Saturday dawned sunny and foggy. It was quiet and cool. It held the promise of a great day for a farm party. The promise was certainly fulfilled!
Joe and Sam started the day with a Hog Harvest demonstration. Several guests jumped in and helped pull hair off and cut the pig in half. For many it was a new experience! Mark gave several farm tours, which featured a brand new mama pig and babies. The silent auction featured many great food items and some terrific crafts and gift certificates. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it back to the big tent and the silent auction until the end of the day, so I didn’t see everything, but what I did catch was neat. Many thanks to all the people and businesses who donated to that.
A huge thank-you to everyone who helped us make Saturday’s Celebration of the Farm a success:
Joe and Sam did a good job of roasting the pigs.
Liz Reitzig and several helpers helped keep things flowing and on track. Liz and Eddie Free did a great job promoting the weekend so everyone knew about it.
Tammy Hyatt directed the food, which was delicious. The Mid-Michigan We the People group generously provided the food.
Randy Buchler (Shady Grove Farm) and D.J. made their great “Food Freedom” t-shirts.
Mandy Clark, Tammy Clark, and Andrea Lubberts helped operate the Farm Products table.
Gena Dewey did a fantastic job of rounding up items for and running the Silent Auction. Gena also had the bunkhouse looking beautiful for the guests who stayed there.
Tim Dewey managed things in the background to make sure everyone went where they were supposed to and enjoyed themselves.
Kathy Pirtle and Kyle Miron gave great speeches.
Thanks to Christianna Dewey for being a willing and capable “go-fer.”
Anyone who helped and I didn’t name (I need a name tag to remember my own name some days!)–You are included in our gratitude.
Lastly, everyone who simply came (for some it was a long ways, for some it was an all day adventure!), who donated, bought auction items, purchased farm food, and kept Randy hopping making t-shirts: you have blessed us beyond words. Seeing the unprecedented numbers of witnesses/attendees at the hearing on Friday was so encouraging. Having the campground and bunkhouse full was a vision fulfilled. Having so many people enjoy the farm and express their support with their presence and their finances was energizing. We are still tired today, but the energy of the weekend is carrying on and will be a positive thing to hold onto when challenges arise going forward. It’s a good tired.