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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 2016)
SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 // 9 Celebrate autumn at a harvest festival in Nehalem NEHALEM — The Lower Nehalem Community Trust will hold its 14th annual Harvest Festival from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 at its Alder Creek Farm, located at 35955 Underhill Lane. This is a free event to celebrate conservation in the region, the talents of lo- cal residents, the wonders of autumn and the bounty of the harvest. Fun for all ages awaits at the Harvest Festival. Staff from the North County Recreation District will lead youth activities at KidZone. For all ages there will be the famous apple slingshot, old-fashioned cider pressing, and horse and pony rides by Nehalem Bay Horse Excursions & Pony Rides. Look for live music and dancing in the barn with the Nehalem Valley All Stars. The lineup includes Fred Lackaff on vocals and keyboards, Mark Wagner on backing vocals and bass, Scott Wagner on vocals and guitar and Ernie Zolka on percussion. The All Stars provide music ranging from ragtime to reggae, with an emphasis on danceable rhythms. The festival will host the last farmers market of the season in Tillamook Coun- ty. This year’s vendors include Happy Handmade LLC, Cintamani Tonics, Handy Creek Bakery, OK Ranch, Joe’s Bigfoot BBQ, Brickyard Farms, Fraga Farmstead Creamery LLC, North Coast Soap Compa- ny, R-evolution Gardens, Sustaining Space, Com- munity Supported Fishery, and Tallwoman Tonics. Pumpkins by Nehalem Valley Naturals will also be available. Ecology talks for kids and adults alike will be held under the Listening Tree at the farm. Except for the first talk, which is an SUBMITTED PHOTO BY ADELAIDO BAUTISTA The community garden will be open for tours at the Lower Ne- halem Community Trust’s 14th annual Harvest Festival at Alder Creek Farm on Saturday, Oct. 1. hour long, the talks last 20 to 30 minutes. They are: • 12:30 p.m. – “It’s a Bug’s Life” by Kim Miller, who is a teacher at Ne- halem Elementary School. • 1:45 p.m. – “All About Dirt” by Karen Matthews, of Lower Nehalem Com- munity Trust. • 2:30 p.m. – “Discov- ering Cape Falcon Marine Reserve” by Chrissy Smith, of Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve. • 3:15 p.m. – “Fred the Fish’s Journey” by Alix Lee, of Lower Nehalem Watershed Council. Lots of community groups will have booths at the Harvest Festival this year. They include Tilla- mook County Master Gar- deners Association, North Coast Basin Coalition & Friends of Nedonna Marsh, Nehalem Bay Garden Club, Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, Lower Nehalem Watershed Coun- cil, the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes, Food Roots, and Nehalem Valley Farm Trust. Alder Creek Farm is a 59-acre natural area and wildlife sanctuary on the north edge of the Nehalem Estuary. It’s where elk, eagles, great herons and otters live and roam. The farm is also a hotspot for birdwatchers on ebird.org and a stop on the Oregon Coast Birding Trail. This small-scale working farm has an extensive orchard and community garden tended by 40 volunteers who share produce with families served by the North County Food Bank. The farm also has a native plant nursery, greenhouse, ethnobotanical trail, and a sustainable irrigation sys- tem that keeps everything growing strong. Be sure to catch one of the tours offered at the Harvest Festival: • 12:30 p.m. – Commu- nity garden tour by garden coordinator Karen Mat- thews. • 1:15 p.m. – Natural area and wildlife sanctuary tour by stewardship coordi- nator Max Broderick. • 2 p.m. – Nehalem Teaching Trail tour by LNCT co-founder Doug Firstbrook and botanist Celeste Lebo of Oregon State Parks. • 2:45 p.m. – Native Plant Walk by botanist Ce- leste Lebo of Oregon State Parks. • 3:30 p.m. – Commu- nity garden tour by garden SUBMITTED IMAGE This map of the 2016 Harvest Festival shows the location of Alder Creek Farm in Nehalem as well as four starred shuttle bus stops with ofsite parking. coordinator Karen Mat- thews. The event is free, and all vehicles are required to park offsite. Walking and cycling to Alder Creek Farm are encouraged. There will be four satel- lite parking lots with free shuttle bus service to the farm. The four Nehalem lots include the Lighthouse Restaurant (36480 N. Highway 101), St. Cath- erine’s Episcopal Church (36335 N. Highway 101), the NCRD (36155 9th St.), and the municipal lot at the corner of Highway 101 and Seventh Street in down- town Nehalem. Look for parking signs on Highway 101 in downtown Nehalem the day of the event. For more information, visit nehalemtrust.org The Harvest Festival is part of Explore Nature, a series of hikes, walks, paddles and outdoor adventures throughout Tillamook County. Created by Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, Lower Ne- SUBMITTED PHOTO BY ADELAIDO BAUTISTA Richelle Newkirk, right, of Nehalem Bay Horse Excursions & Pony Rides leads a young festival-goer on a irst-ever ride. halem Community Trust, Lower Nehalem Watershed Council, Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS, Tillamook Bay Watershed Council and Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, these meaningful, nature-based experiences highlight the beauty of Tillamook Coun- ty and the work being done to preserve and conserve the area’s natural resources and natural resource-based economy. This effort is partially funded by the Economic Development Council of Tillamook County and Visit Tillamook Coast.
