A collection of treasures from our own back yard

‘From the Ground Up’ celebrates all things local

WHEN: Saturday, August 11 and Sunday, August 12 from 12:00 noon to 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: Domesticities and the Cutting Garden, 4055 Route 52, Youngsville, NY.

COST: Free.

CONTACT: 845 482-3333 or thecuttinggarden.org.

YOUNGSVILLE, NY — “From the Ground Up,” a festival celebrating anything and everything that is grown, created and produced in Sullivan County, NY made its debut last year at The Cutting Garden in Youngsville. A resounding success with vendors and visitors alike, it will come back this year for an encore on Saturday, August 11 and Sunday, August 12.

Anne Hart, co-owner of The Cutting Garden, said the outdoor festival provides a chance to bring together people who grow and create to show visitors and remind local residents just how much the county has to offer.

It is an opportunity all the more timely in an era in which the flaws and dangers of globalization become increasingly obvious in every day’s headlines, and a rededication to local production and consumption becomes correspondingly attractive. Those who are interested in patronizing more local businesses, but aren’t sure to find what they need, will find this event a godsend: an extraordinary variety of vendors for goods and services of all types will be present in one place, at one time, without pouring through the phone book or racking up mileage on your car. The festival will feature flowers, plants, eggs, quilts, pottery, jewelry, paintings, photos, fabric, woodwork and more.

There will also be a variety of activities, including impromptu sessions on flower arranging and drawing, and felting with the local 4H kids.

A partial list of participants includes the Women’s Fellowship from the United Reformed Church, who will display hand crafts; Wild Roots Farm, with dried herbs and wool products; Tamara Cohen, with jewelry; Silver Heights Nursery, with certified organic plants; Panther Rock Organic Farm, with eggs, mushrooms, pies and herbs; Calico Geese Quilt Guild, with hand-crafted quilts; potters including Fortescue Ceramics and Duke Pottery; Apple Pond Farm, a leader in renewable energy, with wool, yarn, garlic and sustainable energy information; the Upper Delaware Writers’ Collective, with poetry and the written word; and Pixel Dust Photography, with photographs and note cards.