Page Farm and Home Museum Plans Open Farm Day July 23
Contact: Patricia Henner, 581-4100
George Manlove, 581-3756
ORONO — Blacksmithing, spinning and worm compost demonstrations, plus vintage video showing Maine’s ice, potato and hay harvesting operations in full swing are just part of the UMaine Page Farm and Home Museum’s celebration of Open Farm Day on July 23.
The free family event is part of the statewide Open Farm Day coordinated by the Maine Department of Agriculture, when 95 working farms across the state will open their doors to visitors.
Page Farm and Home Museum Director Patricia Henner says the annual event is a great opportunity for older people to reminisce about bygone days and customs, and a chance for children to see how life was in earlier times. The museum on the Orono campus features exhibits, resources and special events focusing on rural and agrarian life in Maine between 1865 and 1940.
“It’s a good family time,” Henner says. It’s fun, educational, and a way to connect children with their parents or grandparents. We’ll host exciting exhibits of antique machinery and folk arts. We’ll also have a blacksmith operating an historic forge, historic videos, as well as a spinning demonstration and games for children, and crafts.”
The open house and related activities will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Games for children include ring toss, a clothes pin game and marbles. Refreshments include root beer floats.
As more and more people are building their own backyard compost piles as a way to fortify their garden soils and reduce the volume of table scraps, coffee grounds or fruit and vegetable refuse that otherwise would go to landfills, Henner says the worm composting demonstration should be of special interest.
“It’s an extremely easy project and it’s good for the environment,” she says. Adding red worms to compost accelerates the composting process.
The museum is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends. More information is available by calling the Page Farm and Home Museum at (207) 581-4100 or visiting its Website at www.umaine.edu/pagefarm/.