Muster Field Farm Museum-Calendar of Events

	Throughout the year, the farm hosts events which highlight the rural tradition of New Hampshire agricultural life. For the Year 2010 Annual Meeting ~ January 17, 2010 Ice Harvest Day ~ January 24, 2010 Thursday's Child Dinner at the New London Inn ~ March 18, 2010 June Jam ~ June 26, 2010 Farm Days ~ August 28 and 29, 2010 NH 5th Regiment Encampment ~ September 18 and 19, 2010 Harvest Day ~ October 3, 2010 For the Year 2011 Annual Meeting ~ January 16, 2011 Ice Harvest Day ~ January 23, 2011 For admission fees, see Visitor Information

	MFFM ANNUAL MEETING ~ JANUARY 17, 2010 2:00 pm - Pillsbury Memorial Hall, Sutton Mills, NH The star attraction is the acclaimed humorist and author Rebecca Rule (the "Moose of Humor"). A New Hampshire native and popular storyteller, Rebecca goes on a hilarious and touching tour of our beloved Granite State and its history, culture, climate, attractions, vernacular highlights and anything else that strikes her fancy. For 17 years, she wrote a column on New Hampshire appearing in the Concord Monitor, Nashua Telegram and the Portsmouth Herald. She comes to Sutton sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities Council and presents a look at the Granite State as only a native sees it. A short business meeting will precede Rebecca's performance. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is invited -- members and non-members alike.

	ICE DAY January 24, 2010 9 am ~ 'til the ice is in (2 pm) Sunday, January 24, 2010, is Ice Day beginning down off Horse Beach on Kezar Lake, North Sutton. Volunteers, and anyone else who wants to participate, will cut out the ice blocks starting around 9 a.m. and deliver them up the road to Muster Field Farm, where they are packed in sawdust inside the Watters Ice House and lay undisturbed until next August, when the ice is used during Farm Days. Last January over 22,000 pounds of frozen Kezar Lake was put away. Soup, snacks and sandwiches are served for lunch in the farm's Ryder Corner Schoolhouse which is always nicely warmed by the old pot bellied stove. Don't miss it. FREE Admission (donations appreciated). Rain date is January 31. And, to make Ice Day more nourishing, a pancake breakfast will be held by the Sutton Historical Society in North Sutton's Free Will Baptist Church from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Get a nice warm meal before walking over to Horse Beach for the ice cutting. Rain date January 31. In addition, the Sutton Ridgerunners will stage an Ice Day ride-in for all area snowmobilers. Gather down by Horse Beach, maybe take in the pancake breakfast, cheer on the ice cutting and then do some trail riding, ending up at Muster Field Farm for lunch in the Schoolhouse. Also not to be missed and it's warm inside. Rain date January 31. Finally, on Ice Day Pete Lauridsen and friends will display their antique cars converted to snowmobiles at Horse Beach.

THURSDAY’S CHILD DINNER AT THE NEW LONDON INN March 18, 2010 Members and non-members have the chance to eat well and support Muster Field Farm Museum by making a reservation for our Thursday's Child Dinner on March 18 at Rockwell's Restaurant in the New London Inn. Half the profits of the dinner go back to the Farm compliments of Rockwell's. Call (603) 526-2791 for reservations. There's no more enjoyable way to financially support Muster Field Farm.

JUNE JAM June 26, 2010 The eighth annual musical fundraiser features an exciting line-up of local folk, blues, and rock musicians: Fat Hands, Uncle Jimbo, the Putnam-Pirozzoli Guitar Duo, Night Kitchen, Bradford Bog People, Jen White and Jimmy Sferes, and Gary Robinson. This is a family event, with burgers, hot dogs, snacks and beverages on sale. Or pack your own picnic and beverages to enjoy. Gates open at 4:00, music begins at 4:15. Tickets: $10 per person or $20 per family, available on site the day of the event. Don't miss it!

FARM DAYS August 28-29, 2010 The museum's largest event of the year, a two-day celebration of all things agricultural, historical, and farm-related. This event features special exhibits and demonstrations positioned over the farm’s large fields and in its historic buildings. See haying and threshing, hand hewing of timbers, stonewall building and stone splitting, rope making, blacksmithing, and other farm-related skills. Craft demonstrations include spinning, weaving on antique looms, flax processing and spinning, felting, natural dyeing, lace making, and much more. Children can make and enjoy homemade ice cream, using ice cut by hand during the Farm’s annual Ice Harvest event, held at nearby Kezar Lake each January. Revolutionary War re-enactors will set up camp, demonstrating military maneuvers and artillery firing as they occurred at the Farm during 18th and 19th century militia musters. The Hinsdale Garrison Company will also set up camp, presenting a colonial life demonstration. Displays of the Farm’s many artifacts will be featured in the Ezekiel Little, Hildredth, and Hardy-Pillsbury Barns, a reminder of farm work and life from days past. Oxen and smaller animals will be on display. Antique trucks, cars and tractors are on parade at 3 p.m. each day, and work-saving antique small engines are exhibited. An assortment of food, jellies, jams, and vegetables are available at the Farm Stand, and wonderful food is served throughout the day. And don’t miss Muster Field's famous Roast Beef Supper on Saturday from 5-7 p.m.! Tickets for the supper are required: $10 for adults and $5 for children, available by reservation (927-4047), or at the Farm Days Information Booth. Farm Days hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is free for members; $5 for non-members. PLEASE NOTE: Due to large attendance, we are unable to conduct Homestead tours during this event.

CIVIL WAR ENCAMPMENT September 18-19, 2010 The 5th Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers, the "Fighting Fifth" will present an authentic Union Army Infantry Regiment at the time of the Civil War as a "living history" event to be held on the Muster Field Museum grounds, Saturday and Sunday, September 18 and 19. The re-enactors will set up a 1860's military encampment and bivouac on our historic grounds, as citizen-soldiers in uniform interact with visitors through drill, firing demonstrations, ceremonies, and inspection of arms. This volunteer nonprofit group represents New Hampshire's premier regiment formed on August 27, 1861, and led by Colonel Edward E. Cross. Their membership comes from most New England states to include New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. Their common goal is a commitment to accurately portray the Civil War soldier. This will be living history at its best. Please join us for this special treat.

HARVEST DAY October 3, 2010 Enjoy a Muster Field harvest where everything is homemade and homegrown. Traditional fiddling and folk music mingle in the crisp fall air with the enticing smell of homemade soups, breads and baked goods. The Farm Stand offers an array of seasonal vegetables, honey, jellies, chutneys, and eggs. Harvest-time farm techniques and crafts of all kinds are exhibited on the historic grounds, including threshing, corn and bean shelling, rope making, blacksmithing, weaving, spinning, and open hearth cooking in the Matthew Harvey Homestead. Children can play traditional games, make books, dip candles, and even create their own cornhusk dolls. Storytelling in the Ryder Schoolhouse will be ongoing throughout the day. And a great selection of books on traditional life will be available, along with handcrafted wares. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is $5.

SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE Sundays, July 1 – October 3, 2010, 1 ~ 4 p.m. (No Homestead tours on Sunday, August 29) Although the farm is open daily for self-guided tours, Sundays in July through Harvest Day in October are special days. The circa-1787 Matthew Harvey Homestead is open for docent-led tours, beginning at 1 p.m. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992, this grand old home features a second floor ballroom, where the military officers were entertained on Muster Day and town meetings were held in early times. The farm buildings and farm stand are also open. Hike our 250 acres, bring a picnic lunch, and enjoy the spectacular flower and vegetable gardens and beautiful views of Mount Kearsarge. FREE admission (donations appreciated).