FARMINGTON — The Maine Fiddlehead Festival on April 27 at the University of Maine at Farmington campus celebrated local food and community for its 11th year, drawing crowds of family, friends, and food enthusiasts. The clouds cleared and the weather was sunny and warm.

Organized collaboratively by UMF faculty, students, staff, and community members, and generously supported by local businesses, the festival highlighted a wide array of food sourced directly from farmers and food producers in the area.

There was a variety of local food and items like crocheted goods, alpaca hair items, jewelry and maple syrup.

The festival kicked off with thanks to all the participants, especially Mark Pires, the UMF sustainability director. The first musicians to perform were Deep Treble, one of three a cappella groups on campus. The music lineup was Deep Treble, Stan Davis, Jonboy Nemo, Cole Martin, Franklin County Fiddlers, Sagittarius Rising, Invite the World and Neveah Dance Circus.

There were several farm animals brought by Martin Woods Farm in Starks for festival goers to get close to. There were goats, horses, pigs, bunnies, kittens, and ducks. The bounce house was a big hit for the kids, as were the free snow cones. Another popular attraction was a tent set up for people to sit and pet bunnies. There were free books and coloring books with crayons for kids.

One of the festival’s highlights was the cooking demonstration led by local chef Ashley Montgomery, featuring creative dishes made with fiddleheads – a cherished springtime delicacy in Maine. Montgomery said she washes the fiddleheads really well, puts them in a salad spinner and then steams them for 12 minutes.

Visitors also had the chance to indulge in food from food trucks such as The Ugly Dumpling and Fresh Eatz, while exploring offerings from over 45 vendors representing farmers, artisan food producers, crafters, and nonprofits.

Pires expressed gratitude for the community’s support and enthusiasm. “The Fiddlehead Festival was a fun event for family, friends, and those interested in local food production,” Pires said.

The festival wasn’t just about food, it offered a range of activities for all ages. Children enjoyed hands-on activities, a bounce house, face painting by Joni James, and interactions with farm animals brought by local farms. They were able to feed the animals for only 50 cents.

One unique aspect of this year’s festival was a hands-on demonstration featuring acorns, led by the Maine Living School of Temple. Attendees had the opportunity to grind acorns into flour and sample freshly prepared dishes made with this ingredient. The Maine Living School had a cooking area set up and made sausage type patties from acorn flour and maple syrup.

In addition to the food and entertainment, the festival featured Tent Talks on various topics, including sustainable farming practices, foraging, and community initiatives. Among the speakers were representatives from Kroka Expeditions, a nonprofit wilderness expedition school based in New Hampshire, who shared their experiences on their hike from Marlow, NH to the Maine Living School in Temple.

The teens from the Kroka Expeditions were impressive as their presentation was a re-creation of their hike. They had one student act as a narrator telling the story of their trip as the rest of the students acted out the hike, which included skiing. Then, they went into details of their hike and showed the types of foods they ate while hiking from New Hampshire to Maine. They said they ate a lot of butter to make sure they were getting enough essential fats.

Kate and Michael, representatives of a freeze-dried food company in Kingfield called Eve’s Garden, commended the festival’s organization. “The Fiddlehead Festival is one of the most well-organized events we’ve attended,” said Kate. “The turnout and support from the Farmington community were truly remarkable.”

Eve’s Garden is a non-profit organization, and all proceeds go toward the benefit of individuals and families in Maine. “Not only did everyone get to appreciate a picture perfect spring day in Maine, but the people who attended were also wonderfully receptive to our freeze-dried everything and “Food for Good” mission,” said Kate of Eve’s Garden. She said they look forward to years to come at future Fiddlehead festivals.

When asked how they got interested in freeze-dried foods Kate said, “It was a natural evolution. We prepared homemade meals for older members of the community, along with anyone else who had difficulty accessing or preparing food. Freeze drying extra meals meant zero food waste.”

Mary, age 11 of Jay, said “My favorite thing today was trying the freeze-dried skittles. I got the sour ones, they were really good.”

Reflecting on the success of the event, Pires estimated a turnout of around 600 attendees and emphasized the festival’s role in celebrating local food and fostering community connections. “We were pleased to see so many people celebrating the beginning of the farmers market season and enjoying the wonderful musical performances,” he said.

There were costumes available for children and adults to participate in the Children’s Veggie Parade, which took place twice during the festival. The leader carried a large stick that looked like a really tall fiddlehead.

Sarah LeBlanc, age 13 of Wilton, said the festival was a lot of fun. “I loved the bouncy house.” She said people could have paid more attention to how many kids were going in the bouncy house at one time. LeBlanc said other than that she didn’t have any complaints. “I got to experience things I haven’t before. Like I haven’t seen an ice cream truck before. I gotta say that was awesome.” LeBlanc recounted all of her favorite aspects of the festival which included crocheting animals, petting the bunnies, free snow cones and feeding the animals. She said the long line for the face painting was more than worth it. “I will be going back to the Fiddlehead Festival the next time it happens.”

 

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