Spindale Dairy Goat Festival and Parade

The first Spindale Dairy Goat Festival and Parade will be held in Spindale, NC May 21-22. It will feature an ADGA sanctioned open doe and youth show, goat cheese, wine and beer tasting, live musical entertainment, goat beauty contest, youth activities, a goat parade, art gallery and vendors. Follow them on Facebook or visit http://www.goatfestival.com/ for more information. A portion of proceeds will be donated to Heifer International.

2010 75th Anniversary AGS National Show and Convention

The 2010 Convention and National Show will be held in Sedalia, Missouri June 8 - 12 at the Missouri State Fairgrounds. The host group for this event is the Boon Companions Dairy Goat Club.

Danbury General Store

For a great way to relax and keep cool on a hot summer day, try a tubing adventure on the Dan River. Located on the banks of the Dan River and the heart of Danbury, adjacent to Moratock Park, and only 3 miles from Hanging Rock State Park, the Danbury General Store provides the perfect location for a summer family adventure. Tubing season runs from late May through mid-September, weather permitting. Tubing is available ONLY on weekends and holidays, from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM, OR: Monday - Friday by appointment ONLY!! and depends on water levels!!

Rabies Vaccination Clinic - Stokes County

On May 15, the Stokes County Humane Society will sponsor a Rabies Vaccination Clinic at the Pinnacle Fire Department. On June 19, an additional Clinic will be held at the Lawsonville Fire Department also sponsored by the Stokes County Humane Society. Both Clinics are from 9AM until 12 Noon and vaccinations are $8 (cash only). RAIN OR SHINE. Help stop this deadly disease by having your pet vaccinated against rabies. For more information, contact the Stokes County Animal Shelter at 336.994.2788.

Gourd Society Meeting

Gourd Society Meeting, craftwork, artistic decoration and competition, are just small details of the Gourd Society. I'm sure there's more to what I've seen and yes done! The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18th and moves from there. What comes next is for you to experience. The closing hour is 9:00 p.m. Learn how to cultivate and the gourds' historical uses. There's so much more......... 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Bolton Home & Garden Building

All Things Goat

Subscribe to All Things Goat blog. It is great read for anyone interested in goats. All Things Goat was created by Naimhe Jeanne (Nee-Vah Jeen,) of Illinois, and Martha Ann, of Vermont, who believe in the humane treatment of goats whether they are pets or raised for milk, meat or fiber. Through news, profiles, recipes and editorials, All Things Goat illustrates how our caprine friends improve the quality of life for many worldwide.

Do You Know Your Poop?

The Minnesota Zoo has a new online game to educate you about goats, cattle and chickens by identifying their manure. The interactive game explains what the animals eat and prompts the player to identify poop and feed the animals. Once the game is completed, a video plays that discusses how manure can help to identify health issues. For those of you who want a certificate for completing the game, one is available to print on your computer's printer certifying that you are now a "Poop Expert". Yee-Haw!

NEW Garden Soap on a Rope

We will have a new garden soap on a rope at Krankies Farmers Market on Tuesday from 10 until 1.

This goat's milk soap contains our own Rhode Island Red hens' egg shells. It is a scrubbing hand soap for removing dirt and grime. It can hang on your outside or inside faucet for easy access. Hope to you on Tuesday and thanks for supporting your local farmers!

This new garden soap, along with all your other favorite soaps are also available at the farm.

2010 Franklin County Farm Tour

The 2010 Franklin County Farm Tour and Festival will be held Saturday, May 15th and Sunday, May 16th. Stop by the Person Place Grounds in Louisburg in pick up a map and check out the Quilt Show/Sale, Heritage Crafts, and Local Food Festival. Then, gather up your family and friends, locate each farm on the map, and decide which route you want to take. Pick and choose which of these farms you want to visit... Strickland's Strawberry & Produce Farm (Youngsville) Steven’s Legacy Farm (Youngsville) Turtle Mist Farm (Franklinton) Betsey's Bee Farm (Franklinton) also featuring Franklin County Beekeepers Association and Green Hill Farm, Inc. (Frankinton) Meadowbright Farm (Youngsville) S&L Farm (Youngsville) Goldmine Trails & Homestead Farm (Youngsville) Cedar Rock Art Works/ Wilderflowers (Castalia) Meadow Lane Farm (Louisburg) Double “D” Equestrian Center (Louisburg) To register, contact the Franklin County Cooperative Extension at (919) 496-3344 before May 15th. Registration also available at each farm on tour days or at Stop 1, hospitality tent. Cost is $5/person (small children free). For more information visit their website.

Don't forget about Mom!

Your Mom would love to receive Buffalo Gal's goat's milk soap or a soap gift set tomorrow for Mother's Day!

Stop by the farm to purchase or find a location closer to you on our website.

Woofstock: It’s Worth Howling About!

There is no better way to have a good time with your four legged friend and help a worthy cause, The Forsyth Humane Society, than attending the 2nd Annual Woofstock Music Event on Saturday, May 15th. With great bands, family friendly events and special canine cahoots, Woofstock will be the highlight of every dog's Spring. "The whole thought behind Woofstock is to offer families and their dogs a great day with fun activities. Woofstock is an extra special day with proceeds benefitting The Forsyth Humane Society. We are very fortunate to have an animal shelter in our city that is a no-kill facility, but in order to maintain the services we provide to the community, like spay/neuter and rabies clinics, to the everyday expenses of taking care of our dogs and cats, funds are needed," said Stephanie Belcher, President of Forsyth Humane Society Board." The 2nd Annual Woofstock organizers hope to appeal to dog and animal lovers throughout the Triad. "In the past, The Forsyth Humane Society has planned two events with Art Unleashed and Woofstock, but this year the venue will be bigger with more events and activities for our 2 legged and 4 legged guests. A cross section of music, from blues, rock, acoustic, neo-soul will be part of the music line up. Food, wine and beer will be available. Like in the past, The Art Unleashed 'dog and cat statues' will be on display for the first time and at the end of the day, the 'art' will be moved to its foster homes and be on public display for the summer," commented Belcher. Here's a list of all the great bands that are scheduled to appear with the approximate times they'll be taking the stage: 1:00 - Warren Bodle & Allen 1:30 - Lee and Susan Terry 2:30 - Sonya E. Henderson Band 3:30 - Big Ron Hunter 4:15 - Tyler Nail joining Big Ron 5:00 - Laurin Stroud Band 6:00 - Summers Bohenstiel 7:00 - 44 Love 8:00 - Donnaha Station 9:00 - The Berkstar Band 9:45 - The Grande Finale Jam Session So for a good time and to make a dog's day, literally, bring your pooch and come to the Tanglewood Park Amphitheatre area on Saturday, May 15th.

Tickets are available online.

Farm To School Program

The Farm to School Program is wrapping up a record-setting year for school sales. A total of $800,000 worth of North Carolina commodities were purchased by schools systems across the state during 2009-2010, easily outpacing 2008-2009 sales by $100,000. Strawberries and blueberries are the final two commodities of the year, both extremely popular with school kids. A total of 46 school systems are participating by including strawberries or blueberries on the menu. The Farm to School Program has been an extremely popular program with school kids and farmers alike. With a greater emphasis on healthy food offerings in school cafeterias, program organizers hope to see it continue to grow.

Emergency Animal Shelter Training

With hurricane season just a little more than a month away, state and local governments are already preparing for the possible aftermath of a storm. North Carolina learned a valuable lesson in 1999 after Hurricane Floyd flooded Eastern North Carolina and stranded thousands of livestock and companion animals. An emergency shelter was set up at the College of Veterinary Medicine at N.C. State University to care for hundreds of dogs and cats that were left behind when owners evacuated. The state of Louisiana experienced a similar, but more tragic example of this in 2005 when humans refused to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina because they could not take their pets with them. A very valuable lesson has been learned from these, and other, disasters. The PETS (Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards) Act was passed by Congress in 2006 to mandate that governments allow for the needs of households with pets. In 2006, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services created the first CAMET - Companion Animal Mobile Equipment Trailer - that could be used to set up an emergency companion animal shelter. There are now 24 CAMETs in North Carolina. In addition to being used in co-sheltering situations (where people and pets are both sheltered at the same location), the CAMETs have been used in local animal welfare situations when large numbers of animals have been removed from a home or shelter. With funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, our Emergency Programs Division held two training sessions this year to familiarize organizations with the trailers. The training covered the logistics of using a CAMET, the staffing requirements to run an emergency shelter, legal issues surrounding housing animals, and hands-on demonstrations of what is in a CAMET. Animal control officers, veterinarians, emergency technicians, government workers, animal rescue groups and more were at the training session held April 21 in Asheville.

Great American Cleanup in Winston-Salem

The annual Great American Cleanup in Winston-Salem will take place Saturday, May 8, from 9 a.m. to noon. Hundreds of volunteers are needed to help clean up local roadways, parks and schools. All supplies are provided as well as lunch. The Great American Cleanup in Winston-Salem is organized by Keep Winston-Salem Beautiful and is part of the national Great American Cleanup organized by Keep America Beautiful. This year's Great American Cleanup in Winston-Salem is sponsored by Waste Management, the Winston-Salem Journal, Fast Signs, Lowes Foods, Kripsy Kreme, and Pepsi Bottling Ventures. To sign up or for more information, go to Keep Winston-Salem Beautiful or call City Link at 727-8000.

5th Annual Stokes County Foothills Hayride - Jomeokee Music Festival

5th Annual Stokes County Foothills Hayride - Jomeokee Music Festival

At Jomeokee Campground, Pinnacle, NC - Friday, May 14th – Gates open at 2 p.m., Music starts at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 15th – Gates open at 10 a.m., Music starts at 11 a.m. You can buy tickets in advance or at the gates if the event is not sold out. The Foothills Hayride is a musical experience in Stokes County that contributes to the promotion of local musicians and the venues in which they perform. It is their goal to assist those in search of quality Bluegrass and Old Time music.

2010 Got to Be NC Festival

Horsepower of the four-legged and mechanical varieties will compete and entertain during the Got to Be NC Festival May 21-23 at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. Horse pulls, antique-tractor pulls and lawn mower racing will be on tap at the Sam G. Rand Grandstand. Festival admission and parking are free. Admission to grandstand events is $5, and tickets will be available at the grandstand box office. Teams of draft horses will test their might against a weighted sled Friday, May 21, beginning at 6 p.m. Teams interested in competing in the draft horse pull should register by May 7. Registration information is online at http://www.ncagfest.com/. The horse pull will be preceded by a stick-horse race for children at 5 p.m. Registration for the race will begin at 4 p.m. at the grandstand entrance, and stick horses will be provided. The race is open to children ages 2 to 5, and the first 50 kids to register will compete. Antique-tractor pulls are set for Saturday, May 22. Pulls will run from noon to 5 p.m. and 6 to 11 p.m. They are sanctioned by the Old Time Tractor Pullers Association and the Carolina Antique Tractor Pullers Association, respectively. On Sunday, May 23, from noon to 9 p.m., members of the American Racing Mower Association will race souped-up lawn mowers around the oval at speeds up to 60 miles-per-hour. Teams will participate in junior- and adult-racing classes to earn trophies and points toward a national championship. “Lawn mower racing was a really popular attraction at last year’s festival, and we’re excited about bringing it back again,” said Jim Knight, festival manager. The Got to Be NC Festival is presented by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Attractions include a full carnival, the North Carolina Food Expo, antique farm equipment, a fiber fair and more. Festival hours are 9 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Southern Explosion Boer Goat Show

Three shows in two days at the T. Ed Garrison Complex in Pendleton, SC on May 8 and May 9 for Boers. Judges will be Anton Ward, John Taft III and Becky Sauder. Saturday morning will begin with an Open Youth Showmanship Event to be judged by Ted Clayton. For complete details, visit http://www.billysboermeatgoatfarm.com/ or call Gaylene Carson at 864.710.3703.

Come Visit Us at the Mizpah Craft Fest

We're heading to Rural Hall tomorrow morning to set up our Buffalo Gal's Soap booth at the Mizpah Craft Fest.

It opens at 10am (and runs until 2PM) and will be held at Mizpah Moravian Church, located at 3195 Mizpah Church Road in Rural Hall (historic Tobaccoville).

You'll be able to pick out handmade gifts for Mother's Day or the Spring time birthdays of your family and friends. Look for our red tent amongst the other crafters!

Hike to Tory's Den

Learn about the Revolutionary War era history of Tory’s Den by joining a ranger for a short (0.3 miles one way) hike to the cave. We will also visit a small waterfalls and talk about how Hanging Rock became a state park in the 1930s. Sunday, May 2, 2010 (2 - 5 pm ) Meet at the Tory’s Den parking area of Hanging Rock State Park

Homegrown Handmade Guidebook

The Homegrown Handmade Guidebook combines authentic arts and agricultural experiences and unique places and people into 16 self-directed driving tours through the rural countryside. The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, with support from the Golden LEAF Foundation, joined forces with community leaders to organize a series of "Agri-Cultural" trails that offer a new and engaging way of touring the Old North State. The trails comprise an insider's guide to 72 Piedmont and eastern North Carolina counties. The guide offers information about art galleries, artists' studios, performing arts, hands-on farm experiences, you-pick organic produce, favorite local restaurants and festivals, music and crafts, farmers' markets, specialty shops and foods, vineyards and wineries, museums, historic houses and sites, and picturesque bed-and-breakfasts. (Forsyth/Stokes Counties are listed in the Foothills Section of the Guide)