December
Art of the Wreath
Kick off the holiday season on Friday, December 2 from 7-10pm in the Carriage Barn at Ambler Farm for the annual Art of the Wreath Event.Enjoy good food and company over a glass of wine, beer or hot mulled cider. Bid on festive, hand-made decorated wreaths – for your own home or as a gift for a friend — during a silent auction that benefits Ambler Farm.
Greens Sale
The Greens Sale (trees, wreaths and roping) has become a Wilton tradition. Families enjoy cocoa, cider and treats, visiting Santa, meeting friends and leaving with freshly cut trees. A great way to begin the holiday season.
January
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Food Drive
In honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, we are holding a food drive to benefit Wilton Social Services
February
Maple Syrup Tap-a-Tree
Training dates: Saturday, February 11th from 11am – noon and Sunday, February 12th from 12:30 – 1:30pm.
In this extremely popular program, your family will learn the science and history of maple syruping by being a hands-on part of the process. You will choose a tree at the Farm and hang your bucket that will collect sap. We will boil down the sap in our sugar shack and send each family home with their very own bottle of Ambler Farm maple syrup.
Enrollment Limited: This program sold out quickly in previous years so please do not wait to sign up. The number of trees at the Farm is limited, so we are unable to accommodate late requests or wait lists. Registration is now open to all.
NEW! Middlebrook Maple Syrup
This 6 week program runs from early February through mid-March. Students in grades 6-8 will meet after school on Thursdays until 4:10. They will tap over 50 trees at Middlebrook school and meet each week to collect the sap. Students and families will be invited to Ambler Farm to see how the sap is made into syrup. As a thank you for participating each student will receive a bottle of maple syrup made from the sap that they helped harvest. Please contact Kevin Meehan at meehank@wilton.k12.ct.us to sign up your child. There is no charge for this program.
Valentine’s Tea
Sunday, February 12th from 2-4:00pm
Enjoy a traditional tea with assorted sandwiches, dainty scones and sweet treats for all ages. Decorate a Valentine’s craft for your sweetest and dearest.
Enrollment Limited: Registration is now open to all.
March
Art + Food + Wine
(left to right) Steve Desloge, owner of Rockwell Galleries, Neil Gluckin, FOAF president, Tricia Rosen, event chairperson, Jeanne Robertson, FOAF development chair and Jonathan Kirschner, Ambler Farm’s director of agriculture. Photo by Carrie Brady
On Friday, March 9, 2012, the Friends of Ambler Farm hosted an evening of Art + Food + Wine to raise money for the restoration of the Raymond-Ambler Farmhouse. More than 100 people attended the event and bid on artwork contributed by local artists. Sponsored by Rockwell Galleries, the art auction raised more than $10,000 for the restoration project, which aims to turn the 200-year old farmhouse into an educational, cultural and community resource for Wilton.
Ambler Farm would like to thank the following participating artists for their gracious support: Binnie Birstein, Jan Blencowe, Maya Boreen, Carrie Brady, Susan Brandt, Sharon Burke, Lynda Campbell, Leslie Concannon, M.C. Denbeck, Steve Desloge, David Dunlop, Ginnie Frank Fischer, Peggy Garbus, Gayle Glecker, Mary Hair, Allen Hawthorne, Dorothy Hyde, Anita Hiranandani, Jim Inzero, Stephanie Joyce, David Kalman, Constance Kiermaier, Ines Kramer, Katya Larbija, Joy Lambert, Wendy MacCordy, Nancy McTague- Stock, Laurie Maggio, Maureen Mayer, Claudia Mengel, Cabell Molina, Will Moses, Karen Neams, Tracy O’Hara, Linda Pattee, Nina Pomeroy, Ethel Renek, Lawrence Russ, Amy Schott, Jen Shelley, Jane Sutherland, Andrea Topalian, Trimble, Art Typermass, Alison Wachstein, Pam Wertz, Tony Woolner, Yves Fancis Wilson.
Click here to view more photos from this event.
Maple Syrup Open House
Saturday, March 3 and Sunday, March 11, 12:30 – 1:30pm.
Come experience a New England tradition: turning sap into syrup! The history and process of making syrup is fascinating. Kids and families will have an opportunity to tap a tree, take the maple syrup taste test, learn about Native American, colonial, and modern ways to make syrup and of course taste Ambler Farm’s very own maple syrup over vanilla ice cream. Bottles of our very own maple syrup will be available for sale. This event is free and open to the public.
Sheep Shearing
Saturday, March 24th, 1:00 – 2:00pm.
It’s time for Nutmeg and Clover’s spring shearing! Come see our sheep shearing demonstration and learn how wool is carded and spun into yarn. The Wilton Historical Society will demonstrate the fascinating old fashioned steps with opportunities for families to participate. Many thanks to the Wilton Historical Society for joining us! Cost is $10 per family.