One Week Left Until the Tour Weekend!

** ANNOUNCING SAME DAY REGISTRATION AVAILABLE FOR $40

(For cyclists wishing to register on the day of the event, there will be same-day registration  available, but we are asking for an additional $15 to make the fee $40 instead of the early registration fee of $25.  Order your registration today!)

 

Hi all,

Wow, its been a busy few weeks.  Temperatures are starting to cool down, the rain has picked up, and its starting to feel like fall here in the Western Maine Mountains and foothills.  We hope that you are starting to settle in and feel connected to the sounds, smells, and tastes associated with fall, such as crisp apples from local orchards such as Morrison Hill Orchard and The Lone Antler in Farmington and Wilton, Maine (for more information on these orchards, look down to the bottom of this post).

These two wonderful orchards opened their doors to participants and cyclists on last year’s ride.  However, we have changed some of our route locations for this year to the 3 options shown below:

Route Selections for TDF 2011

Don’t miss the 2011 Tour!  Gather your friends or team cyclists together and take a look at the routes.  Register here: link and remember, the first 30 registrants get free TDF 2011 shirt! (We really want to thank our 2011 Tour Sponsors: Bean & Smith Real Estate, Reboot Computer Repair, The Homestead Bakery & Restaurant. )

A reminder that online registration for the 2011 TDF closes at midnight, next Friday, 9/30.  In case you are just learning about the tour, go visit our about page found here: link

***Also, we are thrilled to have received several donated gift certificates from Farmington area businesses that will be raffled off at the tour reception, to be held at the end of the day on Saturday, October 1.  Music will be provided by the Burnt Beard Band!

Information on the two local apple orchards, that we are surely missing on this year’s tour:

Lone Antler Farm – Lone Antler Farm is owned by the Hodsdon family. Many years ago the farm sold apples. With the changing times, we have diversified and now sell alpacas, alpaca fleece, hand-spun yarn, piglets, all natural pork, and eggs from our free range chickens. For more information about the farm, please call or email the Hodsdon family.
58 Morrison Hill Road, Wilton, ME
207-578-1035
jacksonrm@yahoo.com

Morrison Hill Orchards – Our 10-acre, 600-tree orchard consists of over 20 apple varieties and is part of an 80-acre western Maine farm with a 150-year history.  Quality and variety at a fair price.  Apples in August-Oct.  Raspberries in July.  Pumpkins and squash in October. For more information about the farm, please call or email Jeanne and Jerry Simpson.
272 Morrison Hill Road, Farmington, ME
207-778-4945
simxxl@tdstelme.net

More information on the farms that we’ll be stopping at this year:

Marble Family Farms – Nestled in the beautiful hills of western Maine, Marble Family Farms is producing vegetables, flowers, hay and free-range chicken eggs. Richard and Weslene Marble along with their son and daughter-in-law Andy and Sarah Marble run the farm. In 2008 Richard & Wes invested in a commercial kitchen where Weslene and Sarah now bake for local Farmers’ Markets and local stores using 100% whole wheat flour. Contact Richard, Weslene, Sarah and Andy Marble.
853 Holley Rd, Farmington, ME
207-799-4858
marblefamilyfarms@hotmail.com
www.marblefamilyfarms.com

Votervale Farm – After several years of living “away”, we returned to our roots by purchasing the family farm.  Our primary focus is to provide a great foundation for our children by helping them connect with family, community, their natural surroundings, and the food that they eat. Our secondary mission, is to produce fresh, naturally-raised, local meats, vegetables, and preserves.  It is our belief that we, as a society, have become too disconnected from the food that we consume.  Contact Darren and Angel Allen.
783 River Road, Avon, ME
207-491-0227
info@votervalefarm.com
www.votervalefarm.com

Island Farm – We are a family operated farm raising grass fed beef, organic hay, naturally raised pork, lamb and chicken and 3 acres of organically grown vegetables. Also offering seedlings and fiddleheads in season. Short farm tours available. Contact Ellen and Jim James.
15 Farm Rd, Avon, ME
207-639-5044
islandfarm@tds.net

Second Chance Farm and Longfellow’s Creamery – At Longfellow’s Creamery and Second Chance Farm we produce and sell the finest quality grass-fed, organic beef, veal, pork and dairy products for the healthy enjoyment by our family, neighbors and customers. We are dedicated to being your local source for quality food. Contact Kathy and Liam Trodden.
20 Maple Lane, Avon, Maine
207-639-2074
info@longfellowscreamery.com
www.longfellowscreamery.com

Mountain Village Inn Bed & Breakfast:
Six bedroom Victorian farmhouse bed and breakfast with beautiful grounds that include 40 laying hens for organic eggs, culinary flours, herbs, and greens. They also make a variety of homemade granolas.  The inn is in close proximity to all the lovely foliage areas adjacent to the town of Kingfield, such as the Sugarloaf Ski Area & Golf Course, Flagstaff Lake, Maine Huts and Trails, The Black Fly Loop, Bigelow Mtn Range, the Appalachian Trail, as well as many wonderful Kingfield Art Gallerys, businesses, restaurants and boutiques.  The owner, Lisa Standish makes an amazing breakfast and is super-friendly!  Also, all the rooms have a private bathroom and some of the rooms have their own hot tub.

Phone: 207-265-2030   www.mountainvillageinn.com

The White Elephant Strong
Family run country store that sells locally grown seasonal produce as well as locally raised beef and lamb from surrounding farms. They offer indoor dining as well as outside patio seating.  Owner Karen Thorndike serves the public products made from only the freshest local ingredients.

Phone: (207) 684-3615  Web Reviews

Blueberry Time.. Join us on our August 6 Tour in Wilton!

Homegrown Blueberries (compliments of Crabchick-flickr cc)

FARMINGTON — Cyclists are invited to enjoy the August weather with a 14-mile Blueberry Tour starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, August 6, at Meetinghouse Park.  Join us in celebrating the 29th annual Wilton Blueberry Festival!

Organizers of this fall’s Tour de Farmington* are hosting a Blueberry Tour, with a destination at the Wilton Blueberry Farm.  Interested cyclists are encouraged to join the fun and head out to the Wilton Blueberry Farm for blueberry picking and a light tour on the Whistlestop Trail (14 miles round trip).  For a map of the route, please click here: http://www.mapmyfitness.com/routes/view/31708626

The August 6 Blueberry Tour is an unsupported ride and is open to cyclists of all abilities.  Organizers hope to gather input from participants on the overall route difficulty and road conditions as they travel from Farmington into East Wilton.

The terrain for the route is designated as suitable for beginner cyclists, families with children, and blueberry aficionados of all ages. Organizers recommend that participating cyclists wear helmets on the August 6 Blueberry Tour.  All children under 16 must wear ANSI-approved helmets, as required by Maine law.

Cyclists interested in participating should convene at Meetinghouse Park in Farmington at 9 a.m. Volunteer tour organizers Jeremy Smith and Jean Luc Theriault will ride the route with cyclists. For more information, contact Jeremy at (207) 232-4691 or tourdefarmington@gmail.com

Getting Ready to Ride

I spent last Sunday’s Open Farm Days touring around Franklin county with my co-organizer, Jean Luc Theriault.  Over the last few months, we have been working to coordinate the routes for this year’s tour and its been quite an adventure.

After a new routes preview ride that took place in May, we learned that the route originally planned was undergoing road work over the next few months.  This intended route included the scenic parts that visited nurseries in East Wilton and Chesterville, Apple Orchards in Farmington, and an award-winning dairy farm in New Sharon.

So, after some trial and error, the routes that we ended up choosing for this year’s ride included the towns of Kingfield, Salem, Farmington, Avon, Strong, Phillips, and New Vineyard.

Those routes and farms are listed below:

25 Mile (one way) http://ridewithgps.com/routes/571620

1. Marble Family Farms
2. Mountain Village Farm Bed & Breakfast

41 Mile (loop) http://ridewithgps.com/routes/571661

1. Marble Family Farms
2. The White Elephant
3. Voter Vale Farm
4. Island Farm
5. Longfellow’s Creamery & Second Chance Farm

57 Mile (loop) http://ridewithgps.com/routes/475154

1. Marble Family Farms
2. Mountain Village Farm Bed & Breakfast
3. Longfellow’s Creamery & Second Chance Farm
4. Island Farm
5. Voter Vale Farm
6. The White Elephant

We’re excited!  More to come soon on brochures (to be released on August 15) and registration.  Hope everyone’s having an amazing summer!

What Rain? We Came Out for Pizza Rustica on the New Route Preview

Had a wonderful time on Saturday, May 21 getting a great bit of exercise in while checking out the nurseries in Chesterville where we intended to firm up plans for the course this year’s Tour would potentially be taking.  As the name New Routes Preview suggests, there has been a lot of interest in creating a new route or two for this year’s Tour.

We originally planned to once again integrate the fun yet challenging loop that takes cyclists from a start in Farmington into the towns of East Wilton, Chesterville and New Sharon before heading back to the point of origin.  We wanted to extend the second half to lengthen what was referred to as last year’s “short ride.”  This would make the ride 30 miles, a bit longer than what was on the Tour last year.  The ride was originally 19 miles and headed back to town after a ride out to Chesterville and back.  There are a couple of apple orchards we love on this route and there are also several unique, wonderful, biodynamic farms.  So, in preparation, for the preview on Saturday, I spoke to Amy LeBlanc, owner of Whitehill Farm in East Wilton.  Amy was thoroughly excited to participate and planned (and executed) pizza rustica for the Tour Preview participants.

When the day came, as many of you know, it was a wet, soggy one with a hazy sun just barely sneaking through the clouds.  I threw on my rain gear and met fellow riders in town at the Meetinghouse Park Gazebo.  Once at the park, I just needed to wait for a few minutes to assemble the crew for the day.  In addition to myself, there were 7 other exercise-minded cyclists there and soon we headed out to trace one of this year’s possible routes.

My chain broke 1/2 up Morrison Hill Rd but, luckily, I was able to repair it with help from another cyclist.  It was a good thing, because after making it 1/2 up Morrison Hill and then traversing over into East Wilton via the ginormous hill that provides one of the most spectacular views around, I was ready for the 2 mile ride that followed.  The 2 miles were relatively flat and at the end of this leg, there was the most-perfectly placed Whitehill Farm.

There were, by this point, only 5 cyclists.  2 of the original 7 decided to return to town and skip the large portion of the ride planned.  So, with the 5 farm staff, Amy and the 5 of us, lets just say we made short work of the pizza.  It was so amazingly made by Jesse Johnson and Casey Brackett, two of Amy’s trusty farmhands and also expert chefs. Under the tent canopy, the well-placed and well-timed (it was 12:45 when we arrived) lunch was brought out and shared.

Great conversation and discussion about the places we like to ride as well as a brief overview of last year’s event ensued and we were in the right place when the torrential rain dumped.  It dumped onto the tent as we remained dry and enjoyed a great, fresh, locally-made snack, Pizza Rustica!

We thanked Amy and the others who helped make such a wonderful opportunity happen and enjoyed hearing about the computerized ordering system that she was using.  Seemed like a great way to plan ahead and to ensure that those local, lovely varieties are available!  Check out Amy’s website here: www.whitehillfarm.com

After eating, we headed down the rest of the proposed route where we passed Robin’s Flower Pot that was open for business, selling shrubs, herbs, and potted varieties and perennials.  Still full from the pizza, we continued on, fueled and prepared for the rest of the ride!

It turns out the route we took isn’t going to be the one that makes the cut.  There is to be scheduled road construction on one of the main roads in Chesterville from June until November.  Although currently there aren’t yet finalized plans for a preview ride for the route that will win out, we will let you know what we are thinking.  To see where this ride will most-likely course, click here. We’ll keep you posted as to the farm locations on that route and if there is a preview ride (and perhaps Pizza Rustica?) we’ll be sure to keep you informed!

A Recap of Last Year’s Tour

Here is a video that I made to show what fun we had last on year’s tour:

The Tour de Farmington 2010 was the first annual one-day bike tour of farms in the Franklin County area of western Maine.  It took place on Sunday, October 10, 2010 and the weather was absolutely wonderful.

Celebrating local agriculture and promoting alternative modes of transportation, the Tour de Farmington offered cyclists a choice of two routes.

The 19-mile route was centered around the Wilton area with scenic views of the region’s forested foothills punctuated by open fields and small villages. Farms on the tour featured hoop greenhouses, fresh produce, apple orchards, alpacas and other livestock.

The 70-mile route took cyclists north of Farmington to the Western Mountains foothills with hillier terrain and views of the Sandy River and Longfellow Mountain range.

Farms on the 70-mile route featured a cheesemaking operation, diversified vegetable farm, a bakery, farm kitchens and livestock. The region’s fantastic fall foliage was at peak for the tours.

Both routes will start and finish in downtown Farmington. In its first year, the tour was a success with 36 cyclists.

At the farms, cyclists had an opportunity to buy local food and products that were picked up in Farmington at the end of the event.

A local foods lunch, water and snacks were provided. The day concluded with a live bluegrass performance and burrito BBQ prepared by Food by Chuck (formerly of Big Mouth Burritos).

We’re Back and Ready for 2011!

Getting things together

for a new year and looking forward to this year’s event.  Should be another offering of biking, sampling local foods in season, foliage-gazing, and memorable times with friends old and new.

At the present moment we’re exploring some new routes for the 2011 tour.  Both of these rides are unsupported and free.  When we mean unsupported, specifically, that means there won’t be a SAG vehicle following riders, but there are some special highlights awaiting the folks wishing to join us on either of our New Route Tours.  Although these rides are both unsupported, there will be water stops along the way as well as bathroom access via the nurseries.  Both will be open for visitors wishing to view and purchase items.

There will be members of the Tour De Farmington organizing committee riding on both May 21 and August 6 (both Saturdays) and we can answer any questions you may have about this year’s event and provide route maps for the previews.

Keep a look out for posters that will mention dates and times!  You can download a poster for the May 21 event here.

May Plans:

The first of these New Route Preview Tours was derived from last year’s “short tour.” It seemed that our tour needed a better intermediate route, so we decided to extend the short tour by ten miles and convert that into our new 30 mile route.  We’ll be previewing that ride on May 21.

It will start in Farmington and travel through the towns of East Wilton, Chesterville, New Sharon, and then we’ll return to Farmington after a great trip and optional stops at two nurseries, Robin’s Flower Pot and Whitehill Farm where riders can enjoy refreshments and, if they wish, order or purchase seedlings.  The friendly staff at both locations will be available to assist riders with arrangements to pick up any purchases later in the day.

There are also 2 dairy farms on the route, Bailey Hill Farm and Triple D Acres and and an organic compost facility Living Acres , so check out those places if you wish.  Aloha Rainbow Farm is also on that route, specializing in all natural, free range chicken and duck eggs.

Whitehill Farm will be serving a light snack of pizza, which should be timed right around lunch, after our 11 AM start.  Here is a link to a map and ride profile of this moderately challenging route!

For August:

It seemed like August would be an excellent time to visit the Wilton Blueberry Farm and our visit also coincides with that great event, the Wilton Blueberry Festival!

Irv Faunce and family will be available to assist anyone wishing to join us on another informal preview of one of this year’s new routes.   On August 6, we’ll travel out to East Wilton for a 14 mile preview of the new beginner route for this year’s Tour de Farmington.  That route will be primarily on a smooth and enjoyable trail called the Whistlestop Trail.  This trail (surfaced with clay and finely processed gravel) will allow families and children to ride out to the Wilton Blueberry Farm safely and back via the same route.

As with our May tour, on our August tour preview we’ll likely leave at 11 AM.  Once again, this ride will be mostly unassisted, but we will bring a few maps with us.  If the weather seems extremely hot and there is a need to depart earlier, that change will be indicated on the poster.  We’ll have to see if this summer is mild or extremely hot.  In the case of an earlier start, the time will be visible on our posters when they are released prior to the ride in July. Be sure to wear helmets and sunscreen!

There are only a few traffic crossings on this beginner route from our starting location of Meetinghouse Park on Main Street in Downtown Farmington to where the Whistlestop Trail begins. The Whistlestop Trail crosses several roads, but the trail itself is a well-maintained.  If you want to start on your own, feel free to park at the Whistlestop trailhead in West Farmington that can be found by clicking either link found within this paragraph.  The 1st link is the map of the overall route we’ll be taking (from mapmyfitness.com) and the 2nd link contains directions as well as background information on this historic route, courtesy of MaineTrailFinder.com!

We will be back with more details and information related to brochures and event registration for the October 1st tour, so keep checking back or find us on Facebook!

Weather looks good for Sunday, registration closes Friday Oct 8 at midnight!

Weather for Sunday:

Tour de Farmington The weather is looking great for Sunday click here to get registered.

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 44.66°N and Longitude 70.16°W

forecast.weather.gov

There will be an extension of the tour registration deadline until Friday 10.8.10 at midnight..

Event Details: (Riders, please read and return a signed waiver. pdf or doc)
Wilton Loop (19 miles)
7 – 7:30 am Check in & Registration @ the Narrow Gauge Theatre
8 am Riders Take Off
11 am Sack Lunch, West Farmington Grange (11a – 2p)
12 pm Deadline for placing produce orders at the last farm on the route.
1 pm Produce orders placed at farms on the route can be picked up at the West Farmington Grange.
2 pm Last call for lunch. Last call for produce order pick-ups.
4 pm Light Dinner at the Gazebo in Farmington with LIVE music.
5:30 pm Last call for dinner.
7 pm (tentative) food movie at the Narrow Gauge Cinema.

Tour Stops and Farms Along the Way:
Lone Antler Farm – Lone Antler Farm is owned by the Hodsdon family. Many years ago the farm sold apples. With the changing times, we have diversified and now sell alpacas, alpaca fleece, hand-spun yarn, piglets, all natural pork, and eggs from our free range chickens. For more information about the farm, please call or email the Hodsdon family.
58 Morrison Hill Road, Wilton, ME
207-578-1035
jacksonrm@yahoo.com

Morrison Hill Orchards – Our 10-acre, 600-tree orchard consists of over 20 apple varieties and is part of an 80-acre western Maine farm with a 150-year history.  Quality and variety at a fair price.  Apples in August-Oct.  Raspberries in July.  Pumpkins and squash in October. For more information about the farm, please call or email Jeanne and Jerry Simpson.
272 Morrison Hill Road, Farmington, ME
207-778-4945
simxxl@tdstelme.net

Whitehill Farm – We offer Certified Organic heirloom tomato, pepper, eggplant, and culinary herbs seedlings each spring. Seedling orders can be made in March from our Tomato Lovers Paradise catalog, or plants can be purchased at our open house on Memorial Day weekend. Our Certified Organic cider vinegar, herbs, herb mixes, teas, and gift items are available year round. From mid-August till the end of October we are at the Sandy River Farmer’s Market, in Farmington Maine. We are also open for Open Farm Day. Feel free to write or call for information, hours, or a price list. Contact Amy and Michael LeBlanc.
McCrillis Corner Road, E Wilton, ME
207-778-2685
207-491-1737
amy@whitehillfarm.com
www.whitehillfarm.com

Robin’s Flower Pot – We grow our own extensive collection of traditional and unusual annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, fruit plants and trees, ornamental trees, shrubs and houseplants. For our excellent hand-picked inventory, our focus is on high-quality production in carefully controlled environments, incorporating specific natural soil blends and plant foods. Beneficial insects are the nucleus of our healthy greenhouse management. For more information contact Robin Jordan.
387 Webster Rd, Farmington, ME
207-778-5937
garden@robinsflowerpot.com
www.robinsflowerpot.com

Upper Franklin Loop (70 miles)
7 – 7:30 am Check in & Registration @ the Narrow Gauge Theatre
8 am Riders Take Off
11 am Lunch at the White Elephant, Strong (11a – 2p)
3:30 pm Deadline for placing producer orders at the last farm on the route.
4 pm Light Dinner at the Gazebo in Farmington with LIVE music.
5:30 pm Last call for dinner.
7 pm(tentative) food movie at the Narrow Gauge Cinema.

Tour Stops and Farms Along the Way:
Triple D Acres – Triple D Acres is a family operation with John, his wife Marcia and nephews Jeff and Frank Donald Jr. operating the farm. The Donalds have a closed herd, milking around 70 Holsteins cows, and raising 90 calves and heifers. Triple D was selected as Maine’s 2009 Outstanding Dairy Farm of the Year by the New England Green Pastures Program and Cooperative Extension. Contact John Donald, Sr.
219 Weeks Mills Rd, New Sharon, ME
207-778-2446
mghd@exploremaine.com

Marble Family Farms – Nestled in the beautiful hills of western Maine, Marble Family Farms is producing vegetables, flowers, hay and free-range chicken eggs. Richard and Weslene Marble along with their son and daughter-in-law Andy and Sarah Marble run the farm. In 2008 Richard & Wes invested in a commercial kitchen where Weslene and Sarah now bake for local Farmers’ Markets and local stores using 100% whole wheat flour. Contact Richard, Weslene, Sarah and Andy Marble.
853 Holley Rd, Farmington, ME
207-799-4858
marblefamilyfarms@hotmail.com
www.marblefamilyfarms.com

Votervale Farm – After several years of living “away”, we returned to our roots by purchasing the family farm.  Our primary focus is to provide a great foundation for our children by helping them connect with family, community, their natural surroundings, and the food that they eat. Our secondary mission, is to produce fresh, naturally-raised, local meats, vegetables, and preserves.  It is our belief that we, as a society, have become too disconnected from the food that we consume.  Contact Darren and Angel Allen.
783 River Road, Avon, ME
207-491-0227
info@votervalefarm.com
www.votervalefarm.com

Island Farm – We are a family operated farm raising grass fed beef, organic hay, naturally raised pork, lamb and chicken and 3 acres of organically grown vegetables. Also offering seedlings and fiddleheads in season. Short farm tours available. Contact Ellen and Jim James.
15 Farm Rd, Avon, ME
207-639-5044
islandfarm@tds.net

Second Chance Farm and Longfellow’s Creamery – At Longfellow’s Creamery and Second Chance Farm we produce and sell the finest quality grass-fed, organic beef, veal, pork and dairy products for the healthy enjoyment by our family, neighbors and customers. We are dedicated to being your local source for quality food. Contact Kathy and Liam Trodden.
20 Maple Lane, Avon, Maine
207-639-2074
info@longfellowscreamery.com
www.longfellowscreamery.com

Register now!

Thanks for your interest!

Rest Stops, Farm Snacks, and Refreshments

The Tour de Farmington will have great refreshments, plans for safety and farmers that will welcome you to tour their businesses.

On this page you will find important information regarding the location of water stops, snacks and safety checkpoints.

Water:

• We are interested in making sure riders are able to access water to hydrate themselves while on the ride. Due to this need, we have asked farmers to allow water access for riders.

• Tour de Farmington has applied for a grant to a local bottler and we hope to also have bottled water available to riders.

Snacks:

• Many farm proprietors are offering farm-fresh snacks to riders, such as warmed cider, hot tea, coffee, apple turnovers, cinnamon sticks, pizza rustica, cookies, and other wonderful things.

• We also hope to have things like granola & energy bars available at the major rest stops on the 70 mile tour.

Safety Checkpoints:

• There will be places along the tour where traffic control will occur with help of the Farmington PD as well as volunteer support. The tour will be well-marked and we will have numerous route markers to keep riders on the course.

• Also, where several of the main routes intersect with the tour route, there will be safety personnel that will help screen riders who may be in need of support to finish the ride safely. It is the goal of the tour organizers to make sure that riders who aren’t able to complete the ride have assistance getting to the finish in a timely manner. We realize that this ride might be the first large tour for many riders and we are dedicated to creating a safe climate.

• A couple Sag wagons with tools will be available in emergencies, should riders experience a broken part or flat tire. Vans will also travel the route to pick up any items ordered at each farm so that riders can pick up purchased goods at the end of the tour.

Register Online & Join us October 10th!

Here is the link to online registration: http://www.westernmountainsalliance.org/TourdeFarmington.html and click here to view the 2010 Brochure: (link)

The Tour de Farmington is a one-day bike tour of farms in the Franklin County area of western Maine scheduled for Sunday, October 10, 2010. Celebrating local agriculture and promoting alternative modes of transportation, the Tour de Farmington offers cyclists a choice of two routes.

The 19-mile route is centered around the Wilton area with scenic views of the region’s forested foothills punctuated by open fields and small villages. Farms on the tour will feature hoop greenhouses, fresh produce, apple orchards, alpacas and other livestock.

The 70-mile route takes cyclists north of Farmington to the Western Mountains foothills with hillier terrain and views of the Sandy River and Longfellow Mountain range. Farms on the 70-mile route feature a cheesemaking operation, diversified vegetable farm, a bakery, farm kitchens and livestock. The region’s fantastic fall foliage should be at peak for the tours.

Both routes will start and finish in downtown Farmington. In its first year, the tour is open to 100 participants and pre-registration is required. Please register by Sept 28. At the farms, cylists will have the opportunity to buy local food and products that can be picked up in Farmington at the end of the event. A local foods lunch, water and snacks will be provided. The day will conclude with a live bluegrass performance and burrito BBQ prepared by Food by Chuck (formerly of Big Mouth Burritos).

Lead Organizers: Jeremy Smith, 232-4691 or sgraffito@gmail.com Jean Luc Theriault, jeanluc515@gmail.com Tanya Swain, 778-3885 or tswain@westernmountainsalliance.org Edie Davis, edie.davis@maine.edu

Please complete one form for each rider. Thank you!

About Online Registration & Other Ramblings

Hi there,

just wanted to update folks and let them know that online registration is available here:  (link)

Please check out the story that was posted on the Sun Journal’s website and another that recently appeared online in the Daily Bulldog.  There is an image of the route map available for viewing at the Daily Bulldog site, which serves as the online news site for people interested in happenings in and around the Farmington area.

So, in the interest of informing you and yours, here are the links to both articles:

Sun Journal:  http://www.sunjournal.com/franklin/story/893536

Daily Bulldog:  http://www.dailybulldog.com/db/?p=5454

And if you’d like to become a fan of our Facebook page, you may do so by visiting here:  http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Tour-de-Farmington/149255941758629?ref=ts

Once online registration is available we will email everyone on our email list.  For more information,  to volunteer, or to be added to our email list, please send us a brief email at tourdefarmington@gmail.com

Thanks for your interest!

~Jeremy