The O-town Scene

FREE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 5 | ISSUE 3 Diary of a Beekeeper A Mag Tradition: by mark simonson Candlelight Evening. of crowded shopping centers and overflowing holiday to-do lists. It is a tradition going back to December 1979 and known today as F Farmers' Museum and what was then called the Fenimore House Museum." created it," said Reinholdt, who now lives in northwestern Connecticut. "We were trying to plan some new special events at both The Department at the time, under the direction of over a period of years by a group of us that Milo Stewart at the New York State Historical Association. "It is an event that evolved buster with another name — and very little emphasis on candles. Bruce Reinholdt was an associate in the museum's Education The popular event started out as a stress- or more than 30 years, a unique event at The Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown has offered an escape from the stress ALSO INSIDE: Wine and Dine with Confidence Holiday Tradition Burns Bright E V E N T ical the Festival of the Nativity and Carol Sing. came from an event that was held annually during the 1950s around the holidays, called staff in the Education Department and recalled that the evolution of Candlelight Evening and expand the event." Grace Kull of Cooperstown was also on the einholdt said. "This is nice, but what would be nicer is if we could light the whole Farmers' Museum with some kind of candle or lantern R "I began thinking on a more grand scale," an open fire. Candlelight Evening at The Farmers' Museum were served after the concert in front of the tavern, including wassail from a kettle over food jars, which were then placed inside decorative white paper bags. Refreshments and a walkway was lit from the church to Bump Tavern with candles inside baby As Reinholdt remembered it, a concert was held at the Cornwallville Church, Ulla Kjarval is a NYC-based photographer, food blogger and advocate of grass-fed farming. Her family operates Spring Lake Farm in Meredith. Ulla's blog is titled Goldilocks Finds Manhattan. She is looking for local farms to feature in this column. If you have a favorite farm or want to have your farm featured, please contact her at ullabear@yahoo.com. C churned butter and its delicious flavored yogurts, which change with the seasons and are inspired by local ingredients. And while the name Cowbella is relatively new, the farm that created it has been around for almost 200 years. The Danforth Jersey Farm in Jefferson was founded in 1817. At the center of the farm's success today is Shannon Mason, a young farmer who has bucked the trend of rural flight, coming back to her family's farm to make a living. Her son Gus and daughter Daisy are the seventh generation to live on the farm, and it truly is a family affair, with Shannon's parents, uncle Russell and her husband, Hamilton, all living on the farm. owbella Dairy Products has become a recognized local brand for its prize-winning climate, dairy farmers have to be creative in order to make the work they love profitable enough to be sustainable. Developing a value- added product seemed to be the best option for Shannon and her mother, Gail, who run the farm's yogurt and butter plant, helping Cowbella capture more for its milk, and protecting the farm from the fluctuating nature of milk prices. The two products complement each other well, because the butterfat from the milk is used for the butter, and the remaining skim milk is made into yogurt. On a recent visit, I was struck by the family's deep sense of place and how the new plant is an extension of the family's love of farming and community. In today's tough economic Cowbella dairy products are sold in area specialty shops, grocery 20 O-Town Scene Jan. 12, 2012 Photos courtesy of the New York State Historical Association

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