Things to do, places to eat, shows to see, places to stay in Madison County, NY      

The Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District welcomes all area farmers, friends and conservation enthusiasts to a complimentary luncheon in celebration of Endless Trails Farm, LLC, owned by David and Pam Williams for being awarded the prestigious 2011 Conservation Farm of the Year for Madison County.
This special day will take place Thursday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the White Eagle Conference Center in Hamilton, which will highlight local grass-fed meat from Sunnybrook Farm, owned by Dan and Melissa Williams.
This 31st annual conservation award embodies the hard work, commitment and passion of the Williams family that founded the Endless Trails Farm in 2003 on the premise of turning the land back to an all-grass system, highlighting the farm’s interest in agri-tourism opportunities and in the words of Pam, “preserving a local treasure.”
The town of Brookfield farm encompasses 336 acres of certified organic land intertwined with woodlands, horse trails, hedgerows, ponds and riparian areas adjacent to Pleasant Brook and the Brookfield Trail System.
The grasslands are in hay production and a planned 30-paddock grazing system that feeds a 55-head cow/calf beef herd, 20 yearlings and 30 head of custom-grazed organic dairy heifers.
It is also home to a thriving agri-tourism venture featuring a six-bedroom guesthouse, accompanied by an enclosed 12-horse stall barn, outdoor event pavilion, wagon and sleigh rides with the caveat of eating beef directly from the farm.
Since 2003, the family has maintained a steady, long-term approach to implementing common-sense conservation practices that include a comprehensive nutrient management plan, a grazing management system, more than 30,000 feet of fence, 4,000 feet of waterline, spring developments, reinforced stream crossings, watering facilities, animal walkways, wetland and wildlife habitat enhancements and riparian buffers with more than 2,000 trees planted.
These measures have enhanced water quality throughout the property, with program funding and technical assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, the state Agricultural Environmental Management Program, the Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Upper Susquehanna Coalition.
“In the beginning we joked about calling it the ‘Endless Work Farm’ but realize now how fruitful the journey has been to meet our longterm goals and create an enjoyable environment for ourselves, our customers and our community,” said Dave and Pam. “Receiving this award just enhances all the sweat equity put forth on behalf of protecting and conserving our local resources for future generations.”
To join us for the luncheon to honor the Williams family, call the Madison County SWCD office at (315) 824-9849 to secure your reservation.

When horses and carriages were the norm of transportation, the village of Cazenovia was characterized by numerous carriage stables, hitching posts and blacksmith shops. Today, Lorenzo State Historic Site is home to an extensive collection of horse-drawn vehicles and a renowned annual pleasure driving competition. In celebration of the 35th Annual Lorenzo Driving Competition, and in association with the Cazenovia Public Library’s equine-centered series of programs this spring, a special family program will be held on Saturday, April 9 at the Lorenzo visitor center.
Program participants will learn how to identify breeds of horse, meet a miniature horse—or two (courtesy Cazenovia College), receive a guided tour of the Lorenzo carriage and sleigh collection and find out how these vehicles were used throughout the year. Special horse-related handouts and giveaways will be available to all participants, 12 and under, and refreshments will be served. Admission is free and open to the public, but pre-registration by April 5 is required as space is limited. Sponsored by the Lorenzo Driving Competition, Inc. and Lorenzo State Historic Site, this event will occur, rain or shine, from 10 am to 11:30 am.
To reserve a spot for “Horses in History and at Lorenzo,” please contact Diane Voss at 436-7988, or for more information re: the 35th Annual Lorenzo Driving Competition on July 16th and 17th this summer, please visit www.lorenzodriving.com.  

Attention, all spinners, weavers, felters, and knitters!  Plans are underway for a new event in Central New York that will be of great interest to all textile artists, as well as to families, animal lovers and anyone interested in supporting local agriculture and art.  The group behind the event is the newly-formed CNY Fiber Artists and Producers, Inc.  Their first “Annual Showcase – From Animals to Art” will be held on June 11th and 12th  at Butternut Hill Campground in Bouckville.   Butternut Hill, on Route 20 in Bouckville, has been home to antique shows for many years and offers a beautiful rural setting for a weekend festival.

The new event will be patterned after fiber festivals such as the annual NYS Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY.  Fiber animals, including sheep, alpaca, llamas, cashmere goats, Angora goats, and Angora rabbits, will be on display.  There will be educational exhibits, and spinners, felters, and weavers will be available for demonstrations. A wide array of vendors will offer raw fleece, skeins of yarn, pelts and hand-spun, hand-knitted, and hand-felted products, along with other locally-produced farm products.  Children will have a tent full of activities to explore, and there will be workshops for both beginning and experienced crafters.   

CNY Fiber Artists and Producers, Inc. is actively recruiting participants for the showcase.

Animal exhibitors, textile craft exhibitors, vendors, and workshop leaders are all welcome.  Do you know anyone who does tatting or rug-hooking?  Do you have a collection of antique spinning wheels or looms for display or sale?   Do you sell supplies for knitters or spinners?   Anyone with an interest in the event can contact the group through Pamela.Haendle@bnymellon.com .More information will soon be available on the group’s new website, www.cnyfiber.org and you can look for them on Facebook as well.  Spinning, weaving, or knitting guilds are welcome to participate as a group, as are 4-H clubs.      

Although this is the first year for an independent event celebrating the fiber arts and fiber animals, many of the festival organizers participated in an exhibition called “Focus on Fiber” at the Madison County Fair in 2008 and 2009.   The “fair within the Fair” included many of the attractions planned for the new festival and was very well received by fairgoers. 

Last night was the kickoff event to the 3rd annual Syracuse Beer Week.  It was hosted at the Empire Brewing Company in Armory Square and Madison County was well represented at the event. 
I've been to a lot of food events over the years, but this was quite possible one of the best events showcasing beer and food in one spot.  The event was called a Farmstead Beer Pairing and it featured 14 "grazing" stations around the restaurant.  At the grazing station you also received about 5-6 ounces of a beer that had been selected to pair with that food.  Most of the beers were from Empire, but they also featured beers from around New York such as Southern Tier Brewing Company, Brooklyn Brewery and Brewery Ommegang. 
The real point of pride for the evening for us at Madison County Tourism was the overwhelming number of food products from our own farmers.  In large part thanks to the great people over at the Central New York Bounty, 12 of the 14 stations featured a product from right here.  Not to mention that hops from Foothill Hops flavor the Empire State Pale Ale, and pumpkins from Critz Farms flavor the seasonal Critz's Pumpkin Ale. 
It was fun to watch people taste the local products and sample the wide variety of products from Madison County.  Whether it was Kobe Beef grown in Cazenovia, Elk from DeRuyter,  Elm Oyster Mushrooms grown in Hamilton or Lamb Sausage with Hop Mustard the vast number of products produced by Madison County farmers is impressive.
All around what a huge win for the farmers in Madison County, and for the Empire Brewing Company.