Farm Day: It’s a small farm that is no longer operational but a good opportunity to give kids a chance to see what farming was like.

 

 

September 4, 2013

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON.  The whole idea of a farm – that place where the food is grown and the livestock cared for is something many of today’s young people just don’t get.

For today’s kids – food comes from the supermarket or more basically – it’s in the fridge isn’t it?

There was a time when Burlington was the fruit basket for the city.  All of what we know today as Maple Avenue was fruit farms; there is a reason for calling part of Burlington The Orchard and Pepper Drive wasn’t after me – it was a place where peppers, red, green and yellow were grown.

Burlington Mall was farm land where fruit was grown.

All those farms were in time bought up by developers and either commercial operations or housing was constructed.  The “old money” in Burlington is in the pockets of those farmers who suddenly found themselves wealthy beyond their wildest imaginings when the developers came calling.

This is what Burlington was once all about.

All the farmers put their produce on wagons and, before they all had tractors,  the fruit and some vegetables were taken by horse-drawn equipment to what we today call Freeman Station but what was then the Burlington Junction station located right beside the large Freeman property.

How do you teach people what farming was all about?  It was hard work and the crop you took in depended totally on the weather, which didn’t always cooperate.

The Region has saved a couple of locations that were once very prosperous farms. The Regional Museum is built into what was once a barn.

The  Alexander Family Farm takes place each year just after school goes back. Takes place Sunday, September 8, 2013 – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Halton Region Museum.

There was a time when much of Burlington was orchards or fields of vegetables. The orchard is on the north side of Dundas, west of Guelph Line.

Admission: Children – Free; Adults (18 & older) $5.00

What will they do when they get there? Create – Play – Explore – Dance

There will be a   “Nose-to-Beak” Birds of Prey show. Kids will get a chance to help create the Museum’s piece of the Quilt Trail.  There will be a Geocache Challenge, a Discovery Hunt, a Farm Game challenges.

 

What was once a family farm is now the location of the Regional Museum and where Halton’s  annual farm day takes place.

A chance to do some “Pioneer Chores” – no live stock at the museum so there won’t be any mucking out of stalls and there are no chickens so hen houses don’t have to be cleaned out.

A chance to do some farm crafts and a visit to the Blacksmith Shop – and if they don’t know what that is – explain that it has nothing to do with face painting.

And finally there will be a Pond Study

Food and beverages are being provided by the Rotary Club of Milton.  Food & beverage subject to additional charges/fees.

There will be dancing and singing along to tunes of:   Groovin’ Toons, original & familiar kid’s tunes with a groove and Turkey Rhubarb.

If you’re one of those that gets to events like this early in the day you will see the start of the a mass-participation cycling event that  is expected to bring 3,000 recreational cyclists to Halton Region for its inaugural event.

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