4th on the Farm with Family, Friends, Food & Fun
On a day for friends, family, and fun, guests can celebrate 4th on the Farm from 10AM – 5PM, with games, music, food and more at Billings Farm & Museum.
There will be a friendly, action-packed game of historic base ball at 2PM. Following rules from 1860, the game will be played on a field among the crops with wood shaving baselines, canvas bases filled with straw, and metal pitcher and home plates. Players will use ash bat reproductions and follow the tradition of playing barehanded. Visitors of all ages can join the team or grab some food and cheer from the bleachers for one of the original American pastimes.
Fun will be spread all over the site with lawn games, three-legged races, and the novelty egg-and-spoon race. Families will have a chance to meet the farm animals up close and take a tractor wagon ride through the fields from 11AM – 3PM. Children will have the chance to craft fun, wearable flare with a colorful firework ring, or enjoy story book readings at 12PM and 4PM.
Word enthusiasts can try their vocabulary in a youth spelling bee at 11AM and 3PM, and an adult spelling bee at 1PM. With an historic twist, this competition will be a test of 19th century vernacular. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbons will be awarded in each category. To step further into history, guests can stroll through the revitalized and expanded Farmstead Gardens to see the Victory Garden, a WWII necessity to promote gardening at home so food processing plants could be repurposed for the war efforts.
Guests can enjoy the live music of gifted banjo and hammered dulcimer player, Tom McKenzie from 11AM – 3PM. What better way to enjoy the 4th than with a cool, Vermont-made ice cream, or the pure delight of fresh spun maple cotton candy for purchase at the Farmhouse Café, open 11AM – 5PM.
The Activity Barn at Billings Farm & Museum has been transformed by the incredible display of color and design of the 44 artfully crafted quilts in the 36th Annual Quilt Exhibition. The exhibition features contemporary quilts made by Windsor County Quilters, challenge quilts using neckties by the Delectable Mountain Quilters, and historical quilts with optical illusion patterns from the museum’s collection.
The Billings Farm Volunteer Program is a way to make meaningful connections with the Billings community. Volunteers make new friends, share their enthusiasm for farming, rural life, gardening, and history, and learn new skills. There are shifts available from 9-1 or 1-5 during 4th on the Farm. Volunteers will greet guests, facilitate the firework ring crafts, or give out Billings Farm Cheese samples. To get involved, please visit billingsfarm.org/volunteer/.
