SEE GREATLY EXPANDED LIST OF SITES & ACTIVITIES BELOW
October 8 & 9, 2011
Hours vary from site to site and day to day. Download a printable
MAP AND SCHEDULE HERE,
or pick up one at any tour site or around the region.
Create a timetable for your tour so you don't miss a thing!

Special!

Be sure to get your special
Fall Farm Tour Train Pass
Available ONLY at tour sites, good ONLY for the "Thurman Hop", a round trip between
The Glen and Thurman Station
$5
Don't miss this chance to take a scenic ride aboard the brand new Saratoga & North Creek Railroad!
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Photo courtesy of Greg Klingler, Thurman Station Association

Learn more about Warren County's new railroad at www.sncrr.com
(Do NOT attempt to order Thurman Fall Farm Tour train passes on the above website; buy TFFT train passes only at Thurman Fall Farm Tour sites during the tour weekend.

GEOCACHING

~ Magpies of Thurman: New meets old as our geocaching expert sends experienced cachers off on a competitive Scavenger Hunt to compete for prizes to be awarded at the Saturday afternoon chicken barbecue (read more about that below). He also will meet with novices ("muggles") at Thurman Station all day on Saturday to introduce them to geocaching basics.
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Are you into geocaching, or are you a "muggle"? Whichever you are, there's a spot for you on Oct. 8. Experienced folks wishting to compete in the scavenger hutn should contact our expert. Neophytes ("muggles") should stop in at Thurman Station to learn more about geocaching.

QUILT SHOW

~ Nothing says "country" like traditional homemade quilts. Visit our Thurman Quilt Show at Town Hall, 311 Athol Road. This show features the craftsmanship of local seamstresses of today and yesteryear. Some items will be for sale.
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Here's just one tiny sample of the quilts to be shown October 8th & 9th at the Fall Farm Tour Quilt Show, which will feature quilts of Thurman, both new and heritage.
Got one you'd like to exhibit? Contact us.

GOSPEL CONCERT

~ Musicians Reynolds and Dunn celebrate the release of, "We'll Get Through", their new CD with friends old and new at Kenyontown Methodist Church, noon till about 3 p.m. on Saturday. Copies of the CD are expected to be available. Do stop in to enjoy the music and hospitality of this charming 1910 country church.
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Gospel Concert at Kenyontown United Methodist Church
Visit http://www.reynoldsanddunn.com/ and listen to a smidge of their music on the website's "Our Music" page.

HOME SHOW

~ Thurman area organizations and small businesses will tell you about their goods and services. To participate, download application here or call 518-623-9595. Accepting applications through Oct. 7.
See some of our exhibitors here.
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Learn about roofing and skylight services available locally

A local firewood dealer branches out into sign-making, hauling and more

Why have a gadget, if you don't have one of these?

EQUINE LOGGING

~ It may be fascinating to watch a skilled skidder operator at work, but if you'd like to see logging done the way great-grandpa did it, be sure go out to The Glen Lodge to catch the Saturday morning talk and demonstration by Tom Savarie of Dippikill Wilderness Retreat. Meet at 10 a.m. sharp.
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CRAFT FAIR

~ Plan some time to take in the craft show on the grounds of The Glen Lodge B&B and Market. A wide variety of items will be available, so bring your Christmas shopping list. Don't forget to check out end-of-season specials in the lodge's gift shop. Are YOU a crafter? If you wish to set up a booth, please call 518-623-9595, email or download a printable application here. Accepting applications through Oct. 7.
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Thurman EMS
Volunteers from Thurman Emergency Medical Services welcome you for lunch on Saturday, when they will be dishing up chili and serving beverages. While you are there, get a free blood pressure check. The squad building is located at 372 High Street, not far from town hall, between Athol Community Church and the turn off for Toad Hill Maple Farm. Stop in for a visit and support this hard-working group.

ADIRONDACK AUTHORS' FAIR

~ Meet and visit with 11 Adirondack authors, see their books and have some signed--for yourself and for gifts. Click here for more information. Here are a few of the tempting titles. Read more about all the authors and their books..
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CHICKEN BARBECUE AND BARN DANCE

Round out your day on Saturday enjoying the hospitality of the Thurman Volunteer Fire Department. They've dusted off their much-loved secret barbecue sauce recipe and will be dishing up 1/2 chicken, coleslaw, baked beans and more -- a delectable dinner at Veterans' Memorial Field. It begins at 3 p.m., just as"Adirondack Gold" tunes up for an old-fashioned barn dance. This outstanding group of versatile musicians will offer round and square dances under the pavilioin until 7 p.m. A limited number of dinner tickets are available, so play it safe get there early.
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In this vintage picture, members of the Thurman Volunteer Fire Company barbecue chicken slathered in their secret sauce. Come early so you'll have plenty of time to dance to the tunes of Adirondack Gold.

THURMAN ~ WHERE NATURE IS A WAY OF LIFE
www.Thurman-NY.com

Thurman people who live off the land have found a variety of ways to benefit from nature's bounty. Whether it be grooming a sugarbush and tapping maple trees, coaxing fruits and vegetables from the rocky soil, selectively cutting trees and sawing them into lumber, raising farm animals or transforming tree branches into fine furniture, they combine creativity and hard work in this romance with nature called "farming."

Come join us as we celebrate our heritage. Visit farms and other sites all over Thurman.
See our expanded offering by scrolling down.

Fun will begin at 9 a.m.with a pancake breakfast at Valley Road Maple Farm, and other activities will be featured throughout the two days at announced times. The list of this year's activities is expected to include displays of old tractors and engines, a craft show, craft demonstrations, a business/home show, a geocaching adventure, an old-fashioned barn dance with Adirondack Gold and...well, just check back and find out.

The free locator map and timetable that will become available on this site will help you tailor a day of family fun. Download or contact us to have one emailed to you.

Info. 518-623-9595 or email us. .

For the safety of your pet and the animals you visit, if you travel with a dog, PLEASE LEAVE IT IN YOUR VEHICLE.

SEE OUR SITES BELOW ~ MORE TO BE ADDED
Check this page frequently for updates, and note individual schedule variations that will be posted.
Click here for Farm Photo Album.

This event is coordinated by The Thurman Station Association, a 501 (c) 3 organization. If you would like to join TSA, please email us. If you wish to make a tax deductible donation to support our efforts to help coordinate the interests of the station and railroad with the interests of Thurman, NY for their mutual benefit,

The Thurman Fall Farm Tour is made possible in part by use of Warren County Occupancy Tax funds granted by the Town of Thurman

THURMAN FALL FARM TOUR 2011
SITES & ACTIVITIES

Scroll down through our sites and activities below, or click on an item in this list to jump to its description.
(Rest of "jumps" to be enabled soon).

Wolf Pond Stables

Nettle Meadow Farm

Billy Smith Horses @ Potter Mountain Farm

Toad Hill Maple Farm

Valley Road Maple Farm

Wild Waters Outdoor Center

The Glen Lodge B&B and Market

Martin's Certified Tree Farm

Adirondack Ambiance

Whitefields' Farm

Ponderosa Christmas Tree Farm

Hilltop Garden Trail and Art Studio Tour

Kenyontown United Methodist Church

Athol Community Church

Thurman Baptist Church

Thurman Station - History & Geocaching

Thurman Town Hall - Home Show and Quilt Show

Veterans' Memorial Field - Thurman Volunteer Fire Department's Famous Chicken Barbecue and old-fashioned barn dance with "Adirondack Gold" playing round and square dances, 3 - 7 p.m. Saturday. Don't miss it!

Reynolds and Dunn Gospel Concert, Kenyontown Methodist Church, noon - ?, Saturday.

Whitefields' Farm,
95 Mountain Road
Saturday and Sunday 10 - 5

The farm stand will be open, featuring pumpkins and winter squash. Take home a treasure from this natural garden.
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Adirondack Ambiance
792 NY State Route 418

--Saturday, Oct. 8 - Opens 8 a.m. so guests en route to pancake   breakfast may stop in; closes at 5.
--Sunday, Oct. 9 - Opens 1 p.m., closes at 5.

Adirondack Ambiance Rustic Furniture and Art Gallery is also the Griffing family homestead. The original residence was built in 1804. The main building contains acrylic paintings of the Thurman area with Adirondack-style frames. You'll also find solid wood furniture constructed on these premises from trees to finished products. You may enjoy learning more of the history of the farm which later became a resort when the train made that a logical choice for income. Take a scenic walk around the old carriage house, chicken coop, barn/workshop, garden and resort cabins, taking in beautiful views of Hickory Hill and Sugarloaf Mountain.
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Martin's Certified Tree Farm
280 Valley Road
Open 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Martin's Certified Tree Farm is the site of a managed woodlands and portable bandsaw mill, as well as the home of Lucyann's Stained Glass Stepping Stones and Paper Bead Earrings. You can see demonstrations of the crafts and the saw mill, in addition to taking guided woods walks (offered intermittently) where you can learn about sustainable forestry and find out how Gary and Wini select the trees to cut for milling dimensional and custom lumber, creating softwood slabs for counter tops or tables and seeking out hardwoods of various grains and coloring from many varieties of trees to create one-of-a kind products and signs. Enjoy these tours and demonstrations throughout each day.Enter your name to win a basket of items handmade at Martin's Lumber. Read more about Martin's Lumber (and signs and stepping stones and paper bead earrings at www.PersisGranger.com/Adk_Martins.htm.
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The Glen Lodge
1123 Route 28
Saturday and Sunday 10 - 4

• Stop here for the Thurman Fall Farm Tour Craft Show anytime between 10 and 4 to browse among the craft tables. Then visit The Glen Market and check out end-of-season bargains!
• Equine Logging Demonstration - Come late morning on Saturday (time to be announced) for a presentation by the director of Dippikill Wilderness Retreat about equine logging, and then you may follow him into the woods to see his team in action.
• Buy a $5 Thurman Fall Farm Tour Train Pass at one of our tour sites and catch the 12:50 p.m. train from The Glen Lodge to Thurman Station and back. (Alternately, you my use the pass to make your round trip from Thurman Station to The Glen, but expect a layover of about 2 hours.)
• Hungry? Pick up a box lunch while at The Glen Lodge. $7.00 purchase includes a sandwich, chips & apple.
• Next door...And then check out Wild Waters Outdoor Center adjacent to the lodge (see below).
  
• Lodging. While you plan your trip, contact The Glen Lodge to arrange your weekend lodging.Read more at www.theglenlodge.com
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The Glen Lodge gift shop will offer end-of-season discounts, and the ground will be hopping with special activities. Watch event schedule for developing details.

Wild Waters Outdoor Center, 1123 Route 28

Visit the website of Wild Waters Outdoor Center, located next door to The Glen Lodge, and learn about a great adventure for those seeking a beautiful day on the river. Email or phone to book a trip.
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Did you think rafting was a sport available only in spring? Come see what our river offers in autumn.

Valley Road Maple Farm
190 Valley Road
Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
(Pancake breakfast served all day till closing)

Sugarmakers Mike Hill and Ralph Senecal have a new state-of-the-art sugarhouse. They currently have 1,500 taps on vacuum with reverse osmosis. Valley Road Maple is proud to show off the maple candy that earned them a first prize at the New York State Fair in Syracuse two years running! In October of 2010 the North American Maple Sugar Council, representing all of the US maple states and four Canadian maple producing provinces, awarded Valley Road Maple second prize for its light amber syrup. Come see their facility, take a tour and learn about their operation. You might even treat your sweet tooth to some maple cotton candy and their newest confections, maple peanut brittle and maple cheesecake. While you are at Valley Road Maple, fill out a slip for the drawing of a mailable gift box with their pancake mix, syrup, maple roasted peanuts and a box of candy. Read more at www.thurman-ny.com/Directory-all.asp.

Saturday and Sunday ~ 9 a.m. to 4p.m. $7 for adults, and $4 for kids 10 and under. Pancake breakfast! enjoy hot pancakes with butter, drizzled with pure Thurman maple syrup--the perfect start - or end -- or middle -- to your visit to Valley Road Maple Farm. Tours, pancakes and activities continue until 4 p.m.
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Toad Hill Maple Farm
151 Charles Olds Road
Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The Galusha family has produced pure Adirondack Maple Products at Toad Hill for more than 30 years. Toad Hill is the largest maple producer in Warren County, with more than 4,000 vacuum-assisted taps spread across two sugar bushes. In the summer of 2010 a USDA "REAP" grant enabled them to build a brand new energy-efficient facility, completed for the spring 2011 season. Tour the sugarhouse and sample the products during the Fall Farm Tour.

Saturday and Sunday ~ 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. If your notion of "vacuum-assisted" has something to do with an Electrolux, you'll want Randy and Jill to set you straight. Stop in for tours of their sugarbush and sugarhouse and see the wide variety of maple products they offer. Learn more and see photos at www.toadhillmaple.com.
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Take a tour of our new, environmentally-friendly sugarhouse and gift shop.

Nettle Meadow Farm
484 South Johnsburg Road
Saturday and Sunday, open only 11 a.m. till 3 p.m. (due to our milking schedule)

Nettle Meadow Farm is a labor-intensive working farm and can welcome you only at certain hours. Please note the days and times and the activities below so you can arrive in time for a guided tour. For your safety and that of the animals, there can be no self-guided tours. Nettle Meadow houses more than 300 goats, several dozen sheep and a variety of farm sanctuary animals including several guard llamas and friendly chickens and ducks.

While at Nettle Meadow Farm, enjoy meeting Martha Terrell, spinner, who will be working with her Thurman-grown wool.

Always a highlight of Nettle Meadow Farm's open houses it the tasting extravaganza. Don't miss the free samples of gourmet cheeses, all made right on the premises. You won't believe the variety.

You will want to buy a piece of cheesecake or a truffle as a "dessert course" at Nettle Meadow.

SPECIAL HAPPENINGS:
Saturday, Oct. 8, noon to 3p.m. - Music by DIZ!

Sunday, Oct. 9, noon to 3 p.m. -Music by Don't Quit Your Day Job!

Learn more about Nettle Meadow and the fundraiser to save the historic barn at www.nettlemeadow.com.
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                 DIz - Saturday

         
Plan your visit to Nettle Meadow Farm between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. so you can visit the animals as well as make cheese purchases. Music, noon to 3 each day!

   "DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB" - Sunday

Wolf Pond Stables
473 Wolf Pond Road
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Pony rides ($2.50 or two carrots each), natural horsemanship training demo; petting area, rabbits, miniature horses and chickens.

Location note: This special site is located in a section of Thurman divided from our more populated area by a large tract of state-owned forestland. You won't want to miss it, so plan time in your tour to follow Stony Creek Rd. to the four corners of Stony Creek, from which Wolf Pond Stables may be accessed. Directions from the four corners of Stony Creek: Follow Harrisburg Road 5 miles westerly to Wolf Pond Road, make a right onto Wolf Pond, go 2 Miles. Wolf Pond Stables will be on your left; you will know you are here when you see the large white horse statue; entrance to the barn is 400' ahead on the left..

Wolf Pond Stables offers riding lessons, natural horsemanship training, boarding, classes for 4-H youth and scouts to earn their merit badges, and pony parties. Wolf Pond Stables specializes in Paso Finos (many rescued or adopted)--the smoothest ride there is on horseback. Learn more and find link to driving map at www.wolfpondstables.com
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Find plenty of smiles at Wolf Pond Stables.
Pony rides - $2.50 or 2 carrots

Billy Smith Horsemanship at Potter Mtn. Farm
851 River Road
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Horseman Billy Smith owns and operates Potter Mountain Farm, which is located on over 100 acres in Thurman, nestled in the Adirondack Mountains, just minutes north of the heart of New York's racehorse country.

Billy specializes in horsemanship, colt starting and problem solving. Relying on a strong foundation-training program to build a relationship based on mutual respect and trust.

For the two days of the Thurman Fall Farm Tour Billy will be doing horsemanship demonstrations all day.

Learn more at www.billysmithhorsemanship.com .
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Ponderosa Christmas Tree Farm
566 Bowen Hill Road

Wander through a Christmas tree plantation and learn the fine art of fir culture and management. This is a small operation (a "growing business", says the owner) with very limited sales to local folks, but if you've ever thought about planting a few evergreens and wondered what's involved in grooming them for Christmas tree use, stop in for a walk through the trees at this historic farm with striking views of Heath Mountain.

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Tucked away on this old Thurman Farm is a plantation of firs. Stop by to learn how the owners became involved in growing them as Christmas trees, and see how this is done.

Hilltop Garden Trails and Art Studio Tour
675 Garnet Lake Road
Saturday & Sunday
Tours held at noon and 2 p.m. only

Saturday and Sunday noon tour and 2 p.m. tours are guided; no self-guided tours. It is important to arrive on time, as latecomers may find the tour out of site when they arrive. Wear sensible shoes and be prepared to walk uneven terrain

Enjoy an off-season walk along the garden trails at Hilltop, one of our most remote and charming sites. The tour ends at the studio of Diane Golden, artist, whose work with boxes shows the influence of Joseph Cornell. See more at www.dianegolden.com.
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Kenyontown United Methodist Church,
304 Valley Road

Always open. Special happenings as follows:
Stop in when you are in the north end of Thurman to enjoy the quiet interior of this 1910 country church, with stained glass windows dedicated to turn-of-the-century patrons. When a vehicle is present, tours, talks and historical literature are available. Take in the Reynolds and Dunn Concert (above) Saturday, noon to ?. Stop in for fellowship and worship on Sunday morning, 11 to 12 a.m.
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Christ Community Church
572 High Street, Athol

Athol Community Church hosts an Adirondack Authors' Fair Saturday, 1 - 3 p.m. Stop in and browse for Christmas gifts.
On Sunday Thurman Fall Farm Tour guests will be welcomed at Sunday morning service at 11 a.m., and the fellowship luncheon that follows.
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Thurman Baptist Church
380 South Johnsburg Road

Visit here Sunday morning at 11 a.m. to join the congregation in worship and fellowship at this church built c. 1870. Another service is offered at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
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Please check this page frequently for updates!

MAP AND TIMETABLE ARE NOW AVAILABLE

Town of Thurman - Fall Farm Tour Map - Upcoming Thurman Events - Thurman Farm Photo Album
Thurman Station Association