FARMINGTON — Mark your calendars for the annual Maine Fiddlehead Festival on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the University of Maine at Farmington campus. This year’s festival is the 11th celebration of local food organized cooperatively by UMF faculty, students, staff and local community members, with the generous support of local area businesses. Attendance is free and open to the public.
Festival attendees should come hungry to the event as farmers and food producers will once again offer up many edible delights. Expect to find spring greens, fresh dug parsnips, seedlings, the last of the overwintered root crops, farm raised herbs and teas and specialty food products galore from farmers and artisan food vendors.
Fiddleheads in many creative dishes will be available for sampling at the cooking demonstration spearheaded by local chef Ashley Montgomery. Food trucks on site will include The Ugly Dumpling and Fresh Eatz. With more than 45 vendors attending to represent farmers, artisan food producers, crafters, area nonprofits and more there will be lots to see, do and eat at the festival.
Festival organizers have been hard at work creating a kid’s zone complete with hands-on activities, farm animals and exhibits. Back again this year is a line-up of Tent Talks throughout the day. Topics include plant-based methods for soil fertility, sustainable fiddlehead harvesting, spring mushrooming in Maine, and a presentation by the Kroka Semester – 12 teens sharing their story of eating local on a five-month human-powered expedition.
The outside amphitheater on campus will once again host a great lineup of musicians to entertain everyone throughout the day, including a performance by the Franklin County Fiddlers.
This free, family friendly festival occurs rain or shine in the High Street parking lot, the courtyard between the UMF Olsen Student Center and Roberts Learning Center buildings at the southern end of the UMF campus and in the UMF amphitheater.
If inclement weather occurs, the festival will move inside to the Student Center. Parking is available in nearby university lots located on High Street and on lower Main Street near Abbott Park.
For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit https://www.umf.maine.edu/sustainability/maine-fiddlehead-festival/ or the Maine Fiddlehead Festival page on Facebook. For questions about the event, contact Mark Pires, UMF Campus Sustainability Coordinator, at 207-778-7015 or [email protected].
