From the beautiful flower gardens of longtime gardeners, to the fields, barns and sugar houses of working farms, there will something for everyone to enjoy during the Friends of the Williamsburg Libraries Farm and Garden Tour on July 23.
Becky Houlihan, president of the Friends of the Library said that while garden tours have always been popular, the group decided to include farms on its tours because of the resurgence of interest in agriculture in the area.
“We are very excited about the tour. The last time we did this was five years ago,” Houlihan said.
According to Houlihan, there will be seven stops on the tour (one fewer than the eight in the guidebook due to illness), and places to picnic along the way.
One participating gardener who loves to chat about her passion for plants is Dee Dee Niswonger, who says the gardens at her home on North Street have been bringing her joy for the last 42 years.
“When I first moved here I knew nothing about gardening, so I learned as I went,” Niswonger said.
What was once a small garden has now grown into a beautiful collection of organic flower gardens which surround her home and continue down a gentle three-tiered slope landscaped with Goshen stone walls and stairs.
The gardens feature native and non-native flowers, annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees.
“It takes a lot of work to prepare for something like this, then you just hope things are in bloom for the tour,” she said.
These are the other participants:
Valley View Farm is a 120-acre diversified horse-powered, working farm with an organic vegetable market garden, pumpkins, peaches, apples, hay and maple syrup.
Paul’s Sugar House is an award-winning maple syrup producer that also makes maple candy, maple cream and granulated maple sugar.
Owned by Janet Egelston the founder of the Northampton Brewery, J.O.E.S. Farm is organically run and provides much of the produce used at the restaurant.
Flower Hill Farm Retreat features gardens with organically grown native and non-native perennials, shrubs and trees, and also boasts abundant numbers of bird and butterfly species.
Grass Hill Alpacas is a family owned and operated sustainable farm that raises alpacas and makes products from alpaca fleece.
The Anne T. Dunphy School garden has several raised beds, small fruit trees and a greenhouse from which all produce is incorporated into the school lunch menu.
The self-guided tour is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Guide books, which serve as your ticket, are available at Meekins Library and the Village Green Greenhouse for $20 per family/group. Dogs are not allowed.
Tickets are now on sale for the 47th annual Plainfield Firefighters Barbecue on Sept. 4.
This is the town’s largest shindig of the year and Assistant Fire Chief Dave Alvord urges those who want to attend to get their tickets early, as they generally sell out quickly and there is no guarantee that they will be available the day of the event.
The meal features a barbecued half-chicken with all of the fixings for $12 for adults and $6 for children under 12. Serving begins at 1 p.m.
There will be live music throughout the day as well as a silent auction, the annual Shaw Memorial Library book sale, a tag sale at the Shaw Hudson House and a 1.1-mile road race.
Tickets can be purchased from any Plainfield firefighter or at the Plainfield Fire Station.
Jan Roby, Worthington artist and member of Arts Alive in the Hilltowns, will be showing and selling her work at the North Hall Gallery, 207 Searle Road in Huntington from July 24 to Sept. 11.
The show will have paintings, collages and drawings.
The gallery is open to the public in concert with events held at North Hall on July 24 at 2 p.m., Aug. 5 at 7 p.m., Aug. 7 at 2 p.m., Aug. 13 at 11 a.m., Aug. 21 at 2 p.m., and Sept. 11 at 2 p.m.
For details on the show visit northhallhuntington.org or call 238-5593.
Ideas for this column on life in the Hilltowns can be sent to Fran Ryan at Fryan.gazette@gmail.com.