This past Saturday, Sept. 20, the Town of Middlebury hosted the Tour de Farms, an annual biking fundraiser for the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN), a non-profit that promotes the healthy growth of food and agriculture in the Champlain Valley.
The Tour de Farms is ACORN’s biggest annual fundraiser. This past weekend marked its 17th year and was also the first time that Middlebury hosted the event. Starting and ending at the Middlebury Rec Field, the route spanned a record 37 miles, with stops at seven local farms. To participate, riders were asked to donate a minimum of $75 to ACORN in support of the local foodshed.
Despite setting a minimum donation, ACORN emphasizes that they never want cost to hinder anyone from participating. Their priority is to maximize community participation and are willing to support riders as needed.
Beyond raising money for ACORN, the Tour de Farms also offers local farms and food networks a chance to showcase their products. This year marked the first time Sunrise Orchards took part in the event, serving as one of the stops along the route.
“We all sample something from what we produce or something made with what we produce,” Chris Hodges, the co-owner of Sunrise Orchards, said. Her farm sampled apples, honey, jam and goat cheese.
Hodges described the day as a success. Although Sunrise Orchards has been operating for 51 years, this is only their 5th year of offering a “pick your own apples” service. As a farm still relatively new to retail operations, the Tour de Farms provided a chance for them to connect with the community and promote their offerings.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to come out to the farm who may or may not have been there before and to learn about where their food comes from,” Hodges said. Especially following a summer of drought, the orchard was glad to have the support of the community.
People from across Addison County and beyond gathered to enjoy the early fall weather and to support local food production. Along the route riders made purchases that could be collected by farm vans and delivered to the finish line, ensuring participants were not limited based on the space on their bikes.
Vice President for the Middlebury Language Schools and Schools Abroad Derek Doucet participated in his first Tour de Farms this year.
“I love locally produced food, and I love to ride bikes,” Doucet said, noting that this event was a great way to combine these two passions.
Doucet emphasized that the Tour de Farms is a fun and creative way to give publicity to local food networks.
“I think that local food is something that everyone can gather around in this community, and the Tour de Farms helps to promote agricultural sustainability which is a huge benefit for the community as a whole,” Doucet said.
The community showed up in large numbers for the event, attracting 300-500 participants. Despite the crowds, ACORN ensured the safety of the event, sharing a list of safety guidelines to protect participants and spectators. Helmets were mandatory and bikes needed to be wide-tire mountain bikes, gravel grinders or road bikes in proper mechanical condition.
“The program was really well run,” Hodges said. “There were plenty of volunteers scattered around the different stops, and the riders were awesome at managing each other.”
Doucet echoed Hodge’s sentiments. “There were course marshals at all the key intersections, and the route was generally very quiet and low-traffic,” he said.
The event ran smoothly, and both farmers and participants were happy to be out supporting local farms. Hodges said she hopes even more people will join the event next year.
“We always love having new people come out,” she said. “We’re out here, it’s beautiful, it’s a great way to spend time at the orchard.”
