Save the Date
Saturday, October 5th from 12:00pm to 6:00pm for the Delicious Driftless Fare at Folklore Village: 3210 County Highway BB, Dodgeville, Wisconsin. (map)
First annual local foods festival, Delicious Driftless Fare, to be held October 5th
Folklore Village and SWWRPC collaborate to bring regional event to Folklore Village
The Delicious Driftless Fare is a regional event, with a focus on local foods, farmers, and their products; the goal is to provide a networking opportunity for anyone interested in the local food chain. Presentations, panel discussions, and workshops will provide hands-on learning experiences, highlighting the growing and preparing of local foods in Driftless Wisconsin.
The Delicious Driftless Fare will be a one-day event, held during harvest season on Saturday, October 5th at Folklore Village, near Dodgeville. The Fare will feature workshops, panel discussions, art, music, and samples from local producers including, Queen Bee Honey and the Driftless Market. Steven Deller, Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at UW-Madison, will be the keynote speaker. Deller will speak about understanding the changing dynamics of the local foods economy, and identifying local economic strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities at 1:00 pm in Farwell hall. A panel discussion about the regional food economy will follow the keynote.
According to Ricky Rolfsmeyer, Executive Director of Folklore Village, "We've found that Southwest Wisconsin has become a gathering place for artists and food entrepreneurs. Southwest Wisconsin is and has always been an entrepreneurial place. A large percentage of the region's workforce is self-employed, many in agriculture, and we want to reinforce their importance to the economic well-being of the Driftless Area. Folklore Village is actually the old Farwell farm, so it seemed to be a natural place to celebrate the region's family farms."
To support the Delicious Driftless Fare focus, Grassroots Citizens for Change will be sponsoring a movie night at the Mineral Point Opera house on October 4th at 6:30pm. Admission to the movie will be free, however donations will be accepted in support of the Delicious Driftless Fare. There will be a book sale and signing of Super Snacks for Super Kids. Healthy snacks made from recipes in the book will also be sold. All proceeds from the books and snacks will support the Fare. The movie will be followed by a panel discussion led by Kriss Marion of Circle M Farms, and a reception at the Grey Dog Deli with local wine and cheese.
The Delicious Driftless Fare is one of four projects selected to receive staff support to implement the goals of the Grow Southwest Wisconsin plan through the Grow Southwest Capacity Building Assistance program. Projects were selected in February, from throughout the region, to contribute to the implementation of goals from across nine topic areas. This festival will address the three Grow Southwest Wisconsin overarching regional priorities:
- Improve regional collaboration, communication, and awareness of resources in Southwestern Wisconsin
- Brand and market the unique character and attractions of Southwest Wisconsin
- Preserve, sustain, and manage Southwestern Wisconsin's agricultural and natural resources
The goal of the Grow Southwest Wisconsin Capacity Building Assistance program is to assist local communities in launching projects that will move the community and region towards achievement of the Grow Southwest Wisconsin goals. For more information on Grow Southwest Wisconsin please visit www.growsouthwest.org
