03/27/2010 20:04
This afternoon Brea, Beth, and I volunteered in the woods of Stonewall farm. Our job at this year’s annual Sap Gathering was to refill buckets after a team of horses, driver, and helpers had emptied them. It was a nice change from the parking job I did last year because I now have a better understanding of what the contest is all about.
In the olden days sap gathering was done by horse and man together. Now the gatherer uses a motorized vehicle with horsepower to retrieve the sap. Stonewall Farm is known by some throughout New England to be host of the event in which keeps the old tradition alive.
Each team has a driver who directs the two horses through the course, and two helpers who empty the buckets from the trees into their buckets and then dump them into the big container lying on the sleigh. The rules are quite simple. Each team has to get through the woods collecting the contents of the buckets. They are trying to collect as much as possible in the least amount of time. However they cannot rush too fast because there are many ways they can be docked points. If the helpers forget to empty a bucket, put a bucket back on the tree, or forget to replace the lid they are docked.
Beth, Brea, and I were there to refill the buckets and survey them as they passed. We couldn’t point out any buckets they missed or forgot to put back properly. We were merely there to catch any mistakes they made and then get ready for the next team to dump our buckets out again.
It was fun to see the men and women run back and forth between the trees and their containers emptying the buckets. Some teams were very quiet and concentrated while others were loud and yelling instructions to each other as they went. The three hours we were there passed quickly because it was so much fun. The shortest time a team made, I believe, was around 11:04. Next year I hope to be a bucket filler again, because on the course is where the all action is.
Tags: Stonewall Farm
08/01/2009 20:00
On Sunday, July 19th, we volunteered at an event called the National Ice Cream Day at our very own Stonewall Farm. Although the event was called N.I.C.D., there was no activity or anything (besides the ice cream stand that’s always there) pertaining ice cream. The farm, however, did a great job of using the day to attract customers (They also advertised this event on the local radio!). There were a lot of parents with their kids that came to visit and they seemed like they were enjoying the beautiful day as much as we were. So if there were not many activities to do, what did we end up doing? As volunteers, we cruised around the farm giving out chicken and sheep feed to the visitors, worked hard under the blazing sun to scoop dripping deliciousness onto cones or dishes (sometimes we had to use both since it was such a brilliant day out and the ice cream was kind of no longer solid), take a few bucks from the citizens, and finally become consumers of melted ice cream soup (Hey, why let the remnants of heavenly and locally made dairy products go to waste?). All in all, it was a good time, and I must say that I feel bad for the people who missed out, I’m sure they would have enjoyed it a great deal. Tags: Stonewall Farm
07/01/2009 09:46
On June 13th Green Keene Teens volunteered at Stonewall Farm (again)! The farm, on this spectacular Saturday, was hosting Big Trucks Day. They had a bunch of antique tractors on the lawn for kids to climb on, and the ones the farmers use to work in the back by the barns. The families that came could enjoy the tractors, scavenger hunts around the farm, feeding the animals, and homemade ice cream that my friend Gabby did a great job scooping. Mina, Alishia and I volunteered by handing out the scavenger hunts and collecting money for parking. At the end of the hot, sticky day we got a reward, free ice cream, and a gift certificate for the Farmstand!!!
07/01/2009 09:38
On a cloudy Sunday at the end of June (the 28th to be exact), GKT volunteered with Antioch University and planted trees, bushes, and plants in the Woodlawn cemetery in Keene. The girls that chose to come out and get down and dirty were Allie, Carolynn, Mina, Laura, myself, and Alishia (who planned the volunteering, yay Leesh!). We planted I’d say about 30 different green leafy things. They ranged from blueberry bushes, to different types of small trees. At first it was really hard to get the shovels in the ground because the ground was somewhat hard. Be warned: digging holes does have a learning curve! Anyway, we managed and laughed about it all the way till we got picked up by our parents.
This volunteering event was the most fulfilling volunteering I’ve done with the group. Maybe because I knew and got to see my impact right away when I planted the tree into the ground. And I’ll get to visit and see my trees grow! It was a really cool, and I hope I get to do it again soon!
Tags: Planting
05/24/2009 08:37
On Saturday Laura, Allie, and I volunteered at Stonewall Farm in a different way than usual. This weekend was the opening of the Farm Stand (GKT laundry soap is now for sale there). Stonewall also put on a big family event for Memorial weekend. There were many activities to do: milking cows, tractor rides, crafts, and a lunch! So instead of asking us to do gardening or yard work we got to help out with the crafts for the kids and hand out flyers.
The two crafts we advised were painting rocks, and making caterpillars out clothes pins and pomp-poms. The kids were really polite and had great creative imaginations.
05/13/2009 19:16
Giving back to the community is a big part of Green Keene Teens and what we stand for. We are regularly volunteering at Stonewall Farm in Keene. Each of our volunteers usually spends about two hours working.
Last Saturday, May 9th, Alishia, Lily, Carolynn and I went to volunteer at Stonewall farm. This was our second (non-event) volunteering as Green Keene Teens. We prepared the garden for Stonewall’s art auction that evening, raked, and stacked wood.
The first Saturday Green Keene Teens volunteered was April 11th. The three girls that joined me on that day were Olivia, Jackie, and Laura. On that occasion we raked huge piles of leaves and brought them to the compost.
By volunteering we not only want to benefit ourselves but also help others. We give back for what we take. Helping others is not only good karma but it is good way to connect with the people who give and receive the help.
Tags: Stonewall Farm
04/21/2009 19:24
On Saturday, GKT participated in Green Up Keene Day, an event that called for the citizens of Keene to “Green Up” the city, or in other words, make our city cleaner. Although only six of us (including me and Alisha‘s father) showed up, I would say that we got a lot of work done, and we definitely made a difference.
The participating GKT members ended up picking up garbage from around 8:00 to 11:00 near Beaver Brook. First, we went to Carpenter St. and the field there. That wasn’t too bad, just a lot of broken beer bottles (as well as some whole ones with mysterious fluid inside) and small articles of trash. But WOW! The sheer number of cigarette butts disturbed me. They were everywhere! So many people smoke, and though it’s a disgusting habit, it’s tolerable if they care for the butts properly. Put the cigarette out on the ground, and then stick it back in the package until you get home! I also think it would be great if we had more trash-can-ash-tray-things.
Tags: Green Up, local
04/04/2009 19:47
Green Keene Teens volunteered at Stonewall Farm March 28th, for their Sap Gathering event. All twelve of our members volunteered! 
(Allie & Brea)
(Mina & Lucy & Beth)
We directed cars to the parking areas, from 8:50 to 2:00. A few of us were bucket fillers, from 12:00 to 4:00. There were hundreds of people at the event, and we were happy to be able to help out.
Tags: Stonewall Farm
