The Gods of the Harvest were smiling down on the Second Annual Truro AgFair yesterday – perfect weather!
Excitement filled the air as first-timers Lisa Brown, Sharyn Lindsay, and master gardener Victoria Pecoraro, prepared to sell flowers and vegetables alongside Truro veterans who had participated last year. Having attended the Truro AgFair in 2009 myself, I was able to tell the Wellfleetians what a good time to expect: joyous, rollicking fun. Not to mention the food. Check out these pies! We had all been welcomed by Truro artist Tom Watson,
dressed in appropriate formal farmhand wear, including white shirt, red suspenders, and straw hat. Daughter Polly modeled her brand new T-shirt while Dad manned the raffle box. Behind him on the wall, one of his paintings, first prize in the raffle. A magnificent turkey was second prize. The turkey squawked indignantly every time a dog came too close. When I stopped back, someone had started a campaign to write “Free-the-turkey” on the raffle tickets. There were pie-eating contests, a Harvest Contest that included the Best Looking Dozen (Eggs) and the Longest Cucumber (Sharyn, did yours win?) Pies were being auctioned off; kids’ faces, painted. One stand was surrounded by a row of enormous pumpkins, all grown in Truro.Jack Reimer was eager to tell me about a 4H garden, behind the Truro Library, where children “prepared the beds, planted the seeds, weeded the garden, and harvested.” Meanwhile I was admiring Kaden’s Easter egg plant, amongst the Harvest Contest Submissions from Kids. “It’s amazing to see how interested the kids became,” Jack added. No wonder! Compost, worms, soil: there was so much to learn.
And, all around us, kids of all ages were taking in the AgFair action. Farm animals, mushrooms, bees, charcoal, a stand where two ladies explained why the proposed Food Safety bill is actually awful for small farmers and organic vegetable growers. Nearby, Laura Kelley's stand provided information on why protecting Cape Cod water is important for organic farmers.
Over at the bandstand,
organizer Francie Randolph began introducing Scott Soares, DAR Commissioner for MA, who pointed out there are 40 such events in the state, that the AgFair offers an opportunity to learn about the farming community. “I encourage you to talk to the farmers and growers who bring local products to your table,” Soares declared. Then eager parents jostled for the best spots to watch their kids eat blueberry pie in the first of three pie-eating contests.
A young lady named Halley gobbled fastest and won first place. Tristen, who had allowed me to photograph his scary painted face earlier, came in third. After a few announcements, a fiddler began to play a rousing tune. What struck me the most was the number of families either selling together or enjoying the AgFair together, and how much fun everyone was having. Below, photos of some of the awesome organic veggies but first a few bits of overheard conversation:“These tomatoes are the reason I got up this morning.”
“Look at that longest cucumber!”
“That stand has the most gorgeous veggies.”
“Are you ready to have blueberries in your nose?”
“I wrote Free-the-Turkey on all of them. "
“Isn’t it amazing? You’d never know what’s growing in this town if you didn’t come to the AgFair!”
