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 Our Summer Calendar is in the Mail
If you haven't received yours yet, you can find all updated listings here and upcoming events below.
Upcoming Events
Call to register 802-985-8686.
- Mother Nature's Child Screening Wednesday, MAY 18 - see article
- The Complete Kitchen Garden Book Talk and Luncheon with author Ellen Ecker Ogden.
Thursday, MAY 19
- Raising Layers: Small-Scale Egg Production, Saturday, MAY 21
- Lunch and “Behind the Scenes” Formal Garden Restoration Tour Thursday, JUNE 2
Spring Menus at the Inn!
Always farm-fresh, local, and delicious. Make a reservation today!
802-985-8498.
Last-minute planner?
Again this year, we'll be posting day-of room & meal availability at the Inn on our home page. (And you can always call: 802-985-8498)
Fall Adventures Space!
We know you've got summer on your mind, but we're taking applications now for our Fall session of preschool Adventures. More info. Download form. Forms due JUNE 3.
Inn House Tours Rescheduled
SAVE THE DATE! Sun., OCTOBER 23
One of the casualties of the lake flooding was our annual Mother's Day Tours and Open House at the Inn. (Our parking field is still under water!) Now you'll have a similar opportunity to explore the Inn on Sunday, October 23. Stay tuned for more details.
The Sound of Music
Although the Vermont Mozart Festival has closed, director Mel Kaplan is organizing 3 indoor concerts this summer. Read more. We're thinking strategically about what kinds of programming might replace VMF here. As Alec Webb says, "It’s hard not to imagine having some kind of event on the lawn." We'll keep you posted.
"No Better Cheddar"
Yankee Magazine's May/June issue has a story on their favorite Vermont cheddars. Annie B. Copps writes of Shelburne Farms:
"We love everything they do, but their selection of cheddars—which have garnered multiple honors from the prestigious American Cheese Society several years running—is the thing that has us really hooked."
Thanks, Annie!
This Lake Alive (again)
 You can now download by chapter, this out-of-print, interdisciplinary handbook for teaching and learning about the Lake Champlain Basin. Written by Amy Demarest and published by Shelburne Farms, it has topical essays on the basin's history, ecology and more, and many activities for exploring the basin's wonders.
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 Dear Friend of Shelburne Farms,
Will we ever see the sun? I know I'm not the only one asking that question after the record-breaking, soggy spring we've had (not to mention the record-breaking snowfalls in February). Every year, getting this property ready for opening is a huge task for the Buildings and Grounds crew. This year, as flood waters covered the Coach Barn field, breached both seawalls, and eroded our trails, it was especially challenging.
What's on our spring "To Do" list? We move the entire Inn offices (computers, etc.) out of their winter quarters at the Farm Barn and back to the Inn. We take down snow fencing, grade the roads, move all the outside furniture outside, rake, mow, wash, repair. Oh, the list goes on. Thankfully, I have an amazing team. And we get a boost in late April on "Stewardship Day," when we deputize every year-round staff person as B&G for the day. And finally, when we're done (well, the work is never done), we get to open our doors and welcome all of you, and share this amazing place. So, welcome!
Now as VPR's Willem Lange says, "I gotta get back to work."
Wally Allen
Buildings & Grounds Manager
 Mother Nature's Child Film Screening
Wednesday, MAY 18
- Family Screening with Kid activities: 4:00 pm in the EDUCATION CENTER at the Farm Barn. Call to register for children's activities: 802-985-8686
- Evening Screening with discussion & reception: 7:00 LOCATION TBD (because of all the rain!)
Join us for this free screening of Mother Nature’s Child by Camilla Rockwell. The film explores the
essential ways in which contact with the natural world promotes children’s health and well-being, contributes to the future of the planet, and nourishes the
human spirit.
Hear Camilla on VPR's Vermont Edition, discussing Preventing 'Nature-Deficit Disorder' in Kids, along with Shelburne Farms naturalist, Matt Kolan.
 The Complete Kitchen Garden
Talk & Luncheon
Thursday, MAY 19
$25/person, at the Inn. Register at 802-985-8686
Since you can't get into your garden right now with all the rain, come dream, learn, and be inspired while you wait! Join writer and gardener Ellen Ecker Ogden for an illustrated talk on vegetable garden design. Her newest book, THE COMPLETE KITCHEN GARDEN, features garden designs and 100 recipes for the vegetable gardener seeking creative ideas and organic techniques for growing food. Lunch featuring early produce from the Farm’s Market Garden is included.
The impact of continued rains and flooding
Market Garden
The soggy soil set back the growing season, but Josh Carter has used the greenhouses and hoophouses to keep early crops on schedule. You'll still be able to enjoy "home-grown" salad greens and spinach at the Inn restaurant (see menus in sidebar), as well as asparagus and rhubarb — spring perennials that Josh planted on high, sunny ground for earlier harvest. Smart man! Read more in this recent interview Josh gave with Fox 44 News meteorologist, Steve Glazier.
Roads
Emergency work on the road along the north seawall allowed us to open the Inn and property on schedule, but continued flooding of the Coach Barn field has forced us to think creatively about event parking. Wally says that there's really no telling how long it'll take before the field dries out. "Basically the water level in the field is mirroring the level of the lake," he says. And in the meantime, windy days are giving the seawalls a further pounding. "We won't know the extent of damage until the water recedes," says Wally. We expect that the road and seawall will likely need further repair. Watch a FlickR slideshow of the flooding's impact here.
Dairy
All our dairy cows, heifers, and beef cows are out on
pasture now. Initially, they only grazed during the day. Now they're out both night and day, but the wet weather delayed their nights outdoors by 10 to 11 days.
Walking Trails
The gravel path from the Welcome Center to the Farm Barn has suffered some erosion from all the heavy rains. It's now been patched. Otherwise, saturated trail soils were drying out last week, and soaking up the rains again this week! Check in at the Welcome Center for current trail conditions.
 A Big Meow
On Mother's Day, while she was relaxing near the top of Lone Tree Hill (at the Derick Webb Memorial), our tour guide coordinator and Farm fan Judy Brook saw this bobcat lope by. Lucky for us, Judy had her camera! What a powerful reminder to us that we share this place and this planet, with so many other creatures.
 Preparing for Opening
WCAX 22 visited the Farm in late April to find out from Sam Smith what it takes to get the Children's Farmyard ready for the summer visiting season. A lot. Watch the story here. And come for a visit of your own!
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