Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend at Billings Farm & Museum
Billings Farm & Museum is open January 14 – 16, 10:00am – 4:00PM for Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend. Visitors of all ages can enjoy thoughtful reflection on King’s legacy and engaging activities indoors and out during the long weekend.
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Museum will air A Time for Justice, the 38-minute award-winning documentary film by Charles Guggenheim that captures the spirit of the civil rights movement. The film will be shown daily and included with admission. Showings on Saturday and Sunday will conclude at 1:00PM.
King opened doors in various sectors of our society for African Americans to ascend – to become role models and find new opportunities to express themselves broadly. One American who gained this new opportunity was tennis star Arthur Ashe. The Woodstock Vermont Film Series will present Citizen Ashe with showings on Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15 at 3:00PM in the Visitor Center Theater. This tribute to an extraordinary life explores Ashe’s legacy as a tennis great and humanitarian. The film charts his personal evolution from being the first major Black tennis star to becoming a global activist.
Saturday’s screening will be followed by a discussion with former professional tennis player and prominent tennis historian, Art Carrington, and Film Series curator, Jay Craven. Carrington wrote “Black Tennis: An Archival Collection Between 1890 and 1962,” a historical look the American Tennis Association and the pioneer period for African American tennis at large. Film Series tickets are purchased separately. For tickets and more information, visit billingsfarm.org/filmseries or call 802-457-5303.
Family activities for the holiday weekend include creating a dove of peace paper craft and going on a scavenger hunt in the Farm Life Exhibits. There will be a Children’s Storytime at 1:00PM and Education Programs including a Butter Program at 12:00PM and Victorian Flower Language at 3:00PM. Guests can also stop by the barns to Meet a Jersey Cow at 11:00AM and 2:00PM and see the daily milking at 3:15PM. Weather permitting, guests can step outside into the snow-covered landscape for a light snowshoe or ski along the Ottauquechee River. Warmed by the crackling outdoor fire, guests can enjoy roasted s’mores and hot cocoa, available for purchase.
On Monday, January 16, there will be old-fashioned horse-drawn wagon or sleigh rides through the beautiful farmstead, conditions permitting. Public sleigh rides are included with admission; donations are welcome. For more details, visit tinyurl.com/MLKWeekend23.
Admission to Billings Farm & Museum includes the Animal Barns, Vermont Farm Life Exhibits, and the 1890 Farm Manager’s House featuring the creamery, the kitchen, and in-home innovations that were considered state-of-the-art for the time. Visitors can meet the farm’s Jersey cows, draft horses, sheep, goats, and chickens cozy in the barns. Families can enjoy the Story Walk as page by page, Over & Under the Snow by Kate Messner unfolds along the pasture fence.
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, and history, and learn new skills. There are a number of opportunities and timeslots available. Volunteers will greet guests, give out Billings Farm Cheese samples, assist with crafts and more. To get involved, please visit billingsfarm.org/volunteer.
