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June 15-16th Weekend at Glencolton Farms |
Thanks to one and all for making the events of this past weekend at
Glencolton Farms such a resounding success! What follows is an attempt
to describe the highlights for those who were unable to attend and were
with us in spirit. Because it's only one person's account, and rather
hastily put together, please excuse any inaccuracies or omissions.
Friday, June 15: Our windmill was well inaugurated on Friday evening when
approximately forty interested people gathered to help us celebrate the power of the wind that will now provide the energy requirements of Glencolton Farms. Farmer Michael Schmidt kicked off the event with a history of how this innovation finally came to be as those gathered gazed up at the slender but sturdy structure gracing the blue, blue sky. Then, standing at the base of the windmill, we listened to a detailed account by John Hogg of the windmill's manufacturing and delivery process, as well as of the more technical aspects of how it works. Questions were then asked and answered. One interesting aside for those over whose heads the technological information soars was the three "resting platforms" strategically placed every so many rungs up the side of the structure. An indication of the physical fitness of the installers is whether or not they have to pause at one platform or the other on their way to the top where the complexities of the windmill's operation are located. Apparently, by the end of the season, the workers are able to scale the ladder's heights without pausing to rest on the way up. It was also suggested that climbing the windmill is an excellent fund-raising event! (After we had disbursed and I was looking back for one last look, I saw an ambitious young man a few feet up the ladder obviously willing to accept the challenge. Jeremy, was that you?!) The climax of this inaugural event had Bill Murdoch, MPP for Grey-Bruce- Owen Sound, accepting Michael's invitation to christen the windmill, not with the traditional bottle of champagne but with a much more relevant substance . . . you guessed it, a bottle of raw milk!
Saturday, June 16: Our Farm Open House took place the next day and was attended by between two and three hundred people. (No one was assigned to count, but several people undertook some guestimates.) There were farmers from all over southwestern Ontario; urbanites and locals concerned with the availability of quality foods and the future of small working farms; city cowshare members and their local counterparts, many of whom served as volunteers to host this event; people who were hoping to become cowshare members; and the simply curious who wanted to know a bit more about "the raw milk fuss", the milk that so many of them grew up with and thrived on. The entire farm was open, as was the Blue Bus that has become a symbol for our urban-rural connections. There were tours of the well-kept barn, cheesehouse and milking parlour where the evening milking could be seen; hay rides through the farm's fields; an innovative and agile bagpiper with a very attractive tartan kilt; a real, live organ grinder-cum-talented musician; a good selection of informative biodynamic books and other related literature; picnics by the pond in the Goethe Garden; extremely delicious farm-fresh food and refreshing drinks (including some pretty wicked strawberry milk!) served up by friendly people who were enjoying what they were doing as much as those on the other side of the table. Four interesting presentations were held in the coolness of the awe-inspiring barn that becomes the Symphony Barn during the last weekend of July. The focus of these talks was the Raw Milk Debate that Glencolton Farms is currently in the heated midst of. Michael Schmidt gave an overview of his more than a decade long conflict with health unit and other government officials who seem to be bent on simply shutting him down with little or no concern with the actual issues involved, like health and a person's right to take responsibility for his or her own health. Pat Gillen provided some excellent research and facts around the myths and dangers of pasteurization and the pathogen issues involved. Judith McGill adopted the consumer perspective, stressing the importance of being aware of what's going on and how our freedom of choice is being threatened. These presentations were concluded by Shane Jolley, the Green Party candidate for Grey-Bruce-Owen Sound, the riding that is predicted to be the one that "goes Green first"! These four presenters were available throughout the day and evening to listen to and exchange ideas with the many people who were eager to participate. In the early evening, there was a large gathering of pot-luckers, mixing and mingling as they shared in the bounty that they had contributed to the community feasting table. The energy was, to say the least, exhilarating . . . joyful, determined, and very, very powerful. And this was before the live band of Country Boys began to play their 50s and 60s music that drove all fatigue of the day away, got everyone moving to the beat of their dancing feet and sent us all home feeling that the day had been extremely well spent!
While one hesitates to name names, lest anyone be left out, and on behalf of all of the people who were so vocal in their appreciation of such an enjoyable day on the Farm, I extend special thanks to the Glencolton Farm Crew who were primarily responsible for making this event happen: Michael, Elisa, Markus, Maike, Jenny, Julia, Sherin, Jeremy, and Alain; also, to Meg and Gerrie who turned their hand to whatever was needed; to the greeters, parking and security people (yep, we had them, too!); to Yvonne and Marlene, the lovely white-haired stalwarts at the food table; to all the dishwashers and haulers; and, on a more personal note, to the TWS student who recently spent three weeks on the farm and was attentive to my needs as I tended the Farm Store (she knows who she is and I don't trust that I remember her name correctly . . . who, among other things, fetched me the cultured milk that sustains me so well when I decide to hold forth beyond my usual endurance) and to the ever so kind Heather, who prepared a plate of food for me when I wouldn't take time to do it myself.
It is extremely heartening for all of us who live, work and are connected to the farm to realize how many others value its existence and support our efforts to sustain a way of life that is nourishing, creative and culturally enriching. If you were at this event, we thank you for your participation and generosity, and invite you to come again and bring others. If you weren't, please feel free to call ahead and visit when you can. For more information on our July 27-29 cultural events, please go to our website www.symphonyinthebarn.com
Yours in health and well-being . . .
Beverley
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