Dairy Celebration Days and Billings Farm’s 150th Birthday Party! Saturday and Sunday, June 26 & 27, 2021
WOODSTOCK, VERMONT. . . Billings Farm & Museum’s annual Dairy Celebration Days takes place June 26 & 27, 2021 from 10:00am – 5:00 pm each day. Celebrate Billings Farm’s 150th Anniversary and Vermont’s rich dairy heritage during this two-day event.
- Sample award-winning Billings Farm Cheddar Cheese.
- In the Learning Kitchen, watch how Cheese Straws are made and enjoy a sample!
- Step behind-the-scenes and visit with local youth in the Show Barn as they groom their cattle and prepare to compete in the Youth Invitational Dairy Show on Sunday.
- Take part in hands-on dairy programs. Meet our very own prize-winning Jersey cows and learn about these milk producers and the products made from their milk.
- Help us celebrate Billings Farm’s 150th. Enjoy our Dairy Bar Birthday Special: homemade Strawberry Rhubarb ice cream made with Billings Farm milk and sample complimentary birthday cake. Learn about Billings Farm’s most famous cows and view artifacts and images from the past 150 years. Sign the Birthday Card for Billings Farm and share your favorite memories.
Weekend Highlights:
On Saturday, see how the cows are prepared for competition. Join the Farm staff in Judging Dairy Cattle at 11 am & 1pm and learn how to identify certain characteristics that make up a prize dairy cow. Take an Instagram-worthy picture from 12:00-12:45 pm with one of our prize-winning Jerseys and help Brush a Heifer at 2 pm.! Tina Tuckerman of One Chicken at a Time Farm will demonstrate how to make goat’s milk soap.
On Sunday, watch local youth and their cattle compete in the Third Annual Youth Invitational Dairy Show. The Woodstock Inn & Resort will be on site making their famous Billings Farm Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tomato Jam for purchase from 12:00-3:00 pm.
Billings Farm Celebrates 150 Years:
One hundred and fifty years ago, Frederick Billings imported Jersey cattle from the Isle of Jersey, building a prize herd and transforming his Woodstock estate into a model farm that employed the latest sustainable agricultural practices.
While the intervening years brought successes – as in 1893, when Billings Farm’s Jerseys garnered top honors at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago – and heartbreaking challenges, as when the herd was sold off during hard times in the 1930’s – the Billings family’s dedication to Frederick Billings’ vision held true.
Today, the Billings Farm & Museum breeds and milks a herd of nearly 50 blue ribbon Jerseys, producing more than 650,000 pounds of milk, some of which goes to Agri-Mark for Cabot products and some of which is used to craft award-winning artisan cheeses in partnership with Grafton Village Cheese. The Woodstock landmark is a Vermont destination which attracts thousands of visitors annually with its educational exhibits, engaging programs and special events that bring to life Vermont’s rural heritage.
Visiting safely. We take the safety of our staff, animals, and our guests seriously. Billings Farm & Museum follows guidance from the CDC and the State of Vermont’s Universal Guidance to determine our protocols. For the continued safety of our staff and guests, all guests over the age of 2 are required to wear a face covering in all indoor spaces and outdoors when 6 feet of distance cannot be maintained from people who are not in your traveling party.
Billings Farm & Museum, now in its 39th season, is open daily, 10AM-5PM, through October 31 and weekends 10AM-4PM, November-February. Find the Special Events Calendar, daily schedules, admission pricing and membership information at billingsfarm.org. Celebrate Billings Farm’s 150th Anniversary with a visit this season and support its education mission at billingsfarm.org/donate.
The Billings Farm & Museum is owned and operated by The Woodstock Foundation Inc., a charitable non-profit institution. Billings Farm & Museum is committed to providing educational opportunities and experiences to our visitors, whether here in Woodstock, Vermont or at home wherever you are through our online resources at Billings Farm at Home. Visit us on billingsfarm.org, and find us on Facebook at facebook.com/BillingsFarmMuseum/ and Instagram at instagram.com/billingsfarm/.
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Billings Farm & Museum
Youth lined up with their cattle during competition in the 2019 Youth Invitational Dairy Show at Billings Farm
