Midwestern Farm-ily Reunion!

32556 East 500 North Road,Chatsworth IL 60921

27 August, 2022

Description

You’re invited to our Midwestern Farm-ily Reunion! Join us on Saturday, August 27 at Timberfeast in Chatsworth, Illinois for a dip in the pond, a farm-to-table dinner and a chance to camp out under the vast Illinois starry sky. This is a family-friendly, farmer-friendly, friend-friendly event to celebrate ourselves, our farmers, our local producers and the folks that support us. We planned this Midwestern Farm-ily Reunion to create a little space where we can relax, cool off, feast on local eats, swap crazy stories from 2022, celebrate the magic and intention of farming and connect with our Midwestern neighbors. It’s sure to be a beautiful example of what can happen when a community works together. So, mark your calendars, gather your people and spread the word. We’re preparing for a big, ‘ole fashioned harvest celebration. We hope you’ll be able to join us. We’re looking forward to having an amazing time together. RSVP here! Brought to you by the Northern Illinois Young Farmers Coalition and Illinois Stewardship Alliance. And our other Midwestern Young Farmers chapters - Central Illinois, Iowa and Michigan! The details: Price: Tickets include a multi-course farm dinner, signature cocktail, music and event space funds. The prices reflected here enable us to pay our farmers, chefs, artists and hosts fairly. This chapter is a grass-roots effort and entirely volunteer run. We are offering a pay-what-you-can structure to ensure this event remains accessible to all. Any profit remaining after costs are covered will go towards future community-based NIYF events. Below are our suggested ticket levels. Please choose one that feels do-able for you, your budget and your commitment to economic and social justice. Free ticket - suggested for attendees who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), low-income, student, have been significantly financially impacted by COVID or are living with a disability $20 ticket - attendees who can only afford to pay this rate $40 ticket- the estimated cost of attendance $50, $75, or $100 ticket - attendees who can afford to pay this rate and support others to attend this event Time: Arrive anytime after 1 pm, when the pond will open for swimming. Natural t-shirt dying and lawn games throughout the afternoon. Dinner and music will start around 5:30. Bonfire and storytelling into the night. Farm-to-table dinner: This multi-course meal will showcase the talents of chefs Jeff Eichem (Oriole) and Jim Franks (Patchwork Farms). We are so excited to be working with the bounty of Illinois for this event. August is prime time to shine a light on what the Midwest does best- produce delicious food. Thank you to all our local farms and vendors including Timberfeast, Spence Farms, Silver Tree Distillery, Wild Trillium Farm, Janie’s Mill and Nordic Creamery! If you would like to contribute to this bounty, find more information below. Drinks: We’ll be providing a signature cocktail at the start of dinner, but the rest of the event is BYOB. Camping: We invite everyone to camp at Timberfeast. On the scale of glamping to backcountry camping, we’d place this somewhere in the middle. There is a restroom + a porta-potty, but nothing else fancy. Each person is responsible for bringing their own tent and sleep setup. After RSVPing for the event, we’ll send along a more thorough packing list. In the morning, we’ll have plenty of hot coffee and pastries. Accessibility: The location of the pond and dinner are accessible by car. The entire event will take place on mowed grass. There are ramps to enter the cabin where there’s a restroom. However, the bathroom is not ADA compliant. T-Shirts: Anna Lentz, steward of Spring Bird woodlands and artist retreat, has created fabulous t-shirts for this event. View design below. T-shirts will be white with a black design and are printed locally at Rockford Art Deli (RAD). RAD is committed to revitalizing downtown Rockford, fostering community and supporting non-profits. T-shirts are $25. If you cannot attend the event but would like to buy a t-shirt, you can do that here. If you’re interested in sourcing or sponsorship, here are a few more details: This event, from food to drinks to entertainment, is entirely local. If you would be interested in providing us with any of the following - produce, grains, dairy, value-added, kombucha, beer, spirits, music - we’d love to buy from you! We are proud to offer fair pay for your products or services. Are you a farmer or artisan yourself and want to join the party? Let us know so we can make sure to highlight what you’re already bringing to our community. Are you a local business that cares about our community economies and neighbors? We’d love to showcase your generous support. Donations and sponsors accepted by contacting Jeanne. We’re looking for musicians! If your band is interested, send us an email and we’ll cover your travel costs and feed you dinner. Contact: Jeanne Janson: [email protected]; 314-471-2461 Please sign up for our listserv and follow us on social media (@_NIYFC) for future details about the event. And if you haven’t met us yet, here’s a bit more about who we are - NIYFC formed in the fall of 2021 to connect and charge the vibrant community of farmers, land stewards and local food system allies that currently exist and thrive in urban, suburban and rural northern Illinois. Don’t let our name deceive you. We are a coalition of folks of all ages. If you are young at heart, that counts in our books and we invite you to join us too! We are devoted to supporting the major themes in the National Young Farmers Coalition’s policies, including #farmingisapublicservice, debt relief and access to land and educational resources for farmers. We are devoted to supporting equity in access to land and resources to BIPOC farmers, and changing the current landscape to bring underserved individuals and communities to the table and to power in agriculture. In our fields, fallow and burdened, in grass and furrow, In barn and stable, with scythe, flail, or harrow. Sheep shearing, milking or mowing, on labour that's older Than Knowledge, we work shoulder to shoulder Excerpt adapted from The Boy with the Cart (thank you Tiffany at Root & Sky Farm for sharing!)