FARMINGTON – The first annual Fiddlehead Festival proved such a success, organizers are looking to expand the second annual event to include a tractor parade through downtown.
Although a parade permit was not needed, selectmen gave their blessing on having a 45-minute to one hour long lineup of tractors ride through downtown to mark the start of the 2nd Annual Maine Fiddlehead Festival: Local Food Day set for Saturday, May 4.
The festival is a collaborative effort of many local businesses, organizations and the University of Maine at Farmington with an overall goal of promoting a sustainable local food system in western Maine. Using the little fern sprout as its green mascot, the festival’s organizers sought in that first festival held last spring to celebrate local foods – including the fiddlehead foraging kind – by highlighting local food products, their producers, along with practical application examples and the community’s involvement.
“It was a tremendous success,” said Lillian Lake, a festival organizer. “It forged a cooperative effort with UMF, its students and an overwhelming response from local businesses.” The festival also gained national attention for the area when it was listed in a USA Today story as one of the 10 best places for foraging fiddleheads.
In the months following the festival, a Food Day conference was held at the Farmington Grange, UMF formed a steering committee to develop a curriculum around sustainable agriculture and is looking into a local food menu for its campus.
Areas identified to help foster a stronger farmer-to-consumer connection are finding processing help, various technical needs, and to aid producers in figuring out how much to produce to meet the area’s needs , Lake said.
Leading up to the next festival are activities, such as a lard rendering, canning and preserving classes; a farmers’ roundtable discussion and a fiddlehead soup cook-off event.
Plans for the daylong festival, to be held in and outside around the Emery Community Arts Center on the UMF campus with keynote speaker John Jemison, a water quality and soil specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and include breakout sessions on permaculture, foraging foods and preserving food. A local foods lunch will be served at the Homestead on Broadway. Children’s activities, vendors including the members of the local farmers’ market, will be on hand at the free event. The festival will conclude with an event held in cooperation with the Farmington Historical Society at the Octagon House at High and Perham streets.
Farmington selectmen enthusiastically gave their support for a tractor parade to kickoff the festival. Plans are that the parade will start at 9 a.m. from the Mallett School, head south on High Street, over on South Street, north on Main, east on Broadway, south on High Street to return to Mallett School. A Color Guard is invited to lead the parade and Sheriff Scott Nichols has offered to help with the event at no cost. The Farmington Police Department was contacted, but indicated it would have to charge a fee to pay for the overtime if its officers were to help out during that time.
“It’s a prudent, cost-saving measure,” said Town Manager Richard Davis said of the cost should the local department need to supply officers and cruisers for the parade.
Selectman Ryan Morgan suggested volunteers be posted along the parade route as a safety measure, which Lake said would be no problem.
Is there going to be a 5-K run with this ?
Thank you Sheriff Nichols!
How can that be?
Excellent work, Lillian!
Thanks Sheriff Nichols.
There r no fees and there r “unknown fees” which do u thlnk will apply?
No plans this year to include a 5K this year, but that’s a great idea to explore for another year.
The committee appreciates the continued support of the town for the festival. It has taken the collaboration and cooperation of Western Mountain organizations, businesses, comunity members and the University of Maine at Farmington to ensure the success of the festival. It is known supporting local lowers the poverty rate; responsible for less income inequality, and better healthcare measures; buiding a stronger, more secure community overall.
When we spoke with Chief Deputy Shane Cote, he was helpful and cooperative while we tried to work out a way to incur no costs. The additional costs were in part, because the parade is at a time of day when additional staff would be needed. We look forward to working with the Farmington Police with other particulars of the festival.
We’re excited about the growing interest for the festival as we work toward May 4th!
What is the contact information for a local business to be involved in this?
Hi John! You may contact Janice Maxham through the Downtown Association or at Sugarwood Gallery. Luke Kellett is the Chair of the Committee and can direct businesses to be involved luke.kellett@maine.edu Or I would be happy to connect with you as well. lillianlake@gmail.com
We would love to have as many businesses involved as we can. We are looking for donors for our “Reusable shopping bags”. We will have 100 and you may donate to them all, or a portion. Coupons, samples, brochure.
We would be appreciative of sponsors as well. We are not charging for event participation in keeping with the philosophy of building community around our local food system. Donors will be recognized in our festival brochure.
We look forward to hearing from you and having your participation with the festival!