BRATTLEBORO — In 10 years, the Strolling of the Heifers has grown into a full weekend of activities, taking place this year on June 3-5.
What started as a small post-parade festival has become an 11-acre country fair called the “Live Green Expo,” which will include the screening of finalist entries in the Strolling of the Heifers Farm/Food Short Film Festival.
And on Sunday of Stroll Weekend, a set of fundraising bicycle tours through farm country, the Tour de Heifer, will raise money to support the Stroll's activities, with an equal share going to other non-profits that sponsor teams of riders.
Strolling of the Heifers Weekend highlights include:
• Gallery Walk and the Search for the Ultimate New England Sandwich on Friday, June 3, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Main Street will be shut down for a three-hour party with musicians, clowns, and street vendors, while the River Garden will host the finals of a sandwich competition aiming to find the perfect combination of New England-produced breads, cheeses and other local ingredients.
• Farm Art - an exhibit of farm-themed art by local artists, opening Thursday evening, June 2, and continuing for the entire month of June 2011 in The Works on Main Street.
• The Strolling of the Heifers Parade on Saturday, June 4, at 10 a.m. sharp. The world-famous centerpiece of Strolling of the Heifers: a parade like no other, featuring up to 100 heifer calves, bedecked with flowers for the occasion and led by proud future farmers, along with many other farm animals, bands, floats, tractors, clowns and much more.
• The Live Green Expo, which takes place all day (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) on June 4 at the Brattleboro Common and on the grounds of the Brattleboro Retreat, immediately following the Strolling of the Heifers Parade, and is attended by the entire parade audience, which follows the parade up Main Street to come to the Expo.
Among other things, the Expo will showcase the Crafts Village, featuring some of the finest regional crafts people as vendors and demonstrators; the Cheese Village, featuring cheese makers and offering the public a taste of some of the region's best cheeses in the Cheese Pavilion; and the Green Building area, featuring vendors and demonstrations on energy conservation, sustainable materials and green construction techniques.
Also included is the first Farm & Food Short Film Festival on Saturday afternoon, June 4. Besides its world-famous parade and festival, Strolling of the Heifers has used music, art, dance and drama to carry out our mission, and now it is adding film. Filmmakers from around the world have been invited to submit short films that fit the Stroll's mission of connecting people with healthy local foods. A jury of professional filmmakers will select finalists to be shown at the festival, and prizes will be awarded.
There will be entertainers of every stripe, a heifer judging by the University of Vermont Extension, trapeze artists from New England's Center for Circus Arts, and many vendors and exhibitors focused on local agriculture and healthy, locally produced foods and fibers; renewable energy resources of all kinds; sustainably operated retail and manufacturing; local and regional art, crafts, entertainment and education.
On Sunday, June 5, Stroll Weekend continues with The Royal Farmers Breakfast, the annual showcase of natural and organic breakfast foods, held at the Chelsea Royal Diner in West Brattleboro.
The Tour de Heifer will take place all day on Sunday. In a joint fund-raiser for Strolling of the Heifers and other local charities, bike riders from all over New England will enjoy routes that will take them through scenic valleys and hills to experience farms and local food specialist operations in southern Vermont. There will be three routes ranging from 6-60 miles, geared to children, families and serious riders.
Also on Sunday is the Farm, Food and Fiber Tour, a self-guided tour of farms, food producers and fiber producers throughout southeast Vermont. Visitors will be able to use detailed maps, directions and destination listings on our website and in printed materials. They can also purchase a CD or download a podcast for an audio tour, which will be made possible through sponsorship of this event.
Money raised by the Strolling of the Heifers parade and its annual Farm Relief Concert Tour (last year featuring John Sebastian; past performers include Pete Seeger and Paul Winter) goes to help New England farmers and educators in various ways, including through their Farm & Food Giving Fund for Food System Innovation.
For further information, visit www.StrollingoftheHeifers.com, or become a Fan of Strolling of the Heifers on Facebook.