By Christine M. Quirk — Christine@concordbridge.org
Should you need tomatoes, zucchini, or perhaps a large delicata squash suitable for racing, head downtown on Saturday for Ag Day.
The 19th annual celebration of local farming will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Main Street between Walden Street and the flagpole.
“It’s a real introduction into Concord, in many ways,” said Liza Bemis of Hutchins Farm. “It’s a great way to showcase local food and to see what we can do in a small town.”
Ag Day is sponsored by the Concord Agriculture Committee, which Bemis co-chairs. She said the festival began nearly two decades ago to highlight local farms.
“I think people drive by and don’t realize the hard work that goes into farming,” Bemis said. “It’s a great way to get people engaged with the community. I’m always surprised that people have not heard of us — you don’t realize there are farms tucked away.”
Photo: Ken McGagh/The Concord Bridge
Though the farmers primarily display fresh produce, some sell honey, eggs, and flowers. There are also informational tables for non-profit organizations.
And, of course, there’s the “famous Scimone Farm Speedway and Veggie Racers sponsored by Vanderhoof Hardware.”
Bemis explained that children buy a vegetable from one of the stands, volunteers drill holes and add axles and wheels, and the kids decorate their augmented produce. The veggie vehicles are then raced down a large ramp.
“The kids have a really good time,” Bemis said. “They’re so excited, thinking about what vegetable to use and how to decorate it. It’s really fun and wholesome. There are no prizes; it’s just to see what you can do with it and get creative.”
‘Best and oddest’
According to the Ag Day website, the Vegetable Hall of Fame is new this year. Farmers are invited to bring their “best and oddest” vegetable, either in person or in a photo, for a display.
Bemis said the event will be held rain or shine, though she noted that the weather has been beautiful the last few years.
“We have this whole little fair,” she said. “[People] meet you at Ag Day and say, ‘Look at all the stuff they grow, and they’re right here.’”
Though the event has always been popular, Bemis noticed high attendance during 2021, after the pandemic canceled the 2020 event.
“It was a post-Covid outdoor healing event,” she said.
This year’s participants include Arena Farm, Barrett’s Mill Farm, Colonial Gardens, Hutchins Farm, Marshall Farm, Saltbox Farm, Scimone Farm, Verrill Farm, and Walden Woods Project Farm.
“We have a strong culture of farm stand shopping in Concord,” Bemis said. “You can shop seven days a week at a Concord farm. It’s incredible. This is reminding people we are here, and you can shop with us all season long.”
