FARMINGTON – The fourth annual Rural Life Festival will take place next week, bringing to light one of the greatest strengths of the region: food production.
A full day of hands-on workshops, discussions and demonstrations, organized by St. Joseph and St. Rose Churches, will dive deeper into a topic that Director of the Parish Social Ministry Max Becher said is at the forefront of the committee’s discussion.
“When we were discussing what to focus on we kept coming back to food insecurity issues. The Rural Life Festival ties into that in a big way,” Becher said.
Both St. Joseph’s and St. Rose’s offer on-site food assistance, as well as monetary assistance to those in need.
“We don’t want to only bring people next door to the food pantry, we want to empower them with home food production skills on a family level, and it let’s us get to know them a little bit,” he said.
On Saturday, Sept. 14 at St. Joseph’s Church on Middle Street, all members of the public are welcome to build their knowledge of home food production. Workshops range in topics from medicinal herbs to kombucha brewing, with discussions revolving around what it means to live rurally. In part, that means reaching out to neighbors in the community and helping take care of one another, Becher said.
“In a way, this is not a new topic. But as a parish we are giving this a new emphasis. We are committed to food security in an integrated way, which includes supporting local food producers,” he said.
The day will end with a farm-to-table supper, of which nearly all the food will be sourced locally, followed by a contradance in the Parish Hall. Cushnoc Brewing Co. of Augusta will be on site offering a beer tasting as well. Childcare will be provided throughout the day.
Tickets for the supper, kid’s supper and beer tasting are available at: https://strose.weshareonline.org/ For more information go to: http://crlmaine.weebly.com, go to the festival’s Facebook page http://facebook.com/catholicrurallifemaine, or call (207) 897-2173.
