Farms ready for Sunday cycle tour
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Hillary Hammond and Bay Hammond serve visiting cyclists at Doolittle Farm in Shoreham during last year’s Tour de Farms. Photo provided |
Toolbox
By Gordon Dritschilo Staff Writer - Published: September 19, 2009
With most of the traffic coming by Champlain Orchards already on bicycles, co-owner Andrea Scott likes the idea of getting more of them to stop on their way past.
Plenty are expected to do just that on Sunday, when the orchard is one of several stops on the second annual Tour de Farms.
"It's an awesome way to get the word out about agricultural heritage in Vermont," Scott said of the bicycle tour to Addison County farms. "Being on a bike, it gives people a real visual of how close these farms really are. … We wouldn't be on your typical, well-traveled route. We're not on a highway here."
The event is organized by the Addison County Relocalization Network — known as ACORN and not to be confused with the group that uses the same acronym, which has been in national headlines as of late — along with the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition and Rural Vermont.
Organizer Jonathan Corcoran of ACORN said the inaugural ride succeeded "beyond our wildest expectations," drawing 250 cyclists.
"People were just so excited about the event, to be outside, to be riding," he said. "It's a leisurely event. It's not a race. People are enjoying their Sunday."
The tour begins and ends on the Shoreham Green and offers three routes of differing lengths and ability levels.
"The 10-mile loop is designed for families, children and people who just want to do something short," Corcoran said.
The 24-mile loop, Corcoran said, is the most challenging.
"There are dirt roads and a lot of hills, but it's very scenic," he said.
The longest loop is 28 miles.
"It's primarily on pavement," Corcoran said. "It touches all the way down into the town of Orwell and comes back up."
Along the way, cyclists will stop at orchards, farms, wineries and dairies, sampling the local products. Scott said she'll give away cider donuts and a sampling of apples, though the cyclists might opt to pick their own.
"The Macs are ready," she said. "We have a lot of specialty apples ready — honeycrisps, Cortlands."
The tours depart at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. and are designed to bring the cyclists back to the Shoreham Green in time for Applefest, which runs from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.
"It's going to be music, crafts, a farmers' market, sampling of foods," Corcoran said. "As the riders come in, they have the opportunity to relax, have some food."
Scott, one of the organizers of Applefest, said the town has contemplated such an event for some time and placing it on the day of the Tour de Farms seemed to make sense.
"Apples are a huge part of Shoreham's culture and history," she said.
Registration is $30 for adults and $15 for children under 12. For more information, go to ruralvermont.org.
gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com
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