Plowing the Past: Vermont's Agricultural History with Keynote Speaker Roger Allbee

Dateline: September 5, 2011

Montpelier, Vt. – Learn about Vermont's beauty and bounty at the Vermont Historical Annual Meeting and Fall Conference at the Pavilion in Montpelier on September 24, 2011. The theme for the event is Plowing the Past: Vermont's Agricultural History. The event will begin at 8:30 am and end at 4:30 pm.

Start with the farmstead murals by Grace Brigham exhibited in the museum hallway; progress to the Vermont Historical Society annual meeting; watch Thanks to Vermont (a film produced by the Vermont Department of Agriculture in 1950); gain greater insight with Roger Allbee, former Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, as he takes us through the "tipping points"  of farming history in our state. After lunch, enjoy a panel discussion on The History of Agricultural Fairs moderated by Vermont author Charles Fish. The panel will include fair veterans such as Euclid Farnham of Tunbridge, Catherine Beattie of Danville, Lucien Paquette of Addison County, and Rupert Chamberlin of Barton. Adam Krakowski, recipient of the 2010 Vermont Historical Society Cate Fellowship, will regale the audience with A Bitter Past: Hop Farming in 19th-century Vermont to give us a new appreciation of entrepreneurs from the past. The day will conclude in the Snelling Room of the Vermont History Museum with a reception featuring Vermont beers and local foods.

"We have a rich history of agriculture here in Vermont," explained Mark Hudson, Vermont Historical Society's Executive Director. "At our 173rd Annual Meeting we will gain a greater appreciation for this vital resource in the Green Mountains."

The registration fee is $15 for Vermont Historical Society members and $20 for non-members. The fee covers all programs, lunch and the afternoon reception. Reservations are requested by September 16. Please contact Diane Campbell at (802) 479-8503 to register.