Whatcom County Farm Tour a Huge Success

Media contact: Sara Southerland,
Food & Farming Outreach Coordinator
sara@sconnect.org, 360.647.7093 x114
          
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2010 – Bellingham, WA

Whatcom County Farm Tour a Huge Success   

Bellingham, WA – Over 1,500 people met a Whatcom County farmer last weekend, between the eleven stops on the 3rd annual Whatcom County Farm Tour.

“I think this event brings a lot of folks out into the county who normally might not make it out,” Tom Thornton of Cloud Mountain Farm said. “It was nice to see the diversity of people who showed up.”

The warm weather on Saturday set the stage for a beautiful and busy Tour, bringing out families, friends, young and old to see the abundance of agriculture Whatcom County has to offer.

“My husband, father-in-law (almost ninety) and I made it to seven out of eleven venues this past Saturday on the Farm Tour,” Bellingham resident Barb June said. “It was great to see so many people of all ages at each venue. We ate corn, ice cream, strawberries, yogurt, cheese, apples, and buffalo sausage.  We drank cider and wine and treated our hands to luscious lotion!  We picked green and yellow beans, cukes and carrots. The vendors were friendly, helpful and generous.”

Sam Grubbs of Bellingham Country Gardens said the day was a success and he saw lots of new faces at the farm. There, tour goers picked what was left of the everbearing strawberries, harvested u-pick vegetables and walked a labyrinth on the side of the garden. One tour goer walked up to the farm stand, hands full of potatoes and a gleam in her eye. “I’ve never dug for potatoes before!” she exclaimed.

Boxx Berry Farm in Ferndale toted kids of all ages around on their kiddie train and tractor-pull hayrides, and gave out 1,000 berry sundaes and 1,500 ears of corn throughout the day.

One of the four “mamas” who run Mama’s Garden farmstand in Acme, Heidi Hinst, said that it was great to be able to be social and welcome people to their farm throughout the day. Their farm stop was full of fun and educational opportunities like detailed signs about each of the veggies, flowers and herbs posted throughout the garden. A hayride through the corn fields was the highlight for adult children, too.
 
“It was an amazing day,” Ken Peck, Owner and Winemaker at Dakota Creek Winery said. “I hope our visitors had as good a time as we did!”

Tour organizers estimate there were over 5,600 farm visits throughout the day – more than doubling 2009 estimates.

Sustainable Connections is already looking ahead to the 2011 Whatcom Farm Tour, set for Saturday, Sept. 10. The Farm Tour depends on the generosity of event sponsors and individual donors. If you can help make the 2011 Farm Tour possible, please contact Laura Ridenour at lridenour@sconnect.org or
360.647.7093 x106.

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Many thanks to our Farm Tour sponsors!

Lead sponsors: People's Bank, Organic Valley, Community Food Co-op
Supporting sponsors: Bellingham Farmers Market, Northfork Brewery and Beer Shrine, Skagit State Bank, Lithtex NW, Lesa Boxx and Jamie Imus of Country Financial, and Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism