Delaware County, within which the hamlet of East Meredith, NY is located, was formed in 1797…read more(Munsell, 1880) and is named after the Delaware River, which in turn is named after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, the governor of Virginia appointed by the Crown in 1609 (Richardson, 2011). A little more than three hours by automobile from New York City, Delaware County and its metropolitan relation to the south have always been tethered to one another by the socio-economic thread. In its earliest days, the Delaware County economy was extractive (timber) with its products deployed locally and at a distance. But by the early 19th century the land was turning productive (cows) and by 1933 Delaware County was the third largest producer of milk in the United States (Jantz, 2012). The thirsty residents of the five boroughs were its best customer.
But as transportation and communication shrank the globe and corporate agriculture bought or closed the farms that today are often visible only as stone walls and maybe a root cellar back in the woods of third-growth timber, the dairy industry suffered; by the turn of this century the County was ranked 210th ( (U.S. Department of Agriculture 2007).
So it's different in these parts today, in a funky eclectic sort of way. History and tradition live on in a space large enough to accommodate some of the newer arrivals who can't afford a house in the Hamptons and like Woodstock but maybe would have liked it better thirty years ago so they continue an hour farther afield and end up in towns like Delhi or Franklin or East Meredith where much more often than ten years ago you'll meet somebody in the store that speaks Brooklyn. More than a few of the older farmsteads now grow organically and sustainably which makes me smile because that's what they were like back in the day before we all got screwed by the CAFOs. There are brewers and craft distillers and lovely cafes but still far more non-transplants and it will probably stay this way and so long as the city folk don't go trying to change too much it may just be Rodney King for a long time which would be excellent. Everybody getting along.
The Dairy Fest makes a historical foundation for yesterday, today and tomorrow to stand upon for two days in June before the dog days of July and August when you should stay indoors unless there's a thunderstorm. A few large tents with maybe 25 vendor stands in each showing off their crafts and products. Historical displays, a little politics here and there, non-profits and services, things for people of all ages, from all walks of life. Farm animals are down the hill from the tents in their own enclosures for petting and conversation. Food trucks, beer trucks, bands and dancing, the bouncy house and a "train" for the small humans that circumnavigates a small piece of the grounds but for the wee ones it probably looks like large fun. The festivities spread over maybe three or four acres, directly behind the Meredith Inn to whence you might visit later or another time for the delicious food and lovely proprietors.
The festivus was brought to the community for years by others whom I do not know and at that time they had garden tractor pulls as an attraction and truth be told I really liked that (Markus N, 2018). With changes in ownership and priorities that former fest closed up shop maybe in 2014 apparently at the time not to return again. But. Enter my Mom and a passel of her closest partners in courage and lo, the fest reopened across the street from its prior location last year, summer of 2017. Yup. Mi madre in large part done re-motivated this lovely experience.
This year, 2018, it will be open Saturday and Sunday June 9 and 10. I will go but don't tell mother for as she does not know of this surprise visitor so if you want I'll buy you a beer and we can pet cows and patronize the distillers set a spell and smell the hay cut a field over.
