BRAINERD — The 12th Annual Harvest Dinner Celebration will begin at 4 p.m., Aug.20 and is hosted at Sunup Ranch (www.sunupranch.com), 12316 County 18 SW, Brainerd.
The harvest dinner is a time to reconnect with friends, listen to music, and share a great meal. But it’s more than just dinner. It’s a time to reflect on where food comes from, the hands and lands that grow it, family farms that make it possible.
The purpose of the harvest dinner is to bring the community together. The original idea was to invite lakeshore owners and farmers to build relationships. The dinner is a celebration of the local harvest and a reminder of the responsibility to manage the land in order to protect the water.
Greg Booth and Vickie Kettlewell own and operate the ranch started by Vickie’s parents in 1950. Sunup Ranch is an Angus cow/calf operation and an American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Legacy Breeder and Ranching Heritage Breeder.
Vickie said, “We use our horses to help manage the cattle, moving the herd through pastures, gathering and vaccinating calves, checking fences and water. This also provides valuable training for the horses. “
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In addition to a harvest dinner, the event features a farmers market, live demonstrations, horse-drawn wagon rides and live music with Hans Blix and the Weapons Inspectors. There will be information about agrivoltaics, the compatibility of agriculture and solar energy.
The plated dinner is served chuckwagon style and includes rancher/Farm Bureau member Mike Sams preparing prime rib; catering by Kim Gibbs from KC's Saloon in Pillager; and local produce from Grampa G's garden in Pillager. The event also includes a wine tasting sponsored by Cash Wise Liquors.
Information and tickets are available from Greg Booth at 218-838-1266; Ron Meyer, Pine River Watershed, at 218-831-0509; or Cass County Farm Bureau at 218-587-4604. $35 for adults, $10 for children 15 and under.
This event is sponsored by Cass County Farm Bureau, Whitefish Area Property Owners Association, Pine River Watershed Alliance, Central Chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association, Happy Dancing Turtle, Crow Wing River Basin Forage Council, Minnesota Beef Council, Cash Wise Liquor, Farm Bureau Foundation, Rocking K Ranch, Y4 Ranch, and Sunup Ranch.
Attendees may also support local growers at area farmers markets or find their products at food cooperatives: Ideal Green Market (near the Ideal town hall) or Crow Wing Food Co-Op (downtown Brainerd). They may also purchase products directly from sustainable farmers in the “Up the Creek Meats” program.
Pine River Watershed Alliance (www.prwa.us) thanks Greg and Vickie for all the work to prepare for the event and sharing your land with the community. PRWA also appreciates the community support for local producers.
The Pine River Watershed Alliance (www.PRWA.us ) is a citizen-led volunteer organization that works with local units of government and other agencies to preserve and protect the local environment while meeting resident needs for economic development and a healthy community. PRWA sponsors a website to provide tips on how to protect water quality and shoreline at www.loveyourlake.info .
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