Big Event News: Farm Aid in Indiana on Sept. 23
Also, learn about compost from legendary urban farmer Will Allen
Breaking News: Farm Aid’s Coming to Indiana
Local Food Forum is thrilled to share the news that the annual Farm Aid festival will be held on Saturday, September 23 at the Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana — about 30 miles northeast of downtown Indianapolis and just a three-hour drive from downtown Chicago.
Farm Aid is the non-profit organization that since 1985 has worked to support family farmers, promote a better and healthier food system and advocate for protecting the environment. According to Farm Aid, “This year's festival will showcase how farmers are leading the way to mitigate climate change. We'll specifically focus on the essential role that water plays in farming and in our lives.”
The centerpiece of the event will be the always-epic evening concert. The lineup (with more to come) includes the core Farm Aid team of Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Margo Price, plus Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack, Lukas Nelson, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, Allison Russell, The String Cheese Incident and Particle Kid.
There will also once again be a Homegrown Village, which will feature food and farm groups from across the country showcasing exhibits about soil, water, energy, food and farming through art, games, and hands-on activities.
I am planning on attending. The Farm Aid festival in Chicago in 2015, when I was really just getting rolling in my second career as a Good Food advocate, was one of my most memorable experiences, so I’m going for another.
Be the first kid on your block to get tickets during the very short pre-sale that begins tomorrow (July 12) at 9 a.m. central time and ends at 4 p.m. central Thursday (July 13) or earlier if pre-sale tickets run out. The public ticket sale begins Saturday (July 15) at 9 a.m. central.
Click the 1st button below for more ticket information, and the second button to learn more about the Homegrown Village (and apply to participate).
Learn About Composting and Meet Will Allen
If you are a farmer or gardener, there is an amazing opportunity this Saturday to learn about compost and vermicompost from legendary expert Will Allen.
Will is the pioneering urban farmer from Milwaukee who for almost 25 years ran the Growing Power non-profit. Saturday’s event will take place beginning at 1:30 p.m. at South Chicago Farm, the flagship location of Urban Growers Collective, 9001 S. Mackinaw Ave., where Will’s daughter Erika Allen — a renowned urban agriculture and food justice advocate in her own right — is co-founder and co-CEO.
According to Urban Growers Collective, the event is “an immersive workshop on compost and vermicompost basics” at which Will Allen “will be sharing his expertise and insights on urban composting. He will provide hands-on demonstrations using the compost systems… giving you a firsthand experience of the techniques behind his success.”
Click below and scroll down to learn more.
A Personal Note
My mother Rita Benenson, who passed away in 2006, was born 97 years ago today. I’ve mentioned before that she instilled a love and respect for food in me, which after a lot of twists turned into this late-blooming second career as a local food advocate.
My mother doted on me and I know she was proud of me in my long first career as a political journalist in Washington, D.C., although she might not have been completely clear about what I did as one of a handful of full-time elections analysts. Occasionally during our long weekly phone conversations, she would counter something I said by referring to something she heard on television from the “experts in Washington.” At the time, I was considered a Washington expert in my tiny niche, but I tried hard not to take offense.
But food… food she would have totally understood. I think she would have been proud of how, after many years, I managed to leverage my love of food into advocacy for a better food system, and I think she would have gotten a kick out of my farmers market adventures and my gradual evolution into a scratch cook.
Like every parent and child, we had our differences, but she gave me something that has blossomed into something that neither of us could have ever expected, for which I’m forever thankful.
Your Mom certainly would be proud of sharing your love for food & building a local food community <3