Farm Aid Concert

After our volunteer shift ended (2 hours earlier then expected) we walked back over to Hershey Park where the Homegrown Village and Concerts were being held.

 The Homegrown Village is where food and farm groups from across the country come together to exhibit their work. It is a place or concertgoers to mingle with farmers, engage in hands-on food and farm activities and learn about the ways family farmers are enriching our soil, protecting our water and growing our economy, in addition to bringing us good food for good health. (source)

The Dickinson College Farms stand inside the Homegrown Village.

The Homegrown Village was full of innovative ideas and projects such as a Farm Incubator which is a large farm that parcels out its land to young farmers interested in starting a farming business as a way to help them get into the business without the enormous upfront costs. Another awesome invention was this bicycle powered grain mill!

The Homegrown Village had some much great information, from new innovative ideas like the ones mentioned above to basic, practical information like Composting 101. There were demonstrations, workshops and petitions. It was a great mix of useful and inspiring information.

Yeah Sweden!

Matt and Jenn, the College Farm Managers gave a presentation about composting and vermicompost (aka worm composting).

 

After hanging out in the Homegrown Village for a few hours it was time enter to concert arena.

First up-Grace Potter.

25,000 to 30,000 people were there!

While sitting in the stands watching Grace Potter we asked the guy behind us to take our picture...

Where are we???

We then asked if he could take one more. 

There we are!

Next up- Jack Johnson (the best of the evening!)

Sunset.

After Jack Johnson was-

Kenny Chesney

David Mathews Band

John Mellencamp

Neil Young 

Willi Nelson

Towards the end of the show we started to get tired and silly.

Caught mid-yawn

Sleepy

Sleeping

Sleeping some more.

Neil Young

Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Rocking out.

An amazing event and an amazing time had by all! 

Can't wait to go back next year!

Farm Aid 2012 Volunteers

Several of my friends work on the Dickinson College Farm and this year the manager of the College Farm, Jenn Halpin, was named as one of Farmer Heroes by Farm Aid. This summer when my friends found out that the Farm Aid concert would be held in Hershey PA (just 20 miles from Dickinson) they were eager to get involved and invited me along. We all applied to be volunteer and were placed on the food prep duty (a 6 hour shift which only lasted 3 hours!)

Lauren and I in our Kick Ass volunteer shirts.

 

Megan, Lauren, me, Tabea and Madison.

The gang- Evan, Lauren, Me, Megan, Tabea, Madison and Kayln.

After volunteer check in we headed over to the staff catering tent to get a bite to eat before our shift started.

All local and organic food.

mmm breakfast!

Megan and Lauren enjoying the delicious spread.

After fueling up we went over the the Giant Stadium to get to work in the kitchen. Hershey Park does not have its own kitchen on site which is why we had to go to the stadium about a mile away. They rely on all packaged foods that don't require anything more then renormalization. Through catering this event Farm Aid was able to show Hershey Park that it is possible to feed 30,000 people on locally sourced, organic ingredients if you have and use the resources available (aka a Kitchen).

The kitchen staff was very well organized and on-top of their game so there was not too much work for us to do. At  first it felt like we were more of a burden then a help to them but then they began to loosen up and I could tell they really enjoyed our company. We provided some comic relied and we all had fun joking around.

Working hard.

Around 12:30 or 1 the paced picked up. The food had to be on its way to the catering tent by 2:30. Madison, Megan and Tabea helped wrap and label food as it was on its way out the door.

Lauren and I were on Green Bean steaming and buttering duty.

so much butter!

By 2:30 the food was being loaded on to the truck to be driven over to Hershey Park. 

Our shift was scheduled to run from 10:30-4. The food was out the door at 2:30 which left nothing else for us to do so the Head Chef let us leave early to enjoy the event.

Three Creek Century

The Harrisburg Cycling Club host an annual century ride which starts at the LeTort Park in Carlisle. Two year ago Lauren and I participated in this beautiful ride through the roll hills of the Pennsylvania country side. This year we decided to ride again. Lauren's Dad, Mike joined us this time.

About an hour into the ride Mike got a flat tire. Luckily we had a patch kit and an expert bike mechanic (aka Lauren) with us. The tube was patched and we were riding again within 20 minutes.

The ride is divided into three courses, a fifty mile loop, and two twenty five mile loops which all start and end at the LeTort. After the first fifty mile loop we stopped and had lunch. The spread was provided by the cycling club as was very tasty, hummus wraps and minestrone soup for the vegetarians as well as fresh fruit, and cookies and cakes galore.  

 yeahhh 50 down.

So many beautiful photo moments along the way.

 

(photo credit- Mike Bruns)

(photo credit- Mike Bruns)

Riding through the corn fields. (Photo credit- Mike Bruns)

Stopping for Lunch. (Photo credit- Mike Bruns)

Lauren, Mike and I after the ride.

 After the ride we decided to bike the extra 10 minutes to the best ice cream shop around, Leo's Ice Cream.

 

A scoop of Coffee Chocolate Chip and one of Vanilla Butterscotch Swirl for me, and a scoops of Coffee Heath Bar and a scoop of Vanilla Butterscotch Swirl for Lauren.

Feeling so happy, accomplished, strong and tired.