Celebrating the taste of local food at Taste of the Valley in Springs
SPRINGS ― Springs Museum’s new event, Taste of the Valley, will be the Springs Historical Society's first festivity of 2024. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
“Taste of the Valley” builds on the history of food and how it impacts our tastes today. The event celebrates the best locally produced products of the area where ticketed guests can taste and learn about the food they make. Beachy’s apple butter, Somerset County Maple Producers, Van Grouw Family Farm cheese, and chocolates by Stacey Engle will be just a few of the vendors providing samples of their products.
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"When you look at the collections of the museum, you realize that a lot is centered around the production, preparing and eating of food," said Beth Page, curator of the Springs Museum, in an email. "It's one of the best things of the festival and a focus of the farmers' market. We love learning food's history and bringing that history to life with all of our senses. A memory can come to life in an instant with a taste of a treasured family recipe or the smell of something roasting, boiling or aging. With the popularity of travel shows connected to food, the event brings a travel show to you in person showcasing craft producers in the region. We get to learn about our history with food while celebrating those who produce it today."
The museum, started in 1957, collects everyday objects documenting the history of the Casselman Valley – its industry, home life, business and foodways. One of the purposes of the organization is “to revive pioneer arts and crafts and to foster interest in and appreciation for research in the same.”
Our culture and natural environment created ripe conditions for the production of maple, honey, cheese, apples and more.
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Get your tickets
The ticketed event provides entry for sampling foods, guided museum tours, demonstrations and children's crafts.
AHS Farms Goat Milk Products will showcase their goat milk soap and have live goats for children to pet. Visitors can also try their hand at churning butter and kneading dough.
Page said besides this being a fundraising for the museum, it's a great way to taste what the valley has to offer.
"You can try a new maple rub from Milroy Farms as well as the best apple cider (fresh frozen) from Beachy's. The Springs Store across the road is providing their renowned doughnut holes," she said. "Traditional favorites like shoefly and a maple Montgomery pie will be for sale while supplies last. We'll also have two local soap producers, Fernwood and AHS Farms Goat Milk Products – also a necessity in the kitchen and bath."
The event is a family affair and activities are planned especially for the children.
"There will be a craft table in the museum, dough to knead, things to touch, and goats to pet for kids," Page said. "If weather is permitting, we'll have wagon rides on the grounds."
Visitors can win door prizes for the vendors' products.
Proceeds will go directly to the museum for the exhibition and archive storage of the Wagner Collection, an invaluable collection of a local maple-producing family spanning the 1880s to 2000s.
"While starting out small, we have no idea what to expect in terms of support but hope to see people come out to help with exhibit and storage funding and just have a good time," Page said.
The event will take place at 1711 Springs Road, Springs, at the Folk Meetinghouse and Springs Museum. For more information, go to www.springspa.org or contact Page at museum@springspa.org.
Madolin Edwards can be reached at medwards@dailyamerican.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: History and taste of food featured in Taste of the Valley event somerset county
