Slow Food Bluegrass Calendar of Events
Call 502-303-3760 or email Mark Williams for more details.

Right: Alice Waters with Convivium leader and chef Mark Williams during the Slow Food event at historic Waldeck Manor. Elaine Shay photo.

March
• 15 - 4th Annual Tennessee Organic Growers Association Conference, 8AM-5PM, Farrell Westbrook Complex, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN. Featuring Eliot Coleman. http://www.tnorganics.org/

25 - Local Food and Agriculture, Sustainable Cities Series, Urban Design Studio, 6PM, Glassworks, 815 W Market, Louisville. Local Food and Agriculture. Whether you are a foodie, farmer, health nut, sustainability  advocate or all of the above, you will find the upcoming forum a "must attend" event. Learn about Louisville Metro's local food initiatives, community farms, food access, the slow food movement, farmer's markets and much more. Please join us on March 25th for an engaging discussion on local food and agriculture. Space is limited so please go to http://uds.louisville.edu to RSVP by Friday, March 21st to reserve your seat. You can also RSVP by sending an  email with name, email address and/or phone number for each attendee to udslouisville@gmail.com. This event  is free to the public. For more information please call 502.587.7015 or visit http://uds.louisville.edu.

GUEST  SPEAKERS:
Susan Hamilton, Metro Louisville Economic Development  Department
Ivor Chodkowski, Community Farm Alliance
Bill Huston, Urban  Fresh
Chef Mark Williams, Slow Food Bluegrass

• 28 - Healing the Earth, Healing Ourselves, a lecture by Marko Pogacnik. 7:30-9:00PM, The Farm Center at Foxhollow Farm, located at 8905 Highway 329, Crestwood, KY 40014. Based on his worldwide geomantic and Earth-healing experience, Marko  will speak of a holistic approach to our stewardship of the earth. Marko's work presents us with a variety of ways to recreate our personal and cultural  links with the Earth. Cost of Admission: $10.00 at the door. http://www.foxhollow.com/Home.html

More scenes from Waldeck Manor. Left: Chef Ouita Michel of Holly Hill Inn in Midway, KY, prepares to serve her Harvest Borscht and Baked Pumpkin. Right: Wendell Berry was on hand to welcome Alice Waters to the Bluegrass. Elaine Shay photos.

April
• 3-4 - Social Justice and Engaged Scholarship, a 2-day symposium Apr 3-4, 2008, in Chao Auditorium and Brandeis School of Law; co-sponsored by I2A and Signature  Partnership TH, April 3, 2008, 4:30 pm, Chao Auditorium, opening plenary features Dr. Steven Rosenstone, VP for Scholarly/Cultural Affairs, U of  Minn.FR, April 4, at 9AM-6PM in Law School, featuring plenary panel on  action research; breakout sessions, roundtables, & poster displays. Closing Plenary in Law School Courtroom at 4:15 pm features Dr. Peniel Joseph,  associate prof. of Africana Studies, Brandeis University, on "Black Studies as Engaged Scholarship.
 
Friday, April 4th, sometime in the afternoon (details to  follow) "Community Initiatives for Food Justice"
Ivor Chodkowski,  Past President of CFA, Co-owner of Grasshoppers Distribution, and Proprietor of Field Day Family Farm
Dorcilla Johnston, Board Member,  Community Farm Alliance and Co-chair CFA Jefferson County Chapter Farmers  Market Committee.
Mark Williams, Convivium Leader, Slow Food Bluegrass
Carol Gunderson, Director, Food Literacy  Project
Angelique Perez, Food Working Group, Green Cities Initiative,  JCPS

• 9 - Rain Gardens, brown bag lunch, noon - 1 PM, Salato Wildlife Education Center, Frankfort,  KY. Do you want to grow a beautiful garden, conserve water and prevent storm water pollution at the same time? You can make it possible by diverting rainwater run-off into a garden, allowing the water to seep into the ground. Join Dave Gabbard, water quality engineer with the Lexington Fayette County Urban Government, as he explains the positive impacts rain gardens have on your local  environment. No registration is required.  Admission: Free. Sponsored by Frankfort/Franklin Co. Tourist & Convention Commission. (502) 875-8687, Email: rantenucci@visitfrankfort.com.

• 22 - Earth Day - Slow Food Bluegrass is a partner of the Earth Day Network. Contact Mark Williams with ideas  on how to celebrate the day locally. http://www.earthday.net/about/default.aspx

• 26-27 - Yew Dell Gardens Plant Sale and Garden Market, 6220 Old La Grange Rd., Crestwood  KY, 40014. If you are a serious plant nut, or a casual;  beginner; this is a garden event not to be missed. Yew Dell's sale of  rare and unusual plants, coupled with the area's best line-up of top  vendors, tours, bonsai diplays, hands-on workshops, kid's activities and  more will make this a great event for the whole family. Admission: Free to members; adults $7, Seniors and  children over 12 $5; children under 12 free
Contact Name:   Jena Walker, (502) 241-4788, jenaw@yewdellgardens.org, http://www.yewdellgardens.org. 

May
• 10 - Peace and Global Citizenship Fair, Lexington, noon until 8 pm. This year's theme is human rights (as 2008 is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) and the focus is on local sustainability and global understanding. Local food, farms, gardens, transportation, and more. Slow Food Bluegrass and Terrapin  Hill Farm will provide food! Bluegrass Community and Technical College, 221 Moloney Bldg, 470 Cooper Drive, Lexington, Kentucky 40506. 859.246.6319 http://BCTCpeaceandjustice.blogspot.com

• 23-24 - Holistic Beekeeping Workshop, Fox Hollow  Farm, Crestwood, KY. Join us for a holistic beekeeping workshop led by world-renowned biodynamic beekeeper, author and educator Gunther Hauk. Call (502) 241-6375 for registration. http://www.foxhollow.com/Homehtml

June
• 6-8 - Fort Harrod Beef Festival, Harrodsburg, KY. Slow Food Bluegrass will again  participate in this award-winning festival. Details will follow.  http://www.fortharrodbeeffestival.org.

• 21-22 - Francisco's Farm Art Festival, Midway, KY. Slow  Food Bluegrass will participate, details will follow. http://www.franciscosfarm.org/

• 21 - First Day of Summer and Second Annual Slow Night. Join Slow Food Bluegrass for variety of statewide celebrations of local foods,  crafts and traditions. Details will follow. http://www.slowfoodbluegrass.org.

• 22 - Great American Summer Family Farm Picnic, Locust Grove, Louisville, KY. Locust  Grove Historic Home and Slow Food Bluegrass present a day-long celebration of food, farms and families featuring heritage breeds of farm  animals, cooking demonstrations, gardening classes, music, games, a Bourbon Academy featuring Brown-Forman Master Distiller Chris Morris, and local farmers displaying their bounty. More details will follow. http://www.locustgrove.org, a Slow Food U.S.A. and  R.A.F.T. official event.

July
• 11-13 - Blue Grass and Brown Whiskey Field Trip, Louisville, KY. The legendary Southern Foodways Alliance will be in Kentucky to host this "camp" for historians and gourmands.  http://www.southernfoodways.com.

• 25-27 - Forecastle Festival and Summer Symposium, Louisville, KY. THE FORECASTLE FESTIVAL is where the Midwest connects. Founded in Louisville, KY, the annual gathering is equal parts Music, Art, and Activism. A symposium for musicians, artists, and environmentalists,  Forecastle connects the progressive Midwest. The 2008 fest is expected to draw over 10,000 patrons to the Louisville Waterfront - part of a scenic, $60 million dollar riverfront investment which draws 1.5 million visitors a year. With national headliners and expanded line-ups, the festival will provide an unforgettable experience for all Forecastle travelers, converging in Louisville from the Midwest and beyond. Slow Food Bluegrass will participate. http://www.forecastlefestival.com.

August
• 2-3 - 13th Annual Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill Craft Fair, Harrodsburg, KY. Slow Food Bluegrass members will present a sustainable and local food area. Details will follow. http://www.shakervillageky.org.

• 14-24 - Kentucky State Fair, Louisville, KY. Slow Food Bluegrass Day will feature local chefs and farmers on stage at the Gourmet Garden. Details to follow www.kystatefair.org.

• 28-1 - SLOW FOOD NATION, San Francisco, CA. First ever event featuring farmers, producers and chefs from across America. Slow Food Bluegrass will be there with a delegation of convivum members representing Kentucky. Don't miss this event! Details to follow. http://www.slowfoodnation.com.

September
• 5-6 (Friday and Saturday) - Sierra Club Healthy Food, Local Farms Conference, "The Politics of Food", Louisville, KY. You don't want to miss this years conference! Slow Food  Bluegrass will participate, details to follow.

• 7 - The Kentucky Harvest Festival, Locust Grove, Louisville, KY. Presented by Locust Grove Historic Home and Slow Food Bluegrass. Our local version of Slow Food Nation where our guests can sample the produce and creations of local farmers, food producers and chefs. Details to follow. http://www.locustgrove.org.   

• 12 - The Kentucky Show World Premiere, Louisville, KY. Kentucky Center for the Arts, Multi sensory film about Kentucky - opening in a specially designed permanent theater at the Kentucky Center. Slow Food Bluegrass will participate in the opening reception and dinner. http://kentuckyshow.com/   

• 25 - The Idea Festival, Louisville, KY. Slow Food Bluegrass will participate in this world-class festival that brings together the world's most diverse and creative thinkers. Details to follow. http://www.ideafestival.com.

• 29 - A Tasteful Affair, Louisville, KY. Sister Cities of Louisville's Annual Celebration of food representing all of Louisville's sister cities. Slow Food Bluegrass will participate. http://www.sclou.org. 

October
• 22-26 - American Folklore Society Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY. The Commons and the Commonwealth is the theme for the American  Folklore Society's 120th annual meeting, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, on October 22-26, 2008. Since the designation of Kentucky as a "commonwealth" in 1785, Kentuckians have struggled over control of their common wealth: as a border state during the Civil War; through coals wars, labor wars and  tobacco wars and attempts by outsiders and insiders alike to define and  exploit an "authentic" folk culture. Inherent in the idea of  commonwealth is the notion of the general good and shared potential.  This year's meeting in the Commonwealth of Kentucky is a time to  consider anew the politics of advocacy in public welfare. From diverse issues ranging from mountaintop removal to the transformation of  agriculture to mass-mediated cultural homogenization, Kentucky's  geopolitical landscape reflects broader tensions between economic change and cultural conservation. This year's theme is devoted to reevaluating  folklorists' professional role in generating and maintaining a common  interest in the common good. Folklorists have often seen themselves as defenders of community and  tradition, especially among the marginal and powerless. In filling this  role, we have sometimes walked a fine line between community empowerment  and cultural imperialism. Globalization represents a particular  challenge to folklorists, as we seek to defend the commons by using  communicative forms opened to us by new technology. As a discipline that  focuses on local knowledge, vernacular aesthetics, and insider/outsider  collaboration, folklorists can take a key role in the struggle to link  natural and cultural resources in ways that support diversity, renewability and the local. In this, we share common interests with  scientists, activists, artists and others who value diversity. The idea  of the "commons" returns us to the notion that some forms of wealth  belong to us all, and cannot be reduced to marketplace commodities  without disastrous results. For the 2008 annual meeting in Louisville, the Annual Meeting  Committee especially encourages panels, forums, poster sessions and  other activities that focus on the idea of the commons, and highlight  the connection between cultural and natural environments, or between  local and global culture. Submissions can encompass a wide variety of topics, from community aesthetics and local understandings of  environment, to electronic forms of community, international copyright  laws or global climate change. http://www.afsnet.org/annualmeet/index.cfm.

• 23-27 - Terra Madre World Food Communities Gathering, Turin, Italy. Held concurrently with Salone del Gusto in Turin Italy, the third edition of the biennial international meeting of the Terra Madre Network will bring  together food communities, cooks, academics and youth delegates  for four days to work towards increasing small-scale, traditional and sustainable food production. Terra Madre began in 2004 with the groundbreaking world meeting of food communities. In 2006 participation grew to bring together 5000 producers from 1600 food  communities, 1000 cooks and 400 academics from 150 countries. In 2008, participants will once again have the opportunity to discuss  issues that concern them, share their experiences, make their voices heard and develop international exchanges and networks.  http://www.slowfood.com.    

This calendar is produced as a service by Slow Food Bluegrass. Please send news  and updates of your community events by emailing Mark Williams at slowfoodbluegrass@msn.com.

Ray Lampe (center), aka Dr. Barbeque, divulges barbeque secrets during a Slow Food event at Woodford Reserve. Bruce Robert Frank photo.