9th Kickapoo Country Fair

FACT SHEET & SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS

WHAT: Organic Valley’s Kickapoo Country Fair is the Midwest’s largest organic food festival. Come and explore the flavor and family fun through dynamic speakers, live music, kids’ activities, and hands-on workshops—from ice cream making and mushroom foraging, to beer and cheese pairing and New Orleans rock n’ roll!

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, July 27, 2013

WHERE: Organic Valley Headquarters, One Organic Way, La Farge, WI 54639

COST: Kickapoo Country Fair passes are only $5 for adults, $2 for kids 12 and under, and free for kids five and under. Free food sampling occurs all day long, including pesto, meats, organic cheeses and more. To purchase tickets, visit www.kickapoocountryfair.org.

HEADLINERS & HIGHLIGHTS:

Raj Patel: 12:30 p.m. – Main Stage
Patel is a strong voice for creating a fairer society and sustainable economy, particularly as it relates to food production and consumption. His latest book, The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy, explores our nation’s economic structure and the recent collapse. He is also the author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System, which discusses the worldwide food crisis and what needs to be done to solve it. Patel’s work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, NPR and BBC.

Andrew Kimbrell: 2 p.m. – Main Stage
Founder and executive director of the Center for Food Safety and the International Center for Technology Assessment in Washington, DC, Kimbrell is one of the country’s leading environmental attorneys and an author of numerous books and articles on environment, technology and society, and food issues. His recent books include Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food, Fall Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture and The Human Body Shop: The Engineering and Marketing of Life. In 2007, Kimbrell was named one of the 50 people most likely to save the planet by The Guardian-U.K.

Chef Michel Nischan: 4:30 p.m. – Kitchen and Pantry Tent
Fair-goers can meet Chef Michel Nischan, sustainable food pioneer, restaurant owner, award-winning cookbook author and PBS celebrity chef, while whipping up grilled stuffed chicken breasts with pesto cheese in a hands-on workshop. 

Cowboy Mouth: 8:30 p.m. – Main Stage
Join New Orleans rock n’ roll band, Cowboy Mouth, for a larger-than-life performance. For more than 15 years, the members of Cowboy Mouth have preached and shouted at the top of their lungs the joys of being alive and the joys of being in and from New Orleans, sharing a slice of Mardi Gras good times with fans around the world.

FEATURED ACTS:

Three Beers ‘Til Dubuque: 7 p.m. – Main Stage
Back by popular demand, 10 years after they first played in the Kickapoo Valley, Three Beers ‘Til Dubuque will kick-off the evening live music line-up. From salsa to funk, swing to ska, R&B to pop, some New Orleans street beats, and an ever-expanding list of originals, this band will get the whole family grooving.
Sam Thayer: 10 a.m. – Bee Green(er) Tent
Wisconsin-native Sam Thayer will lead fair-goers on a food foraging adventure through the woods where he will demonstrate techniques for identifying, harvesting and preparing edible wild plants.

Bee Green(er) Tent: This year, the “Bee Green(er)” tent will feature lifestyle workshops that provide practical green living ideas and advice fair-goers can implement at home, including edible landscaping, grafting and budding fruit trees, beekeeping and advice for raising backyard chickens.

Food Adventures Tent: At the heart of the fair, participate in adventurous workshops such as vegetable fermentation, DIY pig butchering and the always popular beer, cheese and chocolate pairing.

Honeycomb Kids Activity Area: In addition to kid favorites like ice cream making, face painting and a farm animals petting zoo, kids can go for the gold in farmer Olympics; learn about cooperation with giant stretchy bands and parachutes; and smell, touch and taste safe, wild plants with herbal educators. Free daycare services are available.

EVENT SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS:

For a complete schedule of events, visit: http://www.organicvalley.coop/kickapoo/schedule/

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Farm Tour: At 9:45 a.m., tour the Hass Farm, a local Organic Valley member dairy located in Vernon County, Wis.

Valley Stewardship Network Dinner: Friday, July 27 at Organic Valley’s headquarters, beginning with a farm-to-bar reception at 6 p.m., followed by a 5-course, family-style meal with special guest Raj Patel at 7 p.m. Organic Valley will donate proceeds to the Valley Stewardship Network. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/249675 or call 608-637-3615.

Sunday Activities: For those interested in making it a weekend affair, camp or stay the night at one of the local campgrounds, bed & breakfasts or country cabins, then return to the fair grounds for an all you can eat organic breakfast at Organic Valley’s Milky Way Café on Sunday, July 29 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Cost is $8.50 for adults, $5 for kids 12 and under and free for kids three and under. After breakfast, explore all the beautiful Driftless region has to offer: kayak or canoe the Kickapoo River (rentals available in nearby towns), hike and bike through the lush, green hills of the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, and more.