September 2016

It’s farm season!

There’s nothing like the first chill of fall to make you feel like gettin’ down on the farm. Before you get started with apple picking, corn mazes, and pumpkin scouting, why not get a warm-weather glimpse into local agriculture? For the second year in a row, Kettle Ridge Farm will open its 11-acre property to the public in the interest of local farming, sustainability, and artisanship.

Maple, Honey & Chickens

If you’ve been feeling like the problems of the world are too big for the little guy to make a difference, KettleFest might just recharge your spirit. With maple, honey, mushrooms, and chickens taking center stage, it’s a day for slowing down to focus on the simpler things in life – and how we can use them to make life better. There will also be local music, eye-opening workshops, kids’ activities, food & drink vendors, and local artisans. Not to mention, there will be Chicken Races!

Fascinating Workshops

KettleFest and its sponsors, vendors, and presenters all share the mission of helping people find more conscious, sustainable, and restorative ways to live. To dig into the learning opportunities available at this event, be sure to catch one or more of the free workshops being offered throughout the day. You can hear from local chefs ways to incorporate honey and maple into your cooking, go on a birding or woods walk led by a forestry expert, or even get started in beekeeping! Seriously, who wouldn’t want to learn more about Biochar and Permaculture?

Here’s the full workshop schedule from the KettleFest Website.

• 10:30 am: Woods Walk with DEC Forester Brice June
• 10:30 am: Learn About Permaculture with Patty Love, Barefoot Permaculture
• 10:45 am: Maple/Honey Demo with Kettle Ridge Farm
• 12:00 pm: Cooking with Honey & Maple by Chef Jeffory McLean
• 12:00 pm: Birding Walk with Hans Kunze
• 1:45 pm: Cooking with Honey & Maple by Chef Jeffory McLean
• 1:45 pm: Native Plants with Jim Engel, White Oak Nursery
• 2:00 pm: Maple/Honey Demo with Kettle Ridge Farm
• 3:30 pm: Woods Walk with DEC Forester Brice June
• 3:30 pm: Getting Started in Beekeeping
• 3:30 pm: Biochar Demonstration with Kathleen Draper, Finger Lakes Biochar
• 3:45 pm: Maple/Honey Demo with Kettle Ridge Farm

Park & Hike

Purely optional, this year’s KettleFest includes a unique new component. Organizers have arranged the opportunity for adventurous attendees to park at Gorbel Industries in Fisher’s Run and trek to the event through the maple sugarbush! Though the trail is relatively easy, you’ll need grippy, closed-toed shoes if you want to complete the half-mile hike. Staying on the path during this beautiful hike is required. For the less athletically inclined, there will also be a shuttle from the Omnitech Business Park off Phillips Road.

The 2^nd Annual KettleFest at Kettle Ridge Farm

515 Log Cabin Road, Victor, NY 14564
Saturday, September 17, 2016
10 am to 5 pm
Admission: $5/person
Free for: Kids 12 & under, Volunteers & Adopt-a-Maple families

• Rain or shine!
• No tobacco.
• No pets.
• Folding chairs are okay.