Howard and Sue Schivera By Marada Cook The phrase ‘working vacation’ may seem to be a contradiction, but for Howard and Sue Schivera, their annual trip to Maine is an obvious opportunity to both visit their daughter and volunteer at the Fair. “Diane was the one who volunteered us,” Sue said. Their daughter, Diane Schivera,
Jim Gerritsen. Jim Gerritsen: Standing Firmly for Organic Certification by Marada Cook When Jim Gerritsen bought land in Bridgewater in 1976, he and his wife Megan began an organic seed potato business and published a mail order catalog that made WoodPrairie Farm into a well-known, successful family farm. What is less well known about Gerritsen
Karen Volckhausen. English photo. Karen Volckhausen: Not Just a Tourist by Marada Cook Karen Volckhausen began her volunteer work on vacation. “We took a two-week trip with our husbands to Guatemala, in 1992,” said close friend Peggy Strong, “We went to all the usual tourist sites, but it was meeting the people that really sparked
Adam Tomash. English photo. MOFGA’s Mac Man By Marada Cook What transforms a jack-of-all trades homesteader into a self-employed Macintosh programmer? “I had an epiphany of sorts,” says Adam Tomash of Blue Moon Macintosh. “I realized as I was getting older that I needed a job that I could earn more at and work fewer
Lisa and Roy Miller. English photo. Roy and Lisa Miller – Country Store Coordinators by Marada Cook “Roy and Lisa Miller are the two necessary halves of a good coordinator,” says Hannah Frankle. “Roy is a mass of energy, and Lisa is a big ball of patience! “I’ve been volunteering at the store for three
Wesley Rothermel By Marada Cook Wesley Rothermel grew up in the Pennsylvania dust country. His fondest boyhood memories are of days spent with his aunts and uncles, who raised cattle, kept horses, grew grains and fed their families from their own gardens.’ These experiences made Rothermel aware of the challenges facing small farmers, and were
MOFGA Volunteers Come from All Walks of Life By Marada Cook Tina Mann has never been to the Common Ground Country Fair, and although she gardens, can and freezes extensively, she doesn’t pretend to love all vegetables equally. “I’ve learned only to grow the things I like to eat,” Mann says. Most of the time,
By Marada Cook Summer Higgins is 13; her brother Caleb is eleven. Both have attended the Common Ground Fair for the past four years, 30 minutes from their home in Monroe. “Have you ever heard of Donald Nickerson,” Caleb asks suddenly, “He’s my grandfather.” Nickerson, a veteran horse farmer and fair volunteer, is well known
Sharon Tisher has stepped down from MOFGA’s board of directors but remains involved in the organization’s public policy committee. She is also president of the board of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. English photo. After a dozen years on the MOFGA board of directors, Sharon Tisher has stepped down. She’ll remain involved in our
Master framer Michael Beaudry advises the drilling of a peg hole that will lock a brace into the frame. John Phelan photos. Workshop participants raise a timber frame at MOFGA’s Unity, Maine, site on July 24, 2005. The completed frame. The new blacksmith shop with its green steel roof in use for Common Ground Country
Media Inquiries:
Contact Jennifer Wilhelm [email protected]
