5th Annual Tour de Farms Offers Great Food, Fun and Bicycling

Fantastic foods, amazing bicycling, and spectacular scenery are in store for all those who participate in the 5th Annual Tour de Farms! Scheduled for Sunday, September 16, 2012 in Shoreham, Vermont. The Tour de Farms offers three loop rides (approx. 10, 25 and 30 miles) and a family-friendly five-mile walking or biking option. At frequent designated stops, family farmers will treat bicyclists and walkers to tasty samples of local foods such as apple cider, quiche, bread, roasted vegetables, yogurt, wine, maple syrup, and cookies.

Because the event is a tour and not a race, the pace is low key, allowing ample time to chat with farmers and relax with friends in the beautiful Champlain Valley. This year’s Tour is sponsored by Earl’s Cyclery & Fitness, City Market, Healthy Living, Cabot Creamery, the Lodge at Otter Creek, Vermont Sun,and the Addison County Regional Planning Commission. The Tour attracts approximately 600 bicyclists from Vermont, northeastern states, and Canada.

The Tour de Farms is co-organized by the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN), Rural Vermont, and the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and is a fundraiser for all three nonprofit groups.  Each year, the tour is enhanced by the addition of new features, such as NOFA-VT’s wood-fired pizza for sale and a stop at a quirky art gallery.  This year’s Tour will offer a handful of new farmers and food producers and three StoryWalk® choices for young children.  StoryWalk® offers the opportunity to read great children’s books while walking in beautiful, natural settings.

There is also a competition open to all who wish to make a short film about the 2012 Tour de Farms.

Participants can expect to sample from B Vineyard, Champlain Orchards, Danz Ahn Farm, Doolittle Farm, Golden Russet Farm, Lemon Fair Honeyworks, Millborne Farm, Misty Knoll Farms, Neshobe Farm, North Branch Farm & Gardens, Singing Cedars Farmstead, Solar Haven Farm, Stonewood Farm, Sunrise Gardens Greenhouse, Sylvan Shade Farm, Vermont Trade Winds Farm, Windfall Orchard, and the restaurant Tourterelle.

If you’re not interested in riding, but want to be involved, consider volunteering! Volunteers are needed to assist with various aspects of the Tour de Farms, including registration, parking, farmers’ helpers, photography, crowd control, and ride marshalling. In return for a three-hour time commitment, volunteers will receive a free Tour de Farms t-shirt. Those who get in touch early are more likely to secure assignments of personal interest.

At noon on September 16, Shoreham will kick off an AppleFest on the town green, complete with continuous live music, crafts, and a farmers’ market featuring a variety of delicious items for sale.  AppleFest continues until 5:00 pm and all proceeds benefit the Platt Memorial Library in Shoreham.

Advance registration fees for the Tour de Farms are: $28 for adults and $13 for kids 16 and under.  Day-of registration fees are $50 for adults and $20 for kids 16 and under. Children in trailers and bike seats ride free and don’t need to be registered.

Registration opens on August 1 at www.ruralvermont.org. All routes begin and end at the Shoreham Town Green. The 30-mile riders depart at 10:30 am, the 25-mile riders depart at 11:00 am, and the 10-mile riders depart at 11:30 am. For more information, contact the VT Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition, www.vtbikeped.org (802) 225-8904 or Rural Vermont, www.ruralvermont.org (802) 223-7222.