9th Annual FarmAde this Friday!

Farm-fresh corn

***Update: Please click here to see the route map for our three free FarmAde Shuttle buses, which will run from 3pm onward!****

We’re pleased to welcome you to the 9th annual FarmAde this Friday, Sept 16 from 3-8pm!  Our free-admission, all-ages event serves as a celebration of food, music and community at Vancouver’s very unique urban farm.  Where else in the city would you find audience-participation square dancing, children’s potato sack racing, belly dancing and farm-fresh food at one event?
This year, we’re excited to feature:

• 3:15pm-4pm The Ponderosas
• 4:15pm-4:45pm UBCimprov
• 5pm-5:45pm The Nine Pound Jammers
• 5:50pm-6:10pm Belly dancing – Quartet followed by Maki
• 6:15pm-7:30pm Shout!WhiteDragon with audience-participation square dancing!

• Vegan, vegetarian and local, free-range beef burgers
• Smoothies & juice from The Juice Caboose (organic, vegan, gluten free and soy free)
• Farm-fresh corn and organic UBC Farm veggies
• Organic, fair trade baked goods from Sprouts (vegan options)
• A beverage garden featuring handcrafted brew from East Van’s Storm Brewing

• A supervised children’s area with face painting, outdoor canvas painting, potato sack racing, bubble wands and more!
• Community Info Fair with ForestEthics, the Wilderness Committee, Campus + Community Planning, Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust, by-donation repairs from the AMS Bike Co-Op and more!
• Free tours of the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm (4:30pm and 5:30pm)
• Free shuttle van and free bicycle valet

Many thanks to the generous support of the Alma Mater Society, Student Care, University Neighbourhoods Association, and UBC Transportation Planning. Looking forward to seeing you this Friday!

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Merriment arrayed from this year’s FarmAde

Thanks to everyone who made it out to FarmAde last Friday.

Many thanks also to our wonderful volunteers and to the tireless Nancy Toogood for spearheading this event with such zeal for the eighth year in a row!  Without you, FarmAde would simply not have taken place. Our home brewing workshop host, Danny Seeton, also deserves a special shout out for having enthusiastically led a workshop for over 4 hours amidst a painful headache, which he only revealed to us the end of the day.

With about 1300 smiling attendees strolling through the UBC Farm gates, this year was our best attended FarmAde.  It was such a pleasure to see so many familiar faces and to welcome folks who had never been to the UBC Farm. This annual event is a very important part of promoting awareness about the UBC Farm, the opportunities that it offers for academic and community involvement, and also for supporting its land security.

Amidst all of the bustle on Friday, we realize that FarmAde did not take place without a few inevitable rough patches.  In particular, we apologize for challenges with the shuttle busing.  We greatly appreciate your understanding with such matters, and we welcome input about how we can make the event more enjoyable next year.  Also, we’d gladly appreciate any pictures from the day that you would be willing to share with us (friendsoftheubcfarm@gmail.com)!

Photos courtesy of Annie, Justin, Sang and Nicole.

Bike racks overflowing.

Happy crowds.

The Outliers.

One of our many excellent volunteers.

Friendly neighbourhood spidey.

Chowing down on fresh UBC Farm corn. It’s the first year our maize yield has been big enough to sell at FarmAde!

However… we sold out of corn early in the evening. AMS VP Academic Ben Cappellacci rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

Ben was joined in his emergency shucking efforts by VP Finance Elin Tayyar, who was clearly having no fun.

AMS Sustainability Coordinator Justin Ritchie pitched in as well. Thanks, gentlemen!

Beverage Garden featuring local, handcrafted brew from Storm Brewing and compostable cups.

View of our fine Info Fair organizations.

UBC Bike Co-Op providing cycling education and bike repairs.

Sprouts!

The Ruffled Feathers.

Farm Tour by Andrew.

Cucurbit and brassica in Landed Learning garden plot.

The much-loved Agora String Band. They returned to the stage with their bluegrass tunes later in the evening to play for a small remaining crowd of very serious dancers.

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It’s raining corn! Hallelujah!

Humidity is rising – Barometer’s getting low
According to all sources, the farm’s the place to go
Cause Friday from 3-8
Better get them gumboots worn
For the first time in FarmAde history
It’s gonna start raining corn
It’s Raining corn! Hallelujah! – It’s Raining corn! Blow the horn! I’m gonna go out to run and let myself get
Absolutely soaking wet!

(Thank you Weather Girls and Geri Halliwell)

Photo by Bennyboy218 on Flickr CC

Two important updates about FarmAde this Friday:

1. This year, all of the sweet corn at FarmAde will be from ears grown right on site at the UBC Farm! In previous years, our maize yields have never been large enough to sell at FarmAde, but we have quite a healthy 2010 harvest. Yum!
2. The weather forecast is calling for precipitation on Friday. However, the word on the street is that you’re not a true Vancouverite until you’ve danced to local music in the rain. We certainly wouldn’t want to deprive you of this foundational rite of passage, and thus, we’re fired for a gloriously Vancouverish, rainy FarmAde!  We might even have prizes for the best photos of people kicking up their heels up at FarmAde in the rain.

Please dress appropriately, especially if you’re bringing younger Farm Friends.   See you on Friday!

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Come to the Seventh annual FARMADE!

Thursday September 24
3-7pm
at UBC Farm (6182 South Campus Road)

All ages welcome
Free Admission!

Beer Garden

BBQ burgers, veggie burgers and vegan burgers featuring UBC farm greens, and fresh corn

Live Local music including Agora String Band

Free shuttle service will available but walking and cycling are highly recommended

The Agora String Band plays for party-goers

Hey Farm Friends! Come join us for the seventh annual Farmade, an afternoon of late September sun, great local music, delicious BBQ food, beer, and merriment. It’s a great way to be introduced to the UBC Farm or to rekindle your farm love after a summer away. Last year’s event drew over 800 people and we expect this year’s to be even larger! See you there,

UBC Farm

Crowds on the lawn

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Wednesday Walkabout – here comes the sun

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