Harvest Fest Thanks

Attention: Please send any good photos from the Harvest Festival to Andy so we can post them here.

As everyone who went can attest, the 2011 LCS Harvest Festival was an utter success. The weather was fabulous, amazingly warm for October. But to attribute the success to a nice day would miss the big pile of work that people did to make the Harvest Fest happen.

It started with folks in the LCS office sending out a beautiful and timely postcard. Then we had each E1 class out to help harvest pumpkins, and other E1 students continued to come in small groups and harvest more pumpkins. Then the Junior High staff and students took on the support of various activities and circulated a sign-up form. At the same time many of our Garden Share folks were signing up to come early and help out.

The preparations kicked into high gear the week before the festival. Class F came out and harvested something like 800 pounds of potatoes and bagged many of them up for sale. Class G came out for an overnight, specifically to help get ready. They harvested the last of the pumpkins, washed squash, made the land school's squash into a potluck contribution, washed and bagged more potatoes, cleaned up the long barn, braided garlic, set up the food-dehydrator demonstration, decorated the homestead exterior, and much more.

On the morning of the Festival, volunteers showed up in waves. Our neighbors dropped off tractors for machinery row. Some volunteers set up the greeting area, some prepared for the potluck, some got ready to paint faces, Some set up the wool work, others set up the cider press and apple bobbing, some braided garlic and labeled syrup, many worked on washing pumpkins and moving squash. The Land School was abuzz with purposeful activity.

As the visitors arrived, several volunteers kept working and new ones also filled in seamlessly. Adults took turns at the cider press. Mary watched the potluck. Jim greeted over 350 people. Junior Highers helped support the market sales, the wreath making, and the face painting. Our neighbors showed up with the hay wagons and started the hayrides. Denise and Anne got ready for the dog skill demonstration. Pete arrived with an amp, ready to play. Many folks stayed late to help clean up as the music played.

Through it all, many people had many meaningful connections to each other, the land, and Lake Country as a whole. Thank you to everyone who helped!