Guidestone's 6th Annual Pumpkin Patch Festival

 

October 26 - 28, 2012

 

 

Friday 1pm to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm 

 

New Location! The Hutchinson Ranch, Salida

on Hwy 50 between Salida and Poncha Springs

 


Autumn in the Upper Arkansas Valley is a wonderful time to celebrate with seasonal festivities around the abundant harvest!  One great event for children and families will be Guidestone’s 6th Annual Pumpkin Patch Festival at the Hutchinson Ranch in Salida. The Pumpkin Patch Festival is a 3-day celebration open to the public, which offers a variety of activities and fun for the whole family. 

You can join in on a horse-drawn wagon ride pulled by one of Arkansas Valley Trail Rides’ team of horses out to the pumpkin patch where you can pick the perfect pumpkin for Halloween.  Other engaging activities will include pony rides, an apple-cider press, crafts for the children, face painting, farm games, storytelling, and playing chicken bingo! Enjoy a barbecue meal with hot-apple cider and homemade baked goods.   We are proud to be serving meals featuring foods that are locally-sourced, raised, grown, roasted and made!

New this year includes Friday evening in the Pumpkin Patch!  Stay for dinner, listen to the music of the Simpler Times Stringband, hang out around the bonfire, and stroll the twinkle-lit path to the pumpkin patch.  Experience the magic of the ranch after dark!

Also new this year is a Special Group Rate for school groups and youth organizations to visit the pumpkin patch on Friday morning before it opens to the public.  Reservations required!  For more info and to register, click HERE!

Admission is $5 in advance - click HERE to purchase tickets! and $7 at the door.  Children 2 and under are free!  The cost of admission and the proceeds from the barbeque and baked goods will support Farmhands, Guidestone's education program.

Guidestone is a Salida-based non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the local food economy through the preservation of agricultural resources and education. Guidestone’s Farmhands Education Program provides hands-on farm and ranch education opportunities for children, school groups and families.

Come Join In The Fun!
 


Special thanks to Arkansas Valley Trail Rides, LiveWell Chaffee County, Colorado Grown, Weathervane Farm, Cottonwood Creek Dairy and the Hutchinson Family for hosting and ongoing support!

For more information go to www.guidestonecolorado.org or contact andrea@guidestonecolorado.org


Community Volunteer and Education Opportunities

What a vibrant community we live in! Check out these opportunities coming up in the next week.

Southwest Conservation Corps Volunteer Days
Friday, April 20, 9am-12pm and 12pm-3pm

The Southwest Conservation Corps has several upcoming volunteer opportunities that we thought you might be interested in. We are launching a new gardening and agriculture program and need your help prepping new garden sites in Salida.

On Friday, April 20^th we will kick off Earth Day weekend with a ground-breaking service day at the SCC office. Please join us for a half or full day of project work to install fencing, build raise beds, plant seeds and help promote local food production and sustainability in our community! The morning session will run from 9am-noon and the afternoon session will run from 12pm-3pm. Participants should wear long-pants, sturdy shoes, and warm layers. Don’t forget to bring a water bottle and lunch if you plan to stay all day. The event is open to all ages: kids under 12 must be accompanied by an adult and all participants/parents of minors will need to sign a volunteer waiver.

Our office is located at 701 E. Highway 50, just west of the Hampton Inn. Please contact Tyler Lincoln with any questions at tyler@sccorps.org or 719-539-2438.

Can’t make it this week? We also have Friday service days scheduled for April 27^th and May 4^th – same time and place!

Thanks for your support and we hope to see you Friday!


Learn How to Plan and Install Drip Irrigation!
Hosted by Old Town Farm, Howard
Saturday, April 21 10am-12pm

Drip irrigation makes the most sense for watering garden and landscape plants in our dry climate. Come see and get hands on with the drip irrigation system at our farm in Howard. Comprehensive class covers planning a drip system as well as installation and
maintenance.

Class starts at 10 AM sharp across the street from Howard Hall. Cost is $15 per class, scholarships are available. Email oldtownfarmhoward@gmail.com or call Jonathan at 719-530-1249 for more information.

Additional upcoming Old Town Farm classes:
April 28th – Floating row cover and other plant protection strategies
May 5th – Keeping backyard chickens is easy and fun
May 12th – Know your enemy: All about weeds, wildlife and bugs
May 19th – Why won’t my tomatoes ripen? Success with warm season crops in a cool climate


Agriculture Tax Class
Hosted by Kurt M. Jones, Chaffee County Extension Director
Tuesday, April 24, 6pm-8pm

Colorado State University Extension in Chaffee County will be offering an Agriculture Tax Class for area producers and tax professionals on Tuesday, April 24 from 6:00 until 8:00 at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds. The cost for this class will be $15.

Topics for the class include overview of income taxes, farm income and expenses, common IRS tax forms and schedules used by farmers & ranchers, Farm income vs. other income and how to treat each source, what are deductible farm expenses, record keeping for farmers/ranchers, important dates and additional resources.

The course will be taught by CSU Agriculture and Business Management specialist Jeff Tranel. Pre-registration is required by calling 719-539-6447. Space is limited to the first 40 people. If someone requires accommodation, please let us know at least 5 business days in advance.

Chaffee County Building Farmers Program

Applications are currently being accepted for the inaugural Chaffee County Building Farmer’s Program to be offered in Salida.

The Colorado Building Farmers program builds farm community and farmer capacity through classroom and experiential learning for beginning farmers (0 – 10 yrs exp). The course is a series of 8 evening classes designed to help New Farmers/Ranchers explore farming as a business and provide Intermediate and Experienced Farmers/Ranchers with tools and ideas to refine and enhance their business management, production, and marketing skills.

Classes include Strategic Business Planning, Introduction to holistic management, agriculture modalities, market analysis, land acquisition/leasing, marketing/distribution, financial planning/business organization, budgeting, food safety and other risk management, production Q & A, and presentations of student-created business plans. A variety of local growers and academic specialists make up the cadre of speakers for this eight-week course.

When: Tuesday Evenings, January 31 - March 20, 5:30 pm - 8:30

Where: Chaffee County Fairgrounds, 10165 County Road 120, Salida

Cost: Costs for the course are $200 for new farmers/ranchers, $140 for intermediate farmers/ranchers, and $100 for experienced farmers/ranchers. Course fees include all tuition, expenses, and evening meals each week.

Application Process: Applicants will complete a short questionnaire about their experience and desires for the course, and a local advisory committee will screen applications to determine eligibility.

This course is open to new, intermediate and experienced farmers. Intermediate and Experienced farmers fuel the learning environment. Dinner provides time for socializing and networking. Sessions explore content useful to all levels of experience. New farmers learn in this community of farmer students and teachers.

For more information or an application, contact Kurt Jones at 719-539-6447.

The Colorado Building Farmers program is based upon work supported by NIFA under Award Number 2009-49400-05877 from the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. CSU Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.