| JULY 1, 2015 -- Riverton Grange held a dinner and evening of music and celebration in honor of National Dairy Month on Saturday, June 13.
“We’re gonna do some singing, then some talking, then we’re gonna do some more singing,” Grange member Mary Lou Keefe said at the dinner, describing the agenda.
The meal included macaroni and cheese, lemon pound cake, mint pea soup and strawberries that were picked two days ago, according to Amanda Freund, who sponsored and catered the event.
Freund and her family own Freund’s Farm in East Canaan.
More than 50 people filled the building. Fresh courses of food were interspersed with information sessions with Freund, discussing the importance of dairy farming and practices of her farm. Music was provided by Keefe and members of the Center Congregational Church choir of Canton.
“All these towns were all farmland back then the grange was a social club for farmers,” Keefe said. “Now anyone can join and you don’t have to be a farmer.”
“You’re all required to partake,” Freund added.
Each table was provided with a card containing a different fun fact about dairy farming. Freund engaged the audience on a variety dairy-related topics, included proper technique, nutritional values and the definition of terms such as “organic.”
Also available were recipe cards, provided by local dairy farms, containing family recipes for various dairy-involved meals.
Music was selected from various popular theater productions, according to Keefe, who played piano for the event. The choir provided entertainment between courses of the dinner as Freund set and cleared plates. |
