Spring-Summer 2012 Calendar of Events

accokeek foundation

Spring/Summer 2012

Calendar of Events

Planning Your Visit Information and Registration

Call 301.283.2113 Email accofound@accokeek.org Visit www.accokeekfoundation.org Located 10 miles south of Washington, D.C. at the southern tip of Maryland’s Prince George’s county, the Accokeek Foundation at Piscataway Park offers unique outdoor experiences including a living history farm, nature trails, scenic river views, a public fishing pier, heritage breed animals, picnic facilities, and native gardens. Piscataway Park is free and open to the public daily, from dawn to dusk.

Weekend Tours

Weekend tours of the National Colonial Farm exhibit area are available. Tours begin at the Museum Gift Shop and Visitor Center, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 pm. Tours are $5 per person.

Become a Member

The Accokeek Foundation is a membersupported, nonprofit organization, originally founded to help preserve the view from Mount Vernon as it was in George Washington’s time.

Your tax-deductible contribution supports educational programs in history, agriculture, and environmental stewardship which serve the Southern Maryland community including tens of thousands of school children and visitors annually.

An individual membership is $25, a family membership is $45, and a sustaining membership is $100.

Members receive

• Discounts on classes and events • Special invitations to “Friends Only” events

• Quarterly print newsletter • 10% discount at the Museum Gift Shop and Visitor Center

24th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup Saturday, April 14 9 a.m. to noon Free

Backyard Poultry Workshop Saturday, April 7 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. $40 non-members $30 members

Learn everything about raising backyard birds, from incubating eggs and caring for adults to how to select the right breed for you and your backyard— whether goose or guinea fowl, chicken or duck. Participants will receive a copy of Storey’s Guide to Raising Poultry and other take-home materials.

Tractor and Machinery Training Saturday, April 14 to Sunday, April 15 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $150 non-members $135 members

Instructed by Shane LaBrake, this twoday, hands-on workshop demystifies tractors and empowers their users to operate and maintain farm machinery more safely and with greater skill and confidence. Workshop materials, including a tractor user’s resource list, will be provided.

Volunteer during this year’s cleanup to help remove trash from the shoreline of the Potomac River. Trash bags and gloves will be provided; please wear sturdy shoes and clothing appropriate for slippery and wet conditions.

Heritage Breeds Open Barn Saturday, April 21 and Saturday, May 12 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free

Join the livestock manager in the barnyard to meet and learn about the various breeds of livestock which are part of the Accokeek Foundation’s Heritage Breed Conservancy Program.

During this free and open to the public “open house,” you will have up close encounters with American Milking Devons (cows), Hog Island Sheep, Ossabaw Hogs, Buckeye Chickens, and Black Turkeys.

Edible Forest Gardening Workshop Saturday, May 5 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. $40 non-members $30 members

Join Lincoln Smith of Forested to learn more about growing a forest garden, while gaining hands-on experience planting a forest garden bed. This workshop will address agriculture and the problem of feeding the world, principles of forest and production ecologies, and practical forest garden design and implementation. Following a break for lunch, participants will have the opportunity to expand a forest garden bed in the Accokeek Foundation’s Museum Garden.

Children’s Day at Piscataway Park

Saturday, May 12 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $10 non-members $5 members Children 2 and under are free

Discover the treasures in Piscataway Park! This popular annual event features a self-guided tour through the park for young explorers as they follow a discovery map and learn about local history and agriculture. Children of all ages will enjoy meeting “Ben Bolton,” who lives on the National Colonial Farm, and helping him with farm chores and playing colonial games during this all-day, interactive event that the whole family will love.

A Passion For Place:

Readings, Walks, and Reflections with Author Elizabeth Ayres

Saturday, June 2 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. $5 suggested donation

In celebration of National Trails Day, author Elizabeth Ayres will read selections from her new book before leading a trail walk. Following the walk, participants will reflect and share about their experience outdoors. Come and discover that place of passion within and all around you.

Piscataway Park Paint Out Saturday, June 2 Dawn to Dusk Free

Join us for the Piscataway Park Paint Out, as plein air artists capture on canvas the historic buildings of the

National Colonial Farm, the heritage breed livestock grazing in green pastures, and the flora and fauna of this picturesque site. Join in—or just watch—this exciting art phenomenon and be inspired by this unique and meaningful place.

Summer Days at the

National Colonial Farm

June 26 through June 29, and July 10 through July 13 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. $5 per youth

Experience 18th century farm life from a child’s perspective during this interactive open house program geared towards youth of all ages. Participants will “Give Ben a Break” by visiting costumed interpreters at workstations around the colonial farm, helping with farm chores like corn pounding, carding wool, beating dough, searching for hornworms, and playing colonial games. This is an excellent opportunity for youth group leaders and families seeking an outdoor field trip to keep young minds and bodies active this summer!

Backyard Bugs: Friend or Foe?

Saturday, July 7 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. $40 non-members $30 members

Insects can be a gardener’s best friend—and worst nightmare. Join us for an introduction to those bugs that we call beneficial and those that we call pests. From shield-shaped squash bugs to parasitic flies and wasps, we will identify some common garden insects and discuss how to attract or get rid of them in an environmentally-sound and sustainable way. Participants will receive a copy of Jessica Walliser’s Good Bug, Bad Bug: Who’s Who, What They Do, and How to Manage Them Organically.

Raising Sheep:

Meat, Dairy, and Wool

Saturday, July 7 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. $40 non-members $30 members

This will be an in-depth class on raising sheep on a small scale. Learn strategies for raising and managing sheep on small acreage. This class is for both the serious small-scale producer and the homesteader. We will look at everything from selection of breeds to marketing your sheep.

That’s Entertainment: The Politics of Mirth

Saturday, July 28 Sunday, July 29 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. $10 non-members $7 members Children 2 and under are free

Josias Bealle invites you to an 18th century barbeque at the National Colonial Farm­—a day of merriment in celebration of his candidacy for the upcoming election. Come play a game of chance, place a wager, watch the races, witness feats of strength, and be entertained by song and scene.

ONGOING Green Thumbs

First and Third Thursday, and Third Saturday 9 a.m. to noon

The Green Thumbs is a volunteer group that invites gardeners of all ages and skill levels to lend a hand in the Accokeek Foundation’s Museum Garden and, on occasion, on the National Colonial Farm. Volunteers will have an opportunity to learn more about the history of heirloom vegetables and the practices behind organic gardening, from planting and harvesting to managing weeds and pests. We will work together in the garden space, sharing ideas, knowledge, skills, and stories. Water and light snacks will be provided.

Ecosystem Farm Volunteering Third Thursday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Volunteers will meet monthly at the Visitor Center for a brief tour along the Pumpkin Ash Trail to the Robert Ware Straus Ecosystem Farm, then work side-by-side with farm staff to learn about sustainable agricultural practices.

Please wear appropriate clothing including closed-toe shoes, work gloves, hat or sunscreen, and bring your water bottle.

Stitch ‘n Time Textiles Club Fourth Saturday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Stitch ‘n Time is a volunteer-based textiles club where members enjoy learning about the cultivation of fleece, dyeing of wool, and colonial textiles.

Club members join Foundation staff and other textile artists to use wool from the farm’s heritage breed sheep to card, spin, and knit. The club is open to novice and expert spinners and knitters, as well as those handy with a sewing needle or sewing machine to make costumes for our interpreters.

Interested in Volunteering?

We are seeking volunteers to assist with livestock care and pasture maintenance, historic interpretation, 18th century agriculture, Foodways “sous chef,” and more!

Register for Events Onli ne:

www.accoke

ekfoundatio

n.org

Southern Maryland Foodways Third Saturday All Day, with a “Table Conversation” at noon Free

Join us for a kitchen table conversation as we introduce you to the epicurean delights enjoyed by colonial Marylanders. Learn how our tastes and the food itself have changed over 300 years as we explore “receipts” (recipes) and meal preparation. Themes and menu vary monthly.

3400 Bryan Point Road Accokeek, MD 20607