Come for some frog-jumping, old-fashioned fun at Hanford Mills Museum’s Independence Day Celebration on Thursday, July 4 from 10 am – 5 pm
The festival features a children’s fishing derby, frog-jumping contest (bring your own frog), live music, Holiday Pop-Up Farmers’ Market, food, and guided Mill tours. Tours include water-power demonstrations featuring the 1926 Fitz Overshot waterwheel, and steam-power demos with the steam boiler and steam engines.
A popular feature of the Independence Day Celebration is ice cream, made on a steam-powered churn and chilled with ice from the Museum’s Ice Harvest. Free samples will be available throughout the day.
Henry Hermann and the Catskill Mountain Boys will be performing noon to 3 pm. Eagle Ridge BBQ and Ate.O.Ate Catering will offer food for sale. Members of two Plein Aire Painters groups will be on site, and visitors can watch as they capture scenes of Hanford Mills. Shaver-Hill Farm will be selling maple products, including maple cotton candy. There will also be blacksmithing demonstrations.
A new addition is the Holiday Pop-Up Farmer’s Market organized by the Greater Stamford Area Chamber of Commerce. The Market, which will run 10 am – 4 pm, will feature Catskills made produce, products and crafts. The Market will be open for visitors coming to the Celebration, as well as community members who just want to browse and pick up something special for the Fourth. The Market features fresh baked goods (waffles, bagels, cookies, donuts, bread), jams and jellies, beef, chicken, pork, honey, free range eggs, fresh greens, soy and beeswax candles, photographs, books, woolen items, wooden furniture, pottery, spirits and liqueurs, handmade totes and more. In addition to selling alpaca fleece items, Gunhouse Hill Alpacas will be bringing alpacas. The Market is organized by the Greater Stamford Area Chamber of Commerce.
Special Fun for Kids
There will be a children’s fishing derby on the Mill Pond from 11 am – 2:30 pm, with prizes being awarded for the largest fish. Children 14 and under should bring a pole and bait (or borrow one of the poles that will be available courtesy of the Department of Environmental Conservation in Stamford.) There also will be sack races, tug-of-war, and frog-jumping contests (at 12:30 and 2:30 pm, bring your own frog).
New Exhibit
A new exhibit marking the Museum’s 40th anniversary will be on view in the Feed Mill. The exhibit tells the story of Hanford Mills transitioning from a 120-year old working mill to a vibrant museum.
“Hanford Mills Museum is here today because of the efforts of many individuals, starting with Ken Kelso, as well businesses and philanthropic groups, like the O’Connor Foundation,” says Liz Callahan, the Museum’s executive director. “We’re pleased to have this opportunity to highlight their efforts, and the milestones in the Mill’s and the Museum’s history.”
About Hanford Mills Museum
Hanford Mills Museum operates an authentic water- and steam-powered historic site. The mission of Hanford Mills Museum is to inspire audiences of all ages to explore connections among energy, technology, natural resources and entrepreneurship in rural communities, with a focus on sustainable choices. The Museum which is listed on the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places is open Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 am – 5 pm.
Children 12 and under, and Museum members receive free admission. Admission for adults and teens is $8.50, for seniors, $6.50. Active duty military and their families receive free admission as well. AAA and other discounts available. There is no charge to attend the Holiday Pop-Up Farmers’ Market.
Hanford Mills Museum is located at 51 County Highway 12 in East Meredith, at the intersection of Delaware County Routes 10 & 12, just 10 miles from Oneonta, and 15 miles from Delhi. For more information, visit hanfordmills.org or call 607.278.5744.
