The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) announces an exciting array of events and opportunities to support your local farmer while enjoying the lovely fall weather in Pennsylvania. To celebrate the harvest season, PASA is hosting and attending farmer-focused and family-friendly events throughout the Commonwealth. Read on to find an event near you or mark your calendars for a PA road trip!

______________________________

South Central PA:

Join PASA at Farm Aid 2012 on Saturday, September 22, at Hersheypark Stadium. The concert will feature Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds, Kenny Chesney, Jack Johnson, ALO, Pegi Young & The Survivors and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. Farm Aid is much more than a concert – there are plenty of events leading up to the concert, including the following:

• Farm Aid’s 2nd National Gathering of Farm Advocates on Thursday, September 20, is a working meeting that will bring together new and established farm advocates and financial, legal and farm policy experts for a day of training and skills development. Register at farmaid.org/advocates.
• The Farm Aid Forum – Shale Gas Extraction & the Family Farm is an educational session provided to discuss the range of impacts, resources and protections for those facing unconventional natural gas extraction on their land or in their community. This open meeting will be held Friday, September 21st from 9:00am – 12:00pm at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg East (4752 Lindle Road, Harrisburg PA 17111). RSVPs are required – please email alicia@farmaid.org to RSVP.
• Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Village is open from noon to 5:30pm on Saturday, September 22, and is a lively space where concert goers enjoy interactive and experiential exhibits about soil, water, family farmers and good food! Stop by and visit PASA’s three exhibits in the HOMEGROWN Village. Play ag trivia, help recreate a mural of the Buy Fresh Buy Local® logo, learn about backyard conservation and homesteading in the Skills Tent, try out our bicycle powered generator at our Good Food Neighborhood™ booth and enter to win amazing raffle prizes donated by PASA member farms and businesses.

For more information about these and other Farm Aid events surrounding the concert, visit farmaid.org/events.

ART on the FARM at Dickinson College Farm in Boiling Springs on Sunday, September 23, from 4:00pm to 8:00pm is a collaborative fundraiser to benefit PASA & the Carlisle Arts & Learning Center (CALC). Art on the Farm provides a unique opportunity for the Cumberland Valley to experience local flare through art, education and agriculture.

Area painters, ceramicists, fiber artists and performance artists will be engaged “en plein air” work from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Guests will be given a map of the Dickinson College Farm for an opportunity to interact with artists in action. Educational programs will run concurrently with the “en plein air” sessions, allowing visitors to gain a deeper perspective and appreciation for key topics relating to sustainable land management and food production.

Hors d’oeuvres made by local restaurants will be provided along with samplings of craft beer and wines. This will be followed by a light dinner made with fresh, local ingredients. The night will culminate with a live and silent auction. The cost is $40 per Individual or $75 per couple. To purchase tickets visit carlislearts.org or call (717) 249-6973.

______________________________

Eastern PA:
PASA’s 5th Annual Bike Fresh Bike Local ride offers 25, 50 or 75 mile route options to make this the perfect ride for those who haven’t been on their bike in a while to cyclists looking for a challenge. Get your family, friends and co-workers out to appreciate the beautiful rolling hills of Chester County and see where our food comes from! The ride starts & finishes at event partner and Chester County’s famous beer destination, Victory Brewing Company. All participants receive a delicious locally sourced lunch and an award winning Victory draft beer (for riders 21+ years of age) after the ride!
Walk-in registration ($45) is available at the event. PASA also gratefully welcomes additional donations, which you can add at the time of registration. Register at pasafarming.org/bikefresh.

Join PASA from 11:00am – 3:00pm on Saturday, September 22, for an amazing event celebrating the official Grand Re-Opening of Kimberton Whole Foods’ Downingtown store in its new location! Come for the expanded organic produce section, the larger selection of great healthy groceries, the green building features throughout the store and the free samples, bike raffle, kids activities and food demos! The new Downingtown store is 2 doors down from the previous Downingtown location in the Milltown Square Shopping Center.  Directions to Kimberton’s store in Downingtown can be found by visiting kimbertonwholefoods.com/stores/downingtown.

______________________________

Western PA:
September is Local Foods Month in Western PA, and to add to the fun and celebration, PASA is hosting a Farmer Olympics at the Mother Earth News Fair! The Farmer Olympics brings local farmers and their supporters together for some friendly competition in fun, farming-inspired challenges. Teams of farmers and community members will test their skill, agility, teamwork and knowledge in competitions like the potato harvest scramble, tomato-trellising relay, box building, fence moving and farm trivia. Teams receive free admission to the Mother Earth News Fair on Sunday, September 23. Fun for all, and prizes to the winners!

The Mother Earth News Fair at Seven Springs Mountain Resort is a fun-filled, family-oriented sustainable lifestyle event. The Fair features practical, hands-on demos and workshops on topics like renewable energy, small-scale agriculture, livestock, gardening, green building, and natural health in addition to vendors of organic food and drink, books and magazines, tools, seeds, clothing and more. In 2011, over 9,000 people attended the Fair, and this year the event has been extended from two days to three. Look for today’s interview with Mother Earth News Fair keynoter and author of The Art of Fermentation, Sandor Katz on the Good Food Neighborhood blog!

Also, don’t forget about these upcoming Sustainability Schools workshops:

______________________________

About PASA:

With over 5,000 members, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is one of the largest and most active sustainable agriculture organizations in the U.S. Through educational programs and regional marketing assistance for farmers, advocacy, and public outreach, PASA seeks to promote profitable farms that produce healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment. PASA’s hallmark event, the Farming for the Future Conference, draws thousands of participants from more than 30 states and six countries each February. For more information, visit pasafarming.org.

Megan Epler
(814) 349.9856 x15
megan@pasafarming.org

“Promoting profitable farms that provide healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment.”