Maple Meadow Farms to showcase
country living at weekend festival
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
MAPLETON — It will be a downhome, good time this weekend as the Maple Meadow Farm Festival celebrates its fifth year of country camaraderie on a working farm.
“Each June folks join us at Maple Meadow Farm and have the opportunity to watch unique demonstrations, draft team farming techniques, and field work with antique tractors,” said Andrea Gregg, festival organizer. “Several generations of community members mingle with friends, savor home-cooked food, and browse the work of fine artisans and collections from discriminating antique dealers. Bluegrass music from local musicians fills the air while parents relax as their children explore an area created just for them.
“This event generates excitement and enthusiasm in our community,” she said, “with participants and visitors coming from all over the state.”
The Gregg family’s Maple Meadow Farm is located at 830 Mapleton Road in Mapleton.
Gregg said there are “a lot of new changes” to this year’s festival.
“We have a new barn that’s about 60-feet by 80-feet, which has given us some different infrastructure. We’ll be able to have a lot more demonstrations with animals than in the past,” she said. “There are a lot of artistic vendors that will be participating this year from all over The County and southern Maine, as well.”
Gregg said the festival started as a “grassroots event” to help showcase the farm and educate the public.
“We wanted to assist in promoting what our local agricultural community has, as well as rural traditions, the arts, and the farming process,” she said. “My father-in-law has farmed with horses for years and people are always stopping when he has the horses out, and we thought, ‘This might be a great way for people to stop and experience it for a longer period of time rather than off from the side of the road.’
“We looked at it as an opportunity to explore the heritage of farming in Aroostook County and how we’ve moved from horses to tractors and various implements along the way,” said Gregg. “It’s agri-tourism at its best. People can come and make a day of it; we even have some families that make two days of it. It’s a great family event. We have a great children’s area, food for sale, live bluegrass music, crafters, antiques and jewelers, animals, farming demonstrations, and admission is free. We like to think that there’s something for everyone here.”
The schedule of events for the fifth annual Maple Meadow Farm Festival is as follows:
Saturday, June 25
10 a.m.
Humvee Rides (Maine Military Authority)
Firewood Processing (Hudson Wood Processing)
Windsor Chair Seat Carving (Terry Kelly)
Spinning Demonstrations (Pam Sweetser)
11 a.m.
Humvee Rides (Maine Military Authority)
Equine Form and Function (Aroostook County Horse Council)
Horse Dentistry (Steve Ackley)
No Till Drill Demonstration (Aroostook County Soil and Water Conservation District)
Noon
Live Music (Mel Smith)
Horse Shoeing (Gary Sweetser)
Wood Milling (Wood Mizer)
Spinning Demonstrations (Pam Sweetser)
1 p.m.
Live Music (Aroostook River Band)
Windsor Chair Leg Turning (Terry Kelly)
Equine Form and Function (Aroostook County Horse Council)
Meet the Artist (Brent Dyer, winner of the Farm Fest poster art contest)
2 p.m.
Live Music (Aroostook River Band)
Digging Potatoes (one row horse-drawn digger)
Picking Potatoes (Immediately following digging)
Horse Dentistry (Steve Ackley)
Firewood Processing (Hudson Wood Processing)
Spinning Demonstrations (Pam Sweetser)
3 p.m.
Live Music (Aroostook River Band)
Hay Baling (Horse Drawn Inline Massey Fergeson baler)
Windsor Chair Spindle Shaving (Terry Kelly)
Horse Shoeing (Gary Sweetser)
No Till Drill Demonstration (Aroostook County Soil and Water Conservation District)
4 p.m.
Live Music (Open Jam Session)
Equine Form and Function (Aroostook County Horse Council)
Spinning Demonstrations (Pam Sweetser)
Sunday, June 26
10 a.m.
Firewood Processing (Hudson Wood Processing)
Windsor Chair Seat Carving (Terry Kelly)
Spinning Demonstrations (Pam Sweetser)
11 a.m.
Digging Potatoes (one row horse-drawn digger)
Picking Potatoes (Immediately following digging)
Horse Dentistry (Steve Ackley)
Noon
Live Music (Eric and Evet)
Horse Shoeing (Gary Sweetser)
Spinning Demonstrations (Pam Sweetser)
No Till Drill Demonstration (Aroostook County Soil and Water Conservation District)
1 p.m.
Live Music (Paul Clayton and Friends)
Windsor Chair Leg Turning (Terry Kelly)
Wood Milling (Wood Mizer)
2 p.m.
Live Music (Aroostook River Band)
Horse Dentistry (Steve Ackley)
Firewood Processing (Hudson Wood Processing)
Windsor Chair Spindle Shaving (Terry Kelly)
Spinning Demonstrations (Pam Sweetser)
3 p.m.
Live Music (Aroostook River Band)
Hay Baling (Horse Drawn Inline Massey Fergeson baler)
Horse Shoeing (Gary Sweetser)
No Till Drill Demonstration (Aroostook County Soil and Water Conservation District)
Wood Milling (Wood Mizer)
Ongoing during the festival will be horse-drawn wagon rides, Antique Tractor Club train rides, plowing demonstrations, children’s play area and activities, Maine Farm Bureau and Aroostook Horse Council animal area. Some demonstrations are weather dependent.
For more information on the Maple Meadow Farm Festival, contact the Gregg family at 764-6450 or visit them on the web at maplemeadowfarms.com.
