2012 Events
February
4 & 5, 11 & 12: February Weekends – Visit the Jersey herd, draft horses, oxen, and sheep in the farm barns; tour the restored & furnished 1890 Farm House – a model of efficiency in its day; A Place in the Land, our Academy Award® - nominee film is shown in the theater. 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
18 - 26: Sleigh Ride Week - Sleigh rides, sledding with jack jumpers; dairy farm and farmhouse; programs and hands-on activities. Sample Presidential cookie favorites and spiced cider! 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
20: Vermont Humanities Council Program: Abigail Adams: Madame President (1788-1803) - At 3:00 p.m. in the Billings Farm & Museum theater, actress Linda Myer will portray Abigail Adams. Program is free and open to the public; reservations requested.
21 - 23: February Vacation Programs - programs for ages 6-15 that feature a hands-on experience of the farm during winter. Preregistration and fee.
April
7: Baby Animal Day - Meet the farm's newest additions during on-going family-centered programs with the lambs, chicks, and calves; heirloom garden activities and wagon rides; 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
28: Opening Day of the 30th Season - Visitor plowing with the Billings' teams, horse-drawn fieldwork, wagon rides, and hands-on programs.
May
5 & 6: Sheep Shearing & Herding with Border Collies: Wild Wooly Weekend - A weekend devoted to our Southdown sheep and their border collie friends. Watch the spring shearing of the farm's ewes and demonstrations of border collies herding sheep in the farm fields. The Teago Volunteer Fire Department will provide lunch –proceeds benefit the department. Admission includes the children's art show and the 27th annual spring commemorative button.
26 & 27: Cheese & Dairy Celebration - Celebrate Vermont's distinctive dairy heritage during a weekend of sampling delicious Vermont cheeses and meeting local cheese makers; dairy education programs, making cheese, ice cream and butter.
June
3, 10, 17, & 24: Ice Cream Sundays - June is Dairy Month! Lend a hand making and sampling ice cream while learning the history and science of this dairy treat.
July
4: Old Vermont 4th - A patriotic family celebration featuring the reading of the Declaration of Independence, historic debates, wagon rides, making 1890 flags, a spelling bee, the egg toss, and lots more.
10, 17, 24, 31: Time Travel Tuesdays - Experience late 19th century chores and pastimes in the farmhouse firsthand, and stay as long as you like. There's plenty of work and fun for every age!
11, 18, 25: Wagon Ride Wednesdays - Horse-drawn wagon rides featured each Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
13, 20, 27: Foodways Fridays - Discover how we use seasonal vegetable and herbs from our heirloom garden in historic recipes. Different take-home recipes each week!
15: National Ice Cream Day - Help make and sample four flavors of ice cream as we celebrate “the great American dessert.”
28: Hay Day - NEW EVENT! A summer day in the farm fields, featuring traditional haying techniques, including cutting, raking, and tedding with the Farm's draft horses and equipment. Quench your thirst with a sample of Switchel, the haymaker's drink. Especially for families: Find a Penny-In-The-Haystack, making scarecrows puppets & clothespin horses; horse-drawn wagon rides, farm programs, and activities.
August
1 - September 23: 26th Annual Quilt Exhibition - This highly-anticipated juried exhibition of more than 50 quilts made exclusively in Windsor County will celebrate 26 years of quilting excellence at the Billings Farm. Quilting demonstrations, programs, and activities for children and adults.
1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Wagon Ride Wednesdays - Horse-drawn wagon rides featured each Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Foodways Fridays - Discover how we use seasonal vegetable and herbs from our heirloom garden in historic recipes. Different take-home recipes each week!
4: The Chicken & the Egg - We'll feature a variety of breeds of chickens to see their similarities and differences, plus baby chicks. Fun facts about chickens and eggs, plus the egg toss and games.
7, 14, 21: Time Travel Tuesdays - Experience late 19th century chores and pastimes in the farmhouse firsthand, and stay as long as you like. There's plenty of work and fun for every age!
12: Antique Tractor Day - Tractors made between 1930 and the 1960s will be displayed by the proud and talented folks who restored them. The tractor parade at 1:00 p.m., includes restoration details and historical information. Tractor-drawn wagon rides and tractor activities for children, including the popular tractor sandbox. Plan to purchase lunch from the Teago Volunteer Fire Department – all proceeds benefit the department.
September
1, 8, 15, & 22: Traditional Craft Saturdays - Explore traditional crafts and learn more about their history, process, and use from experienced crafters.
1 - 23: 26th Annual Quilt Exhibition - This highly-anticipated juried exhibition of more than 50 quilts made exclusively in Windsor County will celebrate 26 years of quilting excellence at the Billings Farm. Quilting demonstrations, programs, and activities for children and adults.
5, 12, 19, 26: Wagon Ride Wednesdays - Horse-drawn wagon rides featured each Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
7, 14, 21, 28: Foodways Fridays - Discover how we use seasonal vegetable and herbs from our heirloom garden in historic recipes. Different take-home recipes each week!
29 & 30: Pumpkin & Apple Celebration - Hands-on programs will highlight these two essential fall crops, including: apple tasting, cider pressing, pumpkin bowling, apples-on-a-string, making pumpkin & apple ice cream, cooking apple butter in the farmhouse, and wagon rides.
October
5, 12, 19: Foodways Fridays - Discover how we use seasonal vegetable and herbs from our heirloom garden in historic recipes. Different take-home recipes each week!
6 & 7: Harvest Weekend - Join us for a traditional Vermont harvest celebration with a husking bee and barn dance; cider pressing, harvesting root vegetables, “putting food by,” and more; spiced cider and homemade doughnuts.
13 & 14: Autumn Wagon Ride Weekend - Narrated horse-drawn wagon rides around the Billings' fields during the height of fall foliage; farm programs and activities.
28: A Family Halloween - Halloween fun for all ages! Doughnuts-on-a-string, pumpkin carving, Halloween tales, wagon rides, and lots more. Costume parades at 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. Children in costume admitted free when accompanied by an adult.
November
3 & 4; 10 & 11; 17 & 18: Wagon Ride Weekends – Take a horse-drawn wagon ride and enjoy the dairy farm, farmhouse, and farm life exhibits during late fall – when the brilliance of foliage has softened and the weather is still pleasant; daily programs and activities. 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
23-25: Thanksgiving Weekend – The tradition of celebratory feasts for a bountiful harvest spans cultures, continents, and millennia. Discover how Thanksgiving was observed in the 1890 Farm House at the Billings Farm – preparations, menu, and entertainment – and the critical and demanding work of harvesting crops each fall. The “History of Thanksgiving” programs will be presented in the parlor; cider pressing and harvest and food preservation activities for every age. Enjoy a horse-drawn wagon ride and a homemade treat. Last weekend of the season to visit the farm life exhibits. 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
December
1 & 2, 15 & 16, 22 & 23: Christmas at the Farm – Learn how Christmas was celebrated in late 19th century Woodstock in the farmhouse and linger in the cozy kitchen as treats are baked in the woodstove. Holiday programs and making historic ornaments. Don't miss a winter visit to the farm. 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
7, 8, & 9: Wassail Weekend – You'll be welcomed to tour the festively decorated 1890 Farm House; make a historic ornament as a memento of your visit. Sunday: horse-drawn sleigh or wagon rides (weather permitting). 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
26 - Jan. 1 (excluding Christmas Day): Christmas at the Farm – Learn how Christmas was celebrated in late 19th century Woodstock in the farmhouse and linger in the cozy kitchen as treats are baked in the woodstove. Holiday programs and making historic ornaments. Don't miss a winter visit to the farm. Horse-drawn sleigh ride or wagon rides (weather permitting). 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
2013 Winter Events
January & February Weekends – Visit the Jersey herd, draft horses, oxen, and sheep – inside for the winter – and tour the restored and furnished 1890 Farm House. A Place in the Land, our Academy Award®-nominee film is shown on the hour in the theater. 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
January 19 - 21: Sleigh Ride Weekend – Horse-drawn sleigh rides, jack jumper sledding; dairy farm and restored farmhouse; programs and activities. 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
February 16 - 24: Sleigh Ride Week - Sleigh rides, sledding with jack jumpers; dairy farm and farmhouse; programs and hands-on activities. 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Events & Programs
