The seasons of the year are marked at our museums with celebrations that echo the spirit and traditions of rural New York State.
Spring
Summer
Fall
Harvest Festival | September 18 2010, September 19 2010
Come celebrate the start of the fall season at the 32nd annual Harvest Festival at The Farmers' Museum taking place Saturday, September 18th and Sunday, September 19th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This popular event brings together a wide array of performers, exhibitors, delicious foods, artisans, and animals in an alluring 19th-century setting.
This year, the Museum again welcomes members of the Southern Tier Alpaca Association. Dozens of alpaca will be on site taking part in parades, shearing demonstrations and even an obstacle course! (Alpacas have been domesticated for thousands of years. There are no wild alpacas. Along with camels and llamas, they are classified as camelids. Too small to be used as pack animals, they were bred exclusively for their long, soft fiber. This fiber is used for making knitted and woven items, much like wool.) These adorable animals will be accessible to visitors throughout the weekend. There will also be fiber arts and alpaca-related products for sale.
Harvest Festival guests will enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides; historic games and craft activities for the whole family; artisan demonstrations; and delicious foods from the season’s harvest including barbequed chicken, roasted corn, and ice cream. Regional cuisine features baked goods, local produce, and maple products.
The bluegrass group Gravel Yard will entertain the crowd on Saturday evening. Returning are festival favorites Jim Kimball and Dick Bolt, presenting live, traditional music of New York State; and Dickens the Clown, entertaining children with his juggling feats. In addition, visitors can cheer on the dog agility demonstrations, take in a band organ concert at The Empire State Carousel and watch the Junior Livestock Show's Parade of Champions.
Visitors can also enjoy the museum's classic attractions as well - including favorites such as the Empire State Carousel, the Historic Village, Lippitt Farmstead, the Cardiff Giant, and all the animals!
Admission to the event: $12 adults (13+), $10.50 seniors (65+), $6 children (7-12), children 6 and under and members of the New York State Historical Association are free.
Sponsored by KeyBank, McCadam/Cabot Cheese, Gordon Roberts Agency, and the New York State Council on the Arts
Evening at the Tavern | October 9 2010, November 13 2010 | 5:00pm-8:00pm
Enjoy a dining experience featuring a four-course candlelit meal, period music and games, and old-fashioned hospitality in the museum's historic Bump Tavern. The menu is designed and based on foods that were served in rural 19th-century New York taverns.
Fee: $60 non-members/$55 members
Advance reservations are required. For registration and additional information please call 607-547-1452.
Tractor Fest | October 9 2010, October 10 2010 | 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
More information to come!
Things that Go Bump in the Night | October 23 2010, October 29 2010, October 30 2010 | 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Experience The Farmers’ Museum on a guided lantern lit tour. Visit the historic buildings where ghostly happenings have been reported and hear tales of hauntings from the Louis C. Jones book “Things That Go Bump in the Night."
Tour times: 5:30, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30 & 8:00 pm
Fee: $10 per person (ages 3 and up). Reservations are required, please call Meg Preston at (607) 547-1452.
Winter
Candlelight Evening | December 11 2010 | 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Visit The Farmers’ Museum for one of the region's best-loved holiday traditions— Candlelight Evening. Celebrate friendship, family, and community as you raise your spirits with caroling, horse-drawn wagon rides, a stroll through a candlelit village and a warm cup of wassail.
Caroling is scheduled throughout the event. Visit with Saint Nicholas at the Filer’s Corners Schoolhouse from 4:30 to 5:00pm and again from 5:30 to 6:00 pm. Members of the Congregation of the Christ Episcopal Church will present “A Living Nativity,” with performances at 5:00, 5:20, 5:40 and 6:00 pm at the Morey Barn. (Seating is limited.)
An array of seasonal musical programs will take place at the Cornwallville Church including performances by the Catskill Chamber Singers, the Catskill Choral Society Girls’ Choir, and the Northern Comforts Men’s Quartet throughout the evening. Enjoy caroling with Ron Johnson in the More House. The Cooperstown Central School Band will perform on the porch of Bump Tavern and Leatherstocking Brass will entertain at the South End of the Main Barn.
At Filer’s Corners Schoolhouse, children will enjoy arts and crafts activities from 3:00 to 4:15 pm. The Empire State Carousel will be open for rides throughout the event. Todd’s General Store and The Farmers’ Museum Shop will be open with holiday-inspired merchandise.
Hearty, warm chili and soups, gingerbread cookies, brownies, and a variety of hot beverages will be on sale in the heated Louis C. Jones Center in the Museum’s Main Barn and also in the Williams Carriage House next to Bump Tavern.
Candlelight Evening visitors should dress warmly and wear boots. We would also like to encourage the use of our shuttle system for attending the event, as parking is very limited on the museum grounds. There will be free shuttle service from The Otesaga Hotel on Route 80; the Elementary School parking lot; the Red Trolley Lot located off Route 28 (Glen Ave.); the Yellow Trolley Lot, on Lake Road, Route 80, above the Fenimore Art Museum; Doubleday Parking Lot, and a pick up point near the entrance to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, to The Farmers’ Museum throughout the evening.
Admission is $12 for adults; $10.50 for seniors; and $6.00 for children ages 7-12. NYSHA members and children under 6 years of age receive free admission. Activities subject to change.
Thank you to our generous sponsors: Coming soon!
