Billings Farm

35th Annual Quilt Exhibition
2021-08-11 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-08-12 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-08-13 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-08-14 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-08-15 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-08-16 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-08-17 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-08-18 10:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) and 4 more dates
Explore the juried exhibition of locally-made quilts ONLINE & ONSITE. Enjoy quilting demonstrations and activities for all.

Billings Bookworms Week 6: How Chipmunk Got His Stripes
2021-08-16 10:00 - 11:30
Join the Billings Bookworms! From July 12 through August 16, kids ages 6-8 are invited to Billings Farm & Museum each week to read about and explore a farm-themed topic. This is not just a book club! There are activities and crafts each week and Bookworms get to experience all the site has to offer.
Billings Bookworms Week 6: How Chipmunk Got His Stripes
10-10:30 Book reading and exploration. This week we’ll begin by reading How the Chipmunk Got His Stripes by Joseph Bruchac and James Bruchac, a Native American folktale. Each Bookworm will then pick a passage that stands out to them and write or draw about it. Everyone will have the chance to share what they’ve written or drawn about the story.
10:30-10:45 Snack time. Snack will be provided by Billings Farm & Museum. During snack we will complete the final chapter of Good Dog: Herd You Loud and Clear by Cam Higgins and Ariel Landy. Each week we will continue reading from this chapter book until it is finished on the last day of the club. The book is called Good Dog: Herd You Loud and Clear and is about a young herding dog working to bring in the sheep.
10:45-11:30 Activity time. Today our Bookworms will set out on the Billings Farm & Museum walking trail to identify native plants and learn about the indigenous concept of Seven Generations.
Learn more about Billings Bookworms and complete the application form.
Billings Bookworms is for kids ages 6-8
One session: $25 per participant/$20 per BF&M member
6-week Series: $125 per participant/$100 per BF&M member.
Spaces are limited!

Mindful Monday
2021-08-16 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-08-23 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-08-30 10:00 - 17:00
Heighten your senses in our relaxing farm landscape in a 20-minute instructor-led mindfulness activity offered at 10:30, 11:00, and 11:30 am. Sample herbal tea and Billings Farm cheese from 11 am – 4 pm. Find inner peace with a mission-focused mantra, complete with instructions, available at the Ticket Desk.
Mindful Monday programs are included with admission to Billings Farm & Museum.

Billings Backyard: Putting Your Garden to Bed
2021-08-21 10:00 - 11:30
After a great season of gardening, how can you set yourself up for success next year? Master Gardener Ben Pauly will show you all the best practices to end your season well by putting your gardens to bed. Ben will also discuss the joys of autumn gardening, and making the most of the growing season. Find more information at Billings Backyard: Putting Your Garden to Bed.
A Q&A period with the presenter may continue for up to 30 minutes past the scheduled end time.
Billings Backyard is a series of workshops designed to teach sustainable living skills to adult participants and is underwritten by a generous grant from the SpringRiver Private Foundation Trust. Each workshop includes hands-on demonstrations and concrete steps for incorporating these skills into everyday life.

Pollination Celebration
2021-08-28 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-08-29 10:00 - 17:00
Pollinators – the bees, butterflies, birds and moths we see zipping from flower to flower in the summer – are integral for growing close to 90% of our food supply. Billings Farm & Museum’s Pollination Celebration on August 28 & 29, 2021 highlights this big contribution from such small creatures with hands-on activities and interactive programs for all ages, from 10AM-5PM both days.

Meet local beekeepers from Hall Apiaries and Vermont Beekeepers Association.
Explore the Sunflower House in full bloom and watch pollinators in action. Take the #VTSunflower House #SunflowerSelfie Instagram Challenge and win Billings Farm cheese!
Take in a Garden Talk to hear from the talented Woodstock Inn & Resort gardening team who created the Sunflower House, and learn how it supports pollinators.
Kids can try the Honeybee Dance and craft a Honeybee Headband.
Play lawn games and learn the meanings of Victorian Flower Language.
Find some peaceful moments by following the Self-guided Meditative Walk along the Ottauquechee River Walking Trail.
Cool off with the Pollinator Ice Cream Special at the Dairy Bar: two scoops of vanilla ice cream with a honey berry drizzle, topped with whipped cream! Vanilla, honey and berries are all produced thanks to pollinators!
Sample Herbal Tea or Corn and Tomato Salad made with ingredients pollinated in the Billings Farm gardens.
Take home Pollinator Recipes, including our collection of recipes for delicious cocktails and mocktails using pollinated ingredients.

Pollination Celebration Schedule
10:30 Learn Victorian Flower Language
11:00 Honeybee Dance
11:30 Meet a Beekeeper!
12:30 Garden Talk
1:00 Do the Honeybee Dance
1:30 Meet a Beekeeper!
2:30 Garden Talk
3:00 Do the Honeybee Dance
3:30 Learn Victorian Flower Language
The Dairy Bar is open 11-5.

Billings Backyard: Making Jam with Chef Emery
2021-09-11 10:00 - 11:30
Don’t get in a jam with this year’s harvest! Learn how to turn your bounty into something delicious and new!
Jams can include many more ingredients than just fruits from the orchard or garden. Follow along as Chef Emery demonstrates how to make your own unique blend of sweet and savory jams. Recipes covered will include:

Tomato White Peach Jam
Carrot Cake Jam
Maple Bacon Jam

Discover how easy and fun it is to make your own jam and learn how to incorporate jam into your cooking in ways you might not have thought of before.
This presentation is offered at Billings Farm & Museum and is followed by a 30-minute Q&A period. The workshop costs $15/person; $10/BF&M Member. Space is limited! Reserve your spot before September 10th, at www.billingsfarm.org/classes-workshops/ or call 802-457-2355.
Visiting safely. 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. For outdoor spaces, mask wearing is optional for fully-vaccinated persons; unvaccinated persons must wear masks when around people and unable to maintain 6’ physical distances. No entry is permitted without a face covering. Visit billingsfarm.org/safety for details.
About Chef Emery. Emery Gray, Farm to Table Manager at Billings Farm & Museum and former Pastry Chef de Partie at the Woodstock Inn and Resort, had a passion for food at a very young age. Seeing the way that people connected through the growing, sharing and cooking of food, inspired her to make a career in the kitchen. She attended The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, earning her Associates Degree in Baking and Pastry Arts and her Bachelor’s in Business Management. Traveling the country and the world has translated into a deep appreciation for sustainability of local food systems, and all types of outdoor pursuits year-round.
Billings Backyard is a series of workshops designed to teach sustainable living skills to adult participants and is underwritten by a generous grant from the SpringRiver Private Foundation Trust. Each workshop includes hands-on demonstrations and concrete steps for incorporating these skills into everyday life. Upcoming workshops:
November 13: Homemade Felted Soap with Fiber Artist, Tiana St. James
December 4: Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen with Billings Farm’s Chef Emery

Traditional Crafts Day
2021-09-12 10:00 - 17:00
A celebration of makers and the handmade. Visitors can learn how these pragmatic and beautiful crafts are made, view demonstrations, and meet practicing artisans in the region.
Explore some of Vermont’s traditional crafts and discover their history, process, and uses. Demonstrations will include:

Wheel-thrown Pottery with Laura White of Woodstock, Vermont. White learned her craft through years of schooling and apprenticeships and continues to explore new techniques and ideas. Guests can watch as she creates artful bowls and other vessels for daily use using a pottery wheel. Kids can work some clay at her table and make their own creations.
Leather Working with Mark Humpal of Cornish, New Hampshire. Humpal has been doing leatherwork for four decades, having apprenticed to a master saddle maker and a European shoemaker. He will demonstrate how to make and repair leather harnesses for horses.
Sheep Shear Silhouette Cuttings with Carolyn Guest of St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Using only sheep shears, Guest practices the art of papercutting as a way to tell about her experiences, the stories she has heard and to reflect on her rural Vermont heritage.
Fiber Art Crafts with the Billings Farm staff. See how wool is spun and used for weaving knitting, and crochet.

~ Bring your own knitting and crocheting projects and join a friendly knitting circle.
~ Try finger knitting or working clay at the Kids Clay Station.
~ Sample homemade ricotta and hand-churned butter and watch a demonstration of how they are made.
Fresh local cider and cider donuts will be available for sale as well as Billings Farm artisan-crafted cheddars. The craftspeople on site will have select items for purchase. Live music from 12-3.

Voices from the Land, A Photography Exhibition by Jim Westphalen
2021-09-18 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-09-19 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-09-20 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-09-21 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-09-22 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-09-23 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-09-24 10:00 - 17:00, 2021-09-25 10:00 - 17:00
Sept. 18-Oct. 20
Traveling through Vermont, we might assume rural beauty to be commonplace. But what do we “see” when we pass an old barn or outbuilding? In this exhibition of 22 large-format photographs by celebrated Vermont photographer Jim Westphalen, hosted by Billings Farm & Museum, each picture tells a story, through indelible images of rural structures and landscapes of Vermont.
The photographs are available for purchase and a portion of the proceeds will support Billings Farm & Museum.

Wagon Ride Weekend
2021-09-25 10:00 - 17:00
Capture the beauty of a Vermont autumn on a ride around the farm fields, Saturday, September 25 & Sunday, September 26!
Enjoy different views of the farm’s scenic landscape with three wagon ride options:
~ A 10-minute tractor-drawn wagon ride through the pastures offered from 11:00am-4:00pm,
~ A 10-minute horse-drawn wagon ride offered from 11:00am-2:00pm.
~ A narrated 20-minute tractor-drawn wagon ride from 10:30am-4:30pm – learn more about the landscape and the farm’s history.
Each wagon ride features a different route – ride one or ride all three! No reservations are necessary; however, visitors are required to wear masks on the wagon and in the boarding line.
Additional hands-on activities and demonstrations for all ages are offered on both days:

See Butter churning demonstrations at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm.
Try the pedal tractor obstacle course for kids.
Make a popsicle stick horse craft.
Watch harvest-themed recipe demonstrations in the Learning Kitchen and sample Butternut Squash Gnocchi and Pumpkin Bread.
Families can stroll along the pasture fences and follow the children’s Story Walk Before We Eat: From Farm to Table.

As part of your visit, tour the barns and meet our farm animals, and take a self-guided tour of the 1890 Farm Manager’s House. Guests can also learn about the Vermont’s rural history in the Farm Life exhibits.
Visit Voices from the Land, a photography exhibition by Jim Westphalen hosted by Billings Farm & Museum and on display through October 20. Traveling through Vermont, we might assume rural beauty to be commonplace. But what do we “see” when we pass an old barn or outbuilding? In this exhibition of 22 stunning, large-format photographs by celebrated Vermont photographer Jim Westphalen, each picture tells a story, through indelible images of rural structures and landscapes of Vermont.
Enjoy hot and cold local cider and cider donuts or pumpkin ice cream for sale at the Dairy Bar as well as snacks and Billings Farm cheddar.
On Saturday enjoy live music from 12-3.
On Sunday from 11 AM – 4:30 PM, Trail Break Taps and Tacos, from White River Junction, Vermont, will be on site with their food truck serving a variety of tacos, chips and salsa, and Jarritos Mexican sodas. Guests will also enjoy the beer garden featuring draft beer and margaritas. Admission to Billings Farm & Museum is required.
Visiting safely. 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. For outdoor spaces, mask wearing is optional for fully-vaccinated persons; unvaccinated persons must wear masks when around people and unable to maintain 6’ physical distances. No entry is permitted without a face covering. Visit billingsfarm.org/safety for details.
