Advanced registration now open for 36% savings!
BRISTOL, VT -‐The Tour de Farms is one of Vermont’s oldest cycling farm tours and is set in Addison County’s rolling farmlands – voted New England’s best biking by Yankee Magazine. Over 3,000 people have ridden the Tour over the last 7 years in Shoreham and Orwell. REGISTER
The 8th annual Tour features a new route and will be staged out of Bristol on Saturday, September 26, starting at Mt. Abraham Union High School and ending at the Bristol Harvest Festival on the green. The new 37-mile route will feature 8 farm stops and 18 participating farms and restaurants sampling everything from apple cider to pesto, from pulled pork to watermelon.
The Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN) organizes this cycling and local food sampling tour through the beautiful rolling farm country of northeast Addison County. The Tour is the most important fund-‐raiser for ACORN’s work to promote local food and agriculture in the southern Champlain Valley. One-‐quarter of the proceeds from advanced registration will go to participating farms on the Tour.
This year’s event is sponsored by VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, City Market, Healthy Living Market, Earl’s Cyclery, AARP, Skinny Pancake, Bristol Works, Bristol Suites, National Bank of Middlebury, Aqua Vitea, Citizen Cider, Bee’s Wrap, Co-‐ operative Insurance and The Bike Center.
“The Tour is a one-‐of-‐a-‐kind experience,” notes Jonathan Corcoran, ACORN’s Executive Director. “People keep coming back to share a relaxing day with family and friends to experience the flavors of the fall harvest, the beauty of the land and its fall colors and the great people who make our local food community special.”
The 2015 Tour runs through Bristol, New Haven, Monkton, Hinesburg and Starksboro and will showcase the wonderful diversity of farms and local foods in this lesser known part of Addison County. The terrain is hilly with a mix of paved and dirt roads so a mountain bike or road bike with wide tires is recommended. A route map, a list of participating farms, and other Tour information is available at: http://acornvt.org/portfolio/tour-‐de-‐farms/
Those not interested in riding may wish to consider volunteering at the Tour. Volunteers are needed to assist with parking and registration, with prep, set-‐up, serving and take-‐down at our farm-‐stops, and with photography. Volunteers will be entered into a raffle to win various prizes including gift certificates from the Farmhouse Group, Hotel Vermont and other sponsors. People interested in volunteering can send an email to maria@acornvt.org.
The Tour de Farms is a rain or shine event. Advance registration is now open at http://acornvt.org/portfolio/tour-‐de-‐farms/ and will close on September 18 at 5 PM. The advanced registration fee is $35 for adults and $20 for kids 14 -‐18 years
of age. The on-‐site registration fee the day of the event is $55 for adults and $30 for kids. For questions about the Tour, contact ACORN at info@acornvt.org or (802) 382-‐0401.
ACORN (Addison County Relocalization Network) is a 501(c)(3) non-‐profit community organization based in Middlebury, VT whose mission is to promote healthy local food and agriculture in the southern Champlain Valley of Vermont. We are working with growers, schools, businesses and community and statewide partners to double the consumption of locally-‐grown food by 2020. For more information, go to http://acornvt.org/.
Bristol Harvest Festival: The Tour will end up in downtown Bristol where riders can leave their bikes in free valet parking, get something to quench their thirst and hunger, do a little shopping, or just relax and enjoy some of the live music. Festival activities are scheduled to start at 10:00 AM. when the village green will come alive with 70+ crafters, food, vendors, and bandstand entertainment until 4:00 PM.
Free and family-‐friendly! For more information, go to http://www.bristolharvestfest.com/
Contact: Jonathan Corcoran, jcorcoran@acornvt.org, (802) 453‐4334