South Mountain Speakers Series Event to Focus on Recreating the Cider Industry Locally

A unique and growing aspect of fruit production in the region will be the topic of the next lecture in the South Mountain Speakers Series on Oct. 4-5 and 11-12, at the National Apple Harvest Festival in Arendtsville, Adams County.

“The Changing Face of Agriculture in the South Mountain Region: Recreating the Cider Industry,” will be held at 2 p.m. on each of the four days of the festival at the South Mountain Fairgrounds. The lectures will be held along the “Demo Stretch” of the fairgrounds, next to the Kettle Korn.

“This panel discussion will explore how four family farms are finding renewed economic success by turning back to producing sweet and hard cider,” said Jon Peterson, a planner with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy who is coordinating the committee on the speaker series. “The products of the Fruit Belt centered in Adams County – mostly apples and peaches – are the primary reason Pennsylvania ranks near the top of all states in fruit production.”

The panel discussion will include representatives from Hauser Estate Winery who will outline how their hard cider production is transitioning their farm and business; Reid’s Winery will discuss the planting and use of heirloom cider apples for its production; Big Hill Winery and Cider Works will talk about creating a modern farm business based on the old value-added product of cider; and representatives of Oyler’s Organic Farm and Market will discuss transitioning from conventional to organic apple growing and sweet cider production.

This event is supported by the Gettysburg Wine and Fruit Trail and the South Mountain Partnership. The panel discussion is free, however there is a charge to enter the festival grounds.

The annual South Mountain Speakers Series is envisioned as a revival of the talks given by Joseph Rothrock in the late 19th century as part of his work to preserve and restore Pennsylvania’s forests and natural landscape. The fifth season of the Speakers Series is sponsored by the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau.

The final lecture this year will be:

      “Changing Climate and the South Mountain Region,” Nov. 13 at Dickinson College.

The South Mountain Partnership is a public-private partnership between DCNR and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and has grown into a coalition of citizens, businesses, non-profit organizations and government representatives in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties, working together to protect and enhance the South Mountain landscape.

South Mountain is at the northern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Communities in the 400,000-acre region have thrived off fertile limestone agricultural lands, the timber that fed iron furnaces, plentiful game and wildlife, and abundant pure spring water that is captured by the mountains’ permeable soils and released into the valleys.

For more information about the speaker series, visit http://southmountainspeakers.blogspot.com/ or call the Appalachian Trail Conservancy at 717-258-5771.

Some of the earlier lectures in the speaker series can be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/SouthMtnSpeakers.

The Changing Face of Agriculture in the South Mountain Region - Oct 4 &5 and 11&12

One of the defining features of the South Mountain landscape is the rich agricultural heritage of the region. As quickly evident to residents and visitors to the landscape alike, the rich soil and a unique geology and topography combine to provide fertile farm lands. Nowhere is this more evident than in the 20,000-acre South Mountain Fruit Belt, centered in Adams County. The products of this Fruit Belt - apples and peaches most predominantly - are a primary reason that the commonwealth of Pennsylvania ranks near the top of all states in fruit production. An upcoming South Mountain Speakers Series will explore a unique and growing aspect of this fruit production.

In collaboration with our partners at the Gettyshttp://www.gettysburgwineandfruittrail.com/burg Wine and Fruit Trail, the South Mountain Partnership will be hosting "The Changing Face of Agriculture: Re-creating the Cider Industry in the South Mountain Landscape," a panel discussion that will take place at 2pm on each of the four days (Oct 4 & 5 and Oct 11 & 12) of the National Apple Harvest Festival in Arendtsville, PA. This year marks the 50th year of the Festival, and this panel discussion will sure to be a highlight.

Learn how four family farms are finding renewed economic success by turning back to cider. Hauser Estate Winery will discuss how their hard cider production is transitioning their farm and business; Reid’s Winery will discuss the planting and use of heirloom cider apples for their farm’s hard cider production; Big Hill Winery and Cider Works will discuss creating a modern farm business based on the old value added product of apple cider, sweet and hard. Oyler’s Organic Farms and Market will discuss transitioning from conventional to organic apple growing and sweet cider production.

 

Mark your calendars and come out to the scenic South Mountain Fair Grounds to hear first-hand how local farms are innovating to address an evolving market, and in doing so ensuring the South Mountain landscape remains a agricultural destination!

 

The Second Event of the 2014 Season of the South Mountain Speakers Series: the Historic African-American Burial Grounds of the Region

The special 5th Season of the South Mountain Speakers Series continues on the evening of Thursday, April 17th at Shippensburg University with a fascinating discussion of the historic African-American Burial Grounds of the South Mountain region.

“Over the last 250 years, African American churches and organizations have established dozens of burial grounds in communities throughout the South Mountain region,” said Jon Peterson, a planner with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy who is coordinating the committee on the speaker series. “These historic cemeteries provide remarkable sites for documenting the rich African American history of the region, including African-American military service in the United States Civil War.”

"Hallowed Grounds, Endangered History: Preserving the Historic African-American Burial Grounds of the South Mountain Region,” will be held at 7 p.m. at the Old Main Chapel at 1871 Old Main Drive, Shippensburg, PA. The event is free and open to the public.

Today, many of the historic burial grounds have vanished, or they are threatened by a combination of neglect, vandalism and development.

Dr. Steven Burg, professor of history at Shippensburg University, will discuss the ways that the historic burial grounds of the South Mountain can be used to discover the region’s rich African-American history; the threats posed to these sites; and a variety of efforts that are currently underway to preserve them, and protect and share the stories of these hallowed grounds. A panel discussion will follow Dr. Burg's presentation, featuring: Larry Knutson, president of Penn Trails, a trail design firm with experience conducting cemetery conservation projects; Lenwood Sloan, former director of Pennsylvania's Cultural and Heritage Tourism Program; and Barbara Barksdale, founder of Friends of Midland, an organization that is restoring Harrisburg's Midland Cemetery, a pre-Civil War African American cemetery.

The event is supported by the Pennsylvania Hallowed Ground Project and Shippensburg University.

The annual South Mountain Speakers Series is envisioned as a revival of the talks given by Joseph Rothrock in the late 19th century as part of his work to preserve and restore Pennsylvania’s forests and natural landscape. The fifth season of the Speakers Series is sponsored by the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau.

The South Mountain Partnership was sparked by DCNR’s effort to engage communities, local partners and state agencies and identify funding opportunities to conserve high-quality natural and cultural resources while enhancing the region’s economic viability. It is a public-private partnership between DCNR and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and has grown into a coalition of citizens, businesses, non-profit organizations and government representatives in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties, working together to protect and enhance the South Mountain landscape.

South Mountain is at the northern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Communities in the 400,000-acre region have thrived off fertile limestone agricultural lands, the timber that fed iron furnaces, plentiful game and wildlife, and abundant pure spring water that is captured by the mountains’ permeable soils and released into the valleys.