Award will be presented by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, a L.E. Tuckwiller Award recognizing towns or communities for outstanding “Community Development” and will be sponsored by the Boone Chamber of Commerce, and awards for Growing Healthy Communities, Friend of Agriculture and Active at Work awards will be presented by the Be Active Appalachian Partnership.
From 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., an old-fashioned country-style dinner will be served featuring locally grown food.
“Bandana’s is doing the catering,” Joan said. “They’re using all local foods.”
Advanced dinner tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under. For tickets, call 828-264-3061.
For more information about the Farm City Celebration, call 828-264-3061 or click to www.watauga.ces.ncsu.edu.
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