NEW GLOUCESTER — Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village will host its annual Harvest Festival from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct.7. It will feature a day of free barn tours by Brother Arnold Hadd, free wagon rides, and special activities.
Freshly-picked apples from the historic Shaker orchards will be offered for sale along with cider-pressing of Shaker apples, homemade Shaker apple crisp, homemade BBQ dinner plates and more.
Live Bluegrass music will be provided by Albert Price and the Pseudonyms. Chipman’s Farm, neighbors to the Shakers since the 1790s, will have a fresh bounty of seasonal produce for sale, along with preserves and baked goods. Maple syrup and maple candy will be sold by Passamaquoddy Maple from Jackman, Maine. Seasonal mums, other late-season “bloomers” and houseplants will be available from Donna’s Greenhouse.
Free traditional craft demonstrations will include Shaker-style broom making by Kent Ruesswick, wool carding, spinning, knitting, and weaving by the R&R Spinners, rug hooking by Parris House Wool Works, blacksmithing by Tim Greene, weaving by Marjie Thompson, wood-turning by Peter Asselyn, Native American artists and crafters including Lightning Hawk Creations and dolls by Wendy Hamilton, and woodcarving by the Poland Woodcarvers.
Book signings by Don Perkins, “The Barns of Maine,” and Chris Becksvoort, “The Shaker Legacy,” will also be featured.
Enjoy free wagon rides throughout the day and free face painting for kids along with free gourd decorating. Rain or shine; all activities will be in the Shakers’ historic 1830 barns. The Museum is open for tours as well as the Shaker Store and Museum Gift Shop.
Free nature walks will also be offered at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. On these two-hour guided hikes through the Shakers’ land, participants will learn about the indigenous species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, plants, trees, and fungi that occupy the many, diverse habitats of Shaker Village. See evidence of glacial and geological forces that formed the land and watershed, including Sabbathday Lake from Loon’s Point and the hidden treasure of Aurelia’s Cascade. The hike through hayfields, forest land, and century-old logging trails will include insights to the Shakers’ 200 years of land use and management. Pre-registration is not required but is encouraged due to limited space. Call 207-926-4597 or visit www.maineshakers.com/workshops
Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village is located at 707 Shaker Road (Route 26) in New Gloucester. FMI: Call 207-926-4597, email info@maineshakers.com, www.maineshakers.com, or follow on Facebook www.facebook.com/SabbathdayLakeShakerVillage
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