BERNARDSTON — Fresh local food and farm-themed fun is on the menu for the Bernardston Agricultural Commission’s first Community Harvest Dinner on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the United Church of Bernardston.
Festivities start at 5 p.m. in the parking lot, when attendees can check out a local farmer’s tractor, meet one of Rena Grover’s calves from her family farm, River Maple Farm, play a game of cornhole or pick a temporary tattoo.
At 6 p.m., attendees will take their seats inside the church for dinner, which includes shepherd’s pie or a vegetarian alternative. Volunteers will also serve corn on the cob, dinner rolls and pumpkin pie bars for dessert. Ingredients from nearby residents will fill each dish, including Moody Family Farm, Everyday Farm, Coyote Hill Farm, River Maple Farm and Bald Mountain Sugar House.
“We wanted to celebrate that Bernardston agriculture is growing,” said Grover, the Agricultural Commission member who led the organizing of the event. “It’s cool how many new farms are coming to town.”
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12. According to Grover, all proceeds will go toward a fund the commission created to support children and teens hoping to start agricultural projects such as raising a small flock of chickens. She hopes the fund and event will inspire young residents to get involved in the town’s agricultural identity.
“It was just a couple generations ago that everyone said, ‘My grandfather had a farm’ or ‘My father does,’ and now hardly anybody has any connection to agriculture and doesn’t know where their food comes from,” Grover said. “If we can get kids to know that eggs come from chickens or cows make milk … and know where the food comes from, even if they don’t grow up to the farmers, they’ll have some connection to agriculture.”
In the event of rain, the outdoor festivities will be canceled, but the dinner will still take place inside the church.
