Photos and stories of Animals on the Farm will be the featured exhibit in the History Tent at the Cauliflower Festival this Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10 to 4 in Margaretville Village Park.
Find out about Olive, a handicapped Hereford on the Bouton farm in Halcott; the obstinate churn dog remembered by John Burroughs who grew up on a Roxbury farm; and the disastrous consequences that befell Mike Todd of Dry Brook when he tickled the belly of an ox.
Photos of prized dairy cows, handsome work horses and much-loved cow dogs, barn cats, chickens and even a pet bobcat will be displayed.
A calf and a lamb, born this summer on Chris and Judy DiBenedetto’s farm in Halcott will greet visitors at the History Tent, sponsored by the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown. HSM will also mount its annual exhibit on the cauliflower industry, which flourished in the Catskills from the 1890s through about 1950, and continued on some large truck farms through the 1990s.
The eagerly anticipated DVD of the Third Annual Living History Cemetery Tour, held in June at Sanford Cemetery, Dunraven, will be available for sale. The video of the one-hour tour, featuring nine area players portraying people from Middletown’s past, was professionally produced by videographer Jessica Vecchione.
A sales table of beautiful glassware and other items will help raise funds for HSM.
Several regional history books will be available for purchase, including “When Cauliflower Was King in the Catskills.”
The Festival is sponsored by the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce and area businesses.
Mamie Townsend and calf on the family’s Bragg Hollow, Halcottsville farm.