Page Farm & Home Museum Community Picnic July 31 Combines Fun, Education
Contact: Patty Henner, 581-4100
George Manlove, 581-3756
ORONO — Old-time games, a home-made ice cream-making demonstration, blacksmithing, heritage garden tours and other activities from earlier times are just a few of the events scheduled July 31, as the University of Maine’s Page Farm and Home Museum hosts its annual community picnic lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This is the tenth year that the UMaine farm and home museum has offered an educational program to celebrate rural Maine farm life and offer the public a chance to learn about past life in Maine, says Page Farm and Home Museum director Patricia Henner.
The Page Farm and Home Museum features exhibits, tours, special events and information about agricultural and rural living in Maine between 1865 and 1940. It houses a premier collection of farm implements, household items and Maine folk arts, in addition to equipment and vehicles used for clearing land to harvesting and storing crops. Permanent exhibits include a novel gift shop in an old general store setting and a replica of celebrated Maine cook and cookbook author “Brownie” Schrumpf’s kitchen, in addition to animal husbandry, stenciling and 4-H and ice-harvesting exhibits. The blacksmith shop, carriage house and one-room schoolhouse open for tour groups and visitors on special occasions.
One such occasion is the annual community picnic, says Henner, where visitors can experience many of the old-time activities with family and friends.
“We always have a great time,” Henner says. “The kids love it. This is one of our most popular events.”
The event is free, although participants are asked to bring a dish, like a casserole or a salad, to share and a lawn chair or blanket. In inclement weather, activities will move indoors. Field activities and games begin at 11 a.m. The picnic begins at noon. Games start after lunch.
Activities for the fun-filled day include a spinning demonstration, a hay maze, herbal crafts, historic videos and a poultry exhibit. Games for young and old include horseshoes, bean bag toss, croquet and a three-legged race. The annual picnic is a time for families “to come and see demonstrations of traditional crafts and to feel involved in the community, meet friends and neighbors and mix fun with education,” Henner says.
The Page Farm and Home Museum, located in the oldest and last remaining original agricultural building on the University of Maine campus, is just south of the Maine Center for the Arts. More information about the community picnic and other events at the farm and home museum, please call 581-4100 or visit the museum website: http://www.ume.maine.edu/~pfhm.