Wildlands Celebrates the Season, Raises Money for Youth Programs at OkTRAILberfest
By Rachel Calderara, Education & Outreach Manager
Photo courtesy of Andrew Lederman Photography
Wildlands Trust hosted its second OkTRAILberfest celebration on Saturday, October 13, attracting over 200 guests to its headquarters at Davis-Douglas Farm in Plymouth. OkTRAILberfest honors the traditional German-style celebration of beer and brats, but in addition offers a variety of guided hikes on our local trail systems. What better place to end a hike than at a festival with locally brewed beer, farm fresh food, and live music?
A hot buffet of German themed faire was provided by Farms to Forks Catering, offering up bratwurst, sauerkraut, homemade pretzels, potato pancakes, and root veggies. Locally crafted beers from Plymouth breweries Independent Fermentations Brewing and Mayflower Brewing were on tap, ranging in styles from IPA to Porter. Local folk band Butch McCarthy and the Gentlemen of Leisure kept the festival spirit alive while our guests ate, drank, and mingled in the Community Conservation Barn and by fire pit.
Green Team members stand next to the raffle table at OkTRAILberfest. Photo courtesy of Alex Cattullo.
The community came together to cheer on competitors of the midafternoon growler hoisting contest, with the winner in both female and male divisions taking a growler home from Mayflower or IndieFerm. At the end of the day, everyone gathered again at the raffle drawing for their chance to win over 20 prizes, totaling $1,770 in value, donated by local businesses.
OkTRAILberfest honors the Wildlands Trust mission to protect land and keep our communities connected to the natural world, while also raising money for the Youth Unplugged Initiative. Youth Unplugged provides opportunities for the next generation to engage in outdoor learning. Through keystone Green Team and Envirothon programs, as well as partnerships with existing youth groups, Wildlands provides kids and teens throughout the region with productive, hands-on opportunities to learn about the environment and contribute to their communities.
With the help of generous sponsors, vendors, and festival attendees, $7,000 was raised at OkTRAILberfest this year to keep Youth Unplugged programs running through 2019 and beyond!
Thank you to sponsors, vendors, and everyone who came out to celebrate!