Calendar of Events
Come join our year-round events for families, children, adults, professionals, and more!
Programs & Events are added throughout the year so check back periodically for updates.
Spaces
are limited. REGISTRATION REQUIRED except where noted. Call 802-985-8686.
Become a member today and receive discounts and priority registration on selected programs.
Burlington Winter Farmers Market
Every other Saturday, NOV.–APRIL
TIME: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
LOCATION: Memorial Auditorium, Burlington
INFO: www.burlingtonfarmersmarket.org
Come find our cheddar and beef at these winter markets, along with the products of many other local farmers and artisans—maple syrup, bread, wine, produce, crafts, and more!
Find a winter farmers market in your VERMONT area:
www.vermontagriculture.com/buylocal/buy
FEBRUARY 2012
Sleigh Rides!
Every weekend in FEBRUARY SPECIAL EVENT CANCELLED until we receive some snow. We're sorry.
TIME: Every half hour, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
FEE: $8/adult, $6/child, children under 3 free. No reservations. Seats are first-come, first-served
INFORMATION: 802-985-8442 Private rides by reservation at 2:30 & 3:00 pm. Fee: $95/sleigh. Call 802-985-8442.
Giddy-up, giddy-up on these 15-minute
rides from the Welcome Center (weather permitting). 10% member discount.
Evening Sleigh Ride
Tuesday, FEBRUARY 14 SPECIAL EVENT
TIMES: 6:00 pm, 6:45 pm, 7:30 pm. CANCELLED due to lack of snow. Sorry!
FEE: Members: $12/adult, $7/child age 3-13; Nonmembers: $15/adult, $10/child age 3-13; children under 3 are free.
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: 802-985-8686.
Join Pat Palmer of Thornapple Farm and his team of Percheron draft horses for a winter evening of star gazing. Put on your woolies and brave the winter for one of these half-hour rides, and don’t forget to bring a thermos with a warm beverage.
Butter & Bread
Saturday, FEBRUARY 18 FAMILY
TIME: 9:30–11:30 am & 12:30–2:30 pm
FEE: Member: $10/parent & child, $5/each additional child, Nonmember: $12/6
REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
Let’s do some shaking and singing to make some butter! How do these two things help transform cream into butter? Come find out! And we’ll make some bread to serve under the butter! You’ll start with the wheat plant, remove the wheat berries, grind them, and sift! We’ll shape our dough into one-of-a-kind designs, bake, and eat…with butter on top!
Snowshoe Demos
Saturday, FEBRUARY 18 ADULT CANCELLED due to lack of snow. Sorry!
TIME: 1:00–2:00 pm
FEE: Free to all.
NO registration. AGES: 10 and up
Got cabin fever? Come learn
about snowshoeing from the
great staff at the Outdoor Gear Exchange. Then take a pair of snowshoes for a spin around the Welcome Center field.
Evening Knitting Circle
Monday, FEBRUARY 20 ADULT
TIME: 7:00–9:00 pm
FEE: $5/person/evening
REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686.
Join us for a series of winter evenings to knit, relax, and chat with fellow knitting enthusiasts in a beautiful Farm setting. A simple dessert is included. Experienced knitters will be on hand to answer questions, but there is no formal program. All levels of knitters welcome.
Register for one, two, or all three evenings.
Real Foods, Real Health -
Late-breaking program!
Wednesday, FEBRUARY 22, 6:00-8:00 pm
FREE! Limited Registration. Call 802-985-8686
Join Doug Flack, farmer and sauerkraut producer from Flack Family Farm in Enosburg Falls, as he sparks a discussion about the modern American diet, how we got here, and how we as consumers can make different choices. Look at a fascinating timeline of industrial food production, and learn more about farm-fresh foods like raw milk, cultured dairy products, lacto-fermented vegetables and more.
Evening Sleigh Ride
Saturday, FEBRUARY 25 SPECIAL EVENT
TIMES: 6:00 pm, 6:45 pm, 7:30 pm. All rides weather permitting.
FEE: Members: $12/adult, $7/child age 3-13; Nonmembers: $15/adult, $10/child age 3-13; children under 3 are free.
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: 802-985-8686.
Join Pat Palmer of Thornapple Farm and his team of Percheron draft horses for a winter evening of star gazing. Put on your woolies and brave the winter for one of these half-hour rides, and don’t forget to bring a thermos with a warm beverage.
Owl Prowl
Saturday, FEBRUARY 25 ADULT
TIME: 7:00–9:00 pm
FEE: $10/adult, $5/children ages 10–17 AGES 10 & up
REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
Learn about Vermont’s breeding owls and then venture out to see if wild owls can be tempted by our calls. Dress for a moderate hike in the woods with the possibility of snow. Afterwards, warm up with hot chocolate, snacks, and a live owl presentation after the walk.
Tracking & Trailing a Vermont Carnivore
Sunday, FEBRUARY 26 ADULT
TIME: 11:00 am – 2:30 pm
FEE: $35/member; $40/nonmember
REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
Join naturalist Matt Kolan for a day of reading and interpreting the tracks and signs of a Vermont carnivore, exploring the intimate story of a day in its life. Carpool from the Welcome Center to the nearest accessible animal trail. Come prepared for the weather and somewhat strenuous hiking. Bring a brown-bag lunch.
MARCH 2012
Lambing Clinic
Saturday, MARCH 3 ADULT
TIME: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
FEE: $25
REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
Learn the basics of managing a sheep flock during lambing. Explore some of the strategies to help your sheep have healthy, productive births, while also looking at some of the potential challenges of lambing. Get hands-on experience with lambs and maybe even see a live birth!
Bionutrient Rich
Crop Production Course
Sundays, MARCH 4 & MAY 6 ADULT
TIME: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
FEE: $150/person. Discounts for returnees or multiple registrations from same site.
REGISTRATION: www.realfoodcampaign.org. Limited enrollment
A two-session course designed for homesteaders, gardeners and others who want to know more about growing and eating high quality food. The course focus includes soil biology, mineralogy and energy dynamics. Participants will examine their own soil tests to create a personalized soil amendments plan.
ABC’s of Farm Education
Project Seasons Farmer Workshop
Friday–Sunday, MARCH 9–11 FOR EDUCATORS
FEE: $200, includes materials & meals (scholarships available); optional accommodations $60/person/night + tax (double occupancy)
INFORMATION/REGISTRATION: Erica Curry, 802-985-0325 or ecurry@shelburnefarms.org
Discover exciting, hands-on ways to develop agricultural education programs for school groups with kid-tested, easy-to-use activities from PROJECT SEASONS, a collection of teaching ideas developed by teachers and agriculture educators over the past 20 years. If you are just starting to explore the possibilities of opening your farm for education, or looking for new ideas for your program, this is the workshop for you.
Evening Knitting Circle
Monday, MARCH 12 ADULT
TIME: 7:00–9:00 pm
FEE: $5/person/evening
REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
Last in the series of winter evenings to knit, relax, and chat with fellow knitting enthusiasts in a beautiful Farm setting. A simple dessert is included. Experienced knitters will be on hand to answer questions, but there is no formal program. All levels of knitters welcome.
Register for one, two, or all three evenings.
Dog-Powered Fun
Saturday, MARCH 17 ADULT
TIME: 9:30–11:30 am & 12:30–2:30 pm
FEE: Member: $10/parent & child, $5/each additional child, Nonmember: $12/6 AGES: 6–12 REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
Join Musher Jean Coffey and her team of sled dogs to explore how these dogs are bred for working in the snow. What does it take for dogs to pull a sled? What does it take for humans to care for them? Join us for a barking good time!
Teen Weekend Overnight
Saturday & Sunday, MARCH 17 & 18 FOR TEENS
TIME: 10:00 am, Saturday–2:00 pm, Sunday
FEE: $75 (scholarships available)
An overnight weekend in the woods! Connect with the end of the winter season and to each other by investigating how living things survive the winter and enter into spring. Team building activities include shelter building, fire making, maple sugaring, and other discoveries and adventures.
5th Annual Jr Iron Chef VT
MARCH 24, 2012
Jr Iron Chef VT, hosted by the Burlington School Food Project and VT FEED, is a statewide competition that gives students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience preparing and cooking nutritious, farm-fresh foods. Learn more or sign up...
Vermont Maple Open House Weekend
Saturday & Sunday, MARCH 24 & 25 SPECIAL EVENT
INFORMATION: www.vermontmaple.org
No registration
Join us for the following events on both Saturday and Sunday:
4-H Pancake Breakfast
TIME: 9 am–12 pm. FEE: $8/adult, $4/child
LOCATION: McClure Center for School Programs
Start your day with some pancakes and delicious Vermont Maple Syrup! Run by Shelburne Explorers 4-H Club as a benefit to support their Dairy project.
Explore Our Sugarbush
TIME: 9:30 am – 2:00 pm FREE
Head up to the sugarbush to see the sugarhouse in action! Enjoy a taste of maple syrup as you learn about the journey of sap to syrup.
Whooo’s in the
Sugarbush?
TIME: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm FREE
Visit OFES up in the sugarbush to find out about wildlife that loves to live in the woods. Enjoy ongoing live bird-on-hand presentations as well as some helpful hints about what other birds you may find at this time of year.
APRIL 2012
Leaping Lambs & Shear Delights!
Saturday, APRIL 14 SPECIAL EVENT
TIME: 10:00 am–1:00 pm
No registration
FEE: Member: $10/adult, $5/child; nonmember: $12/adult, $6/child
Come celebrate our lambs with us! Spring lambing is such an amazing time to come and watch the ewes and their little lambs. Participate in the whole process from watching a sheep be sheared, to washing the wool, to learning how to
spin and felt!
Wings are the Things
Saturday, APRIL 21 FAMILY
TIME: 10 am – 12:00 noon
FEE: Member: $10/parent & child, $5/each additional child, Nonmember: $12/6
AGES: 5 & up REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
Learn about the various types of wings especially those belonging to raptors. We’ll have some living examples and also make a wing themed craft project. Cosponsored with OFES
Farmer for a Day
Monday, Tuesday, Wed, APRIL 23–25 VACATION DAYS
Register for one, two, or all three days.
TIME: 9:00 am–3:30 pm AGES: 5–12
FEE: Members: $45/child/day; nonmembers: $50/child/day
REGISTRATION REQUIRED: 802-985-8686
Pitch in to ready the farm for spring!
Annual duties—skirting fleece, prepping garden beds, forking winter bedding—combine with on-going daily chores (such as egg collecting) to thoroughly wear us out! If the pastures and weather are right, we’ll even help move the sheep flock to pasture! Before/after care: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, $3/half-hour per family.
MAY 2012
Earthtime: Living Practice/ Practice for Living
Thursday–Sunday, MAY 3-6 ADULT RESIDENTIAL
FEE: $350/person for meals & accommodations (scholarships available); $225 for non-residential participants (Limited spots for non-residential participants)
APPLICATION: 802-985-8686, or
ktwotrees@gmail.com.
INSTRUCTORS: Kaylynn
Sullivan TwoTrees & Matt Kolan
Earthtime Practice is a retreat focused on creating sacred space for reciprocal communication and relationship with nature and the unseen world. The retreat focuses on practices intended to connect us with the Earth’s rhythms, cycles, and patterns. Specific practices include: listening and awareness, guided meditation, and seasonal rituals and celebrations. The collective retreat experiences are intended to support each individual’s unique practice and spiritual path.
The 2nd of 4 seasonal retreats that build on each other, but a commitment to all 4 is not required.
See also: February 2-5, August 2–5, November 1-4.
Dairy Day at the Farm!
Sunday, MAY 6 SPECIAL EVENT
TIME: 1:00–4:00 pm FEE: $5/car; walkers free.
NO REGISTRATION
LOCATION: Dairy
Come see our dairy where our Brown Swiss Cow herd makes the milk for our yummy farmhouse cheddar. Explore the barns, visit the calves, take a wagon ride and try your hand at milking a cow. Then see the milking parlor in action on this special day!
Of Cows, Caves, and Cheese
Friday–Sunday, MAY 11–13 ADULT RESIDENTIAL
TIME: 8am breakfast on Friday to 4 pm Sunday
FEE: $600/person includes tuition, meals, & Saturday night accommodations at the Lakeview Inn, Greensboro, VT; Friday night accommodations at The Inn at Shelburne Farms additional (call for information, as rates vary) REGISTRATION: 802-985-0342
Take a journey into artisanal cheese-making. Begin at Shelburne Farms with a pasture walk, farm tour, and visit to the dairy at milking time. On day two, make cheddar cheese with the Farm’s cheesemakers (we’ll age it and ship it to you in time for the holidays!). Then travel to the Northeast Kingdom for a rare opportunity to see The Cellars at Jasper Hill, a revolutionary cave aging facility built into a rocky hillside. While in Hardwick, you’ll also visit several area farms and the Food Venture Center, led by the Center for an Agricultural Economy. Dinners on Friday (at The Inn at Shelburne Farms) and Saturday (at The Lakeview Inn) will include cheese programs.
International Migratory Bird Day
Saturday, MAY 12 SPECIAL EVENT
TIME: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm FREE
No registration. RAIN DATE: May 13
OFES will be celebrating this year’s International Migratory Bird Day theme, “Connecting People to Bird Conservation.” Join us at the Kennel to introduce both young and old to fun and educational aspects of birding and bird conservation. There will be live bird presentations, bird walks and a variety of fun birding related activities. Environment for the Americas coordinates the Day.
Green Mountain Draft Horse Beginner Driving Clinic
Saturday & Sunday, MAY 12 & 13
TIME: Saturday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm; Sunday, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
FEES: includes lunch and light breakfast both days. Both days: $130 /GMDHA member, $145/nonmembers (includes 1-year membership).
Saturday only: $75/GMDHA member, $90/nonmember. Sunday only: $70/GMDHA member, $85/nonmember.
REGISTRATION: Download sign-up sheet at
www.greenmountaindraft.org, call 802-877-6802 or email Jean@greenmountaindraft.org.
Learn the basics of draft horses, and how to harness and ground drive, while focusing on safety working around these large animals. (Horses provided!) On Sunday, get in a cart or wagon, drive an obstacle course, then take turns driving on a horse-drawn tour of the farm. (Sunday prerequisite is to have taken class on Saturday or in the past.)
Green Mountain Draft Horse Plow Day
Sunday, May 13
TIME: 9:30 am – 2:00 pm. FEE: Free with admission to property. No registration for public.
TEAMSTER Registration: Download sign-up sheet at
www.greenmountaindraft.org, call 802-877-6802 or email Jean@greenmountaindraft.org.
Watch and learn the art of plowing with draft animals. Teamsters, bring your draft animals and plow.
Sun to Cheese Tour
Wednesday, MAY 16
(& 2nd Wed. of every month thru October)
TIME: 2:00–4:00 pm. FEE: $15/person includes a block of cheese. REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
A behind-the-scenes look at dairy farming and cheesemaking! Hear our farmers and cheesemakers explain the process of turning fresh milk into farmhouse cheddar; tour the dairy and taste cheese with the cheesemakers. The tours will meet at the Welcome Center.
Amazing Amphibians!
Saturday, MAY 19 FAMILY
TIME: 9:30-11:30 am and 12:30-2:30 pm
FEE: Member: $10/parent & child, $5/each additional child, Nonmember: $12/6
Spring is a perfect time to discover Vermont frogs and salamanders! We will hike into their favorite habitats and search for these incredible creatures from egg to adult. Bring your mud boots for some pond dipping fun!
Bird Walk
Thursday, MAY 24
TIME: 7:00–9:00 am. FEE: $6/person. REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
Celebrate the return of the dawn chorus. Join naturalist Matt Kolan to explore shrubland, grassland, wetland and forest habitats in search on the sights and sounds of our feathered friends.
Bedrock to Birds:
The Natural History of Shelburne Farms' Working Landscape
Friday - Sunday, MAY 25-27 ADULT RESIDENTIAL
TIME: 11:00 am Friday–2:00 pm, Sunday
FEE: $300/person includes tuition & meals; optional accommodations $60/person/night + tax (double occupancy)
INSTRUCTORS: Walter Poleman & Matt Kolan, naturalists
REGISTRATION: 802-985-0342
Enjoy a weekend rich in discovery and friendship as you explore the natural history of the Farm’s rural working landscape from bedrock to birds and from forest to furniture. You’ll enjoy morning bird walks, wildflower identification, geology explorations, and wildlife observations.
JUNE 2012
Sun to Cheese Tour
Wednesday, JUNE 13
(& 2nd Wed. of every month thru October)
TIME: 2:00–4:00 pm. FEE: $15/person includes a block of cheese. REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
A behind-the-scenes look at dairy farming and cheesemaking! Hear our farmers and cheesemakers explain the process of turning fresh milk into farmhouse cheddar; tour the dairy and taste cheese with the cheesemakers. The tours will meet at the Welcome Center.
Words Take Wing
A Retreat for Poets & Writers
Friday–Sunday, JUNE 22–24 ADULT RESIDENTIAL
FEE: $300/person includes tuition and meals.
Optional accommodations $60/person/night plus tax (double occupancy)
REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686; INFORMATION: 802-985-0342
Do you write poetry? Or wish you could? Do you long for more time to write? At this retreat, Julie and Dotty will help you find your own voice. Prompts, group and solo time allow you to delve into your writing and share with others. On the shores of Lake Champlain you will have time to read, reflect and wander. No experience necessary – just a love of poetry and the natural world.
Retreat participants will have the opportunity for individual consultations.
Guided nature walks are offered for inspiration.
Julie Cadwallader-Staub’s poems have been published in numerous journals and publications. Her first collection, FACE TO FACE, was published in 2010. Julie has also been featured frequently
on Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac.
Dotty Holcomb Doherty is a Maryland writer whose work has been featured in The Delmarva Reviw, The Healing Muse and other publications.
JULY 2012
Sun to Cheese Tour
Wednesday, JULY 11
(& 2nd Wed. of every month thru October)
TIME: 2:00–4:00 pm. FEE: $15/person includes a block of cheese. REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
A behind-the-scenes look at dairy farming and cheesemaking! Hear our farmers and cheesemakers explain the process of turning fresh milk into farmhouse cheddar; tour the dairy and taste cheese with the cheesemakers. The tours will meet at the Welcome Center.
Project Seasons Summer Workshop
Tuesday–Thursday, JULY 17-19, 2012 for EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS
TIME: 9:00 AM–4:00 PM FEE: $300 includes copy of PROJECT SEASONS (scholarships available). One graduate
credit optional for additional $175
PRESENTED BY: Shelburne Farms
INFORMATION: Linda Wellings, lwellings@shelburnefarms.org
Enrich your early childhood curriculum with exciting, interdisciplinary, and hands on, teacher friendly activities on environmental and agricultural topics. This workshop is designed to increase science literacy and cultivate connections by tracing the food we eat and the clothes we wear back to the farm.
Community Works Summer Institute on Service-Learning
JULY 16-20 for EDUCATORS
For more information, visit Community Works Institute.
NEW! The Summer Institute on Education for Sustainability
Monday-Friday, JULY 30-AUGUST 3, 2012 for EDUCATORS
TIME: Monday – Thursday, 8:30-4:30 and Friday, 8:30-12
FEE: $550 includes materials, light breakfast and lunch. (Scholarships available)
One graduate credit optional for additional $175
Four and a half informative and restorative days created to provide an opportunity for participants to deepen their understanding of Education for Sustainability - part conference, part workshop, part retreat. More details coming soon!
AUGUST 2012
Earthtime: Living Practice/ Practice for Living
Thurs.–Sun., AUGUST 2–5 ADULT RESIDENTIAL
FEE: $350/person for meals & accommodations (scholarships available); $225 for non-residential participants (Limited spots for non-residential participants)
APPLICATION: 802-985-8686, or
ktwotrees@gmail.com.
INSTRUCTORS: Kaylynn
Sullivan TwoTrees & Matt Kolan
Earthtime Practice is a retreat focused on creating sacred space for reciprocal communication and relationship with nature and the unseen world. The retreat focuses on practices intended to connect us with the Earth’s rhythms, cycles, and patterns. Specific practices include: listening and awareness, guided meditation, and seasonal rituals and celebrations. The collective retreat experiences are intended to support each individual’s unique practice and spiritual path.
The 3rd of 4 seasonal retreats that build on each other, but a commitment to all 4 is not required.
See also: February 2-5, May 3–6, November 1-4.
Sun to Cheese Tour
Wednesday, AUGUST 8
(& 2nd Wed. of every month thru October)
TIME: 2:00–4:00 pm. FEE: $15/person includes a block of cheese. REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
A behind-the-scenes look at dairy farming and cheesemaking! Hear our farmers and cheesemakers explain the process of turning fresh milk into farmhouse cheddar; tour the dairy and taste cheese with the cheesemakers. The tours will meet at the Welcome Center.
SEPTEMBER 2012
Sun to Cheese Tour
Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 12
(& 2nd Wed. of every month thru October)
TIME: 2:00–4:00 pm. FEE: $15/person includes a block of cheese. REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
A behind-the-scenes look at dairy farming and cheesemaking! Hear our farmers and cheesemakers explain the process of turning fresh milk into farmhouse cheddar; tour the dairy and taste cheese with the cheesemakers. The tours will meet at the Welcome Center.
OCTOBER 2012
Sun to Cheese Tour
Wednesday, OCTOBER 10
(& 2nd Wed. of every month thru October)
TIME: 2:00–4:00 pm. FEE: $15/person includes a block of cheese. REGISTRATION: 802-985-8686
A behind-the-scenes look at dairy farming and cheesemaking! Hear our farmers and cheesemakers explain the process of turning fresh milk into farmhouse cheddar; tour the dairy and taste cheese with the cheesemakers. The tours will meet at the Welcome Center.
NOVEMBER 2012
Earthtime: Living Practice/ Practice for Living
Thursday–Sunday, NOVEMBER 1–4 ADULT RESIDENTIAL
FEE: $350/person for meals & accommodations (scholarships available); $225 for non-residential participants (Limited spots for non-residential participants)
APPLICATION: 802-985-8686, or
ktwotrees@gmail.com.
INSTRUCTORS: Kaylynn
Sullivan TwoTrees & Matt Kolan
Earthtime Practice is a retreat focused on creating sacred space for reciprocal communication and relationship with nature and the unseen world. The retreat focuses on practices intended to connect us with the Earth’s rhythms, cycles, and patterns. Specific practices include: listening and awareness, guided meditation, and seasonal rituals and celebrations. The collective retreat experiences are intended to support each individual’s unique practice and spiritual path.
The 4th of 4 seasonal retreats that build on each other, but a commitment to all 4 is not required.
See also: February 2-5, May 3–6, August 2–5.
DECEMBER 2012
JANUARY 2013
