March 2018 – 19th Century Curran Village, Orrington & Holden, Maine

Sat., March 24, 10-3, 19th Century Curran Homestead Village at Newfield’s Maple Syrup Event & Irish Celebration at Newfield

March 19, 2018 curranhomestead Uncategorized

Sat., March 24, 10-3, 19^th Century Curran Homestead Village at Newfield’s Maple Syrup Event & Irish Celebration at Newfield

Saturday, March 24, 10am – 3pm, 19^th Century Curran Homestead Village at Newfield will have a Maple Syrup Event and Irish Celebration, 70 Elm Street, Newfield, ME 04056. The event offers samplings of food flavored with maple syrup, including baked goods, and our traditional offering of ginger ice cream drizzled with maple syrup as well as some homemade Irish beef stew to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Local maple syrup is for sale. There will be demonstrations of tree tapping and ongoing sugaring off at the museum’s temporary “sugar shack.” There is an egg hunt for kids with a prize for participation. Draft horse sled rides and blacksmithing demos too.

There will be a hands-on woodworking activity with a take home coat rack produced by the industrious and interested. There will be sweets and savories at the Red Barn Building. Mark Matteau, Scarborough letterpress printer of the Dunstan Press will be working with several recent students of a class on printing projects at the Cram Printing Office. Frank Vivier will be teaching a class of knife making at the Blacksmithing Shop. There might be several hammering away in the Tom Flagg smithy; remember that Newfield was once a place of five blacksmith shops and a dozen carriage makers.

Next to the Flagg smithy will be Aaron Boyce of Madison with his team of Percheron draft horses for rides ($5); the event is free but rides and food have a fee to support the museum. The Percherons will be pulling either a bob sleigh or wagon for rides weather depending. Don’t forget to check out several videos underway in the Red Barn Building next to the Newfield Post Office. , including one on maple sugaring in Newfield and another on the historical origins of maple sugaring.

The museum can use some volunteers for set up on Friday, March 23, 10-3, if you can make it. They can also use help on the day of the event; they’re looking for a new generation of people to help perpetuate a museum that have served four generations into the future. Give them a call at 207-205-4849. This is the Curran’s 25^th year as a Maine non-profit educational resource. The museum was the donation of Alfred and Catherine Curran of Orrington, who wanted their 300 plus acre farm in Orrington forever remain as they knew it since the family purchased it in 1914. The Currans came to the Orrington area as early as the 1830s from Ireland. The Newfield site has served the public since 1970 as a museum and was gifted to the non-profit Curran Homestead in January, 2017. New developments are underway including an ice house to be built at the Newfield museum before students on school field trips arrive this May; come out and learn about the Curran mission and how you might contribute to keeping history alive for a new generation for the challenges of today and the future.

The program is free but the museum welcomes donations and purchase of food offerings and bob sleigh or wagon rides. For additional information visit the museum’s website: curranhomestead.org , its Facebook page, or call 207-205-4849 or 207-745-4426. Learn about our classes in knife making, blacksmithing letterpress printing, bookbinding, woodworking and more…

Wee Bit Farm Donation! We’ll have both lamb and beef stew for our March 17, 10-3, Maple Syrup Event & Irish Celebration

March 13, 2018 curranhomestead Uncategorized

We’ll have some wonderful lamb stew, for traditionalists, and beef stew at our upcoming Maple Syrup Event & Irish Celebration. This is grass-fed lamb and beef that was donated by Dan Hughes of Wee Bit Farm. Some might remember Dan in kilt with a joke or two to share and usually accompanied by one of his long haired Highland steer at many of our functions in the past. Dan’s meats and sausages have become very popular in recent years and are available up and down the State of Maine. Thank you Dan, who knows a true Irish stew includes mutton.

Sat., March 17, 10-3, 19th Century Curran Homestead Village at Fields Pond Maple Syrup Event & Irish Celebration

March 10, 2018 curranhomestead Uncategorized

Sat., March 17, 10-3, 19^th Century Curran Homestead Village at Fields Pond Maple Syrup Event & Irish Celebration

Saturday, March 17, 10am – 3pm, 19^th Century Curran Homestead Village at Fields Pond will have a Maple Syrup Event and Irish Celebration, 372 Fields Pond Rd., Orrington, ME 04474. The event offers samplings of fold flavored with maple syrup, including pork & beans, baked goods, and our traditional offering of ginger ice cream drizzled with maple syrup as well as some homemade Irish beef stew. There will be demonstrations of tree tapping and ongoing sugaring off at the museum’s own “sugar shack.” There is an egg hunt for kids with a prize for participation.

A hands-on woodworking activity with a take home coat rack produced by the industrious and interested. Knitting will take place on the porch to observe for those curious about such quickly disappearing pastimes. A performance of Bluegrass by our favorite Freshly Cut Grass will be ongoing in the Curran farmhouse. In the kitchen the wood burning kitchen stove will offer not only food but old time comradery. Blacksmithing will also be underway under tutelage of Dwight King who regularly teaches classes at the museum; make inquiries if you are interested in a future class. A sign-up sheet is available for those requesting information or who want to register for a class.

Out in the pasture will be John Boyce of Lee with his team of Belgian draft horses Amos and Andy. They will be pulling either a bob sleigh or wagon for rides weather depending. Don’t forget to check out several videos underway in the farmhouse dining room, including one on maple sugaring down in Newfield, our second campus where there will be a similar event the following weekend.

The museum can use some volunteers for set up on Friday, March 16, 10-3, if you can make it. They can also use help on the day of the event; they’re looking for a new generation of people to help perpetuate the museum into the future. Give them a call at 207-205-4849. This is their 25^th year as a non-profit educational resource for the community, Maine, and all visitors. Construction is underway at the museum, which will result in many more offerings; come out and learn about their mission and how you might contribute to keeping history alive for a new generation for the challenges of today and the future.

An all-inclusive, special event admission that includes food samplings, a bob sleigh ride, and the program. Children (17 and Under) are free and Adults are $12. For additional information visit the museum’s website: curranhomestead.org , its Facebook page, or call 207-205-4849 or 207-745-4426.