ROCKINGHAM — Pansy Festival will be held at Singing River Farm in Rockingham on Saturday, May 2, from noon until 4 p.m. The community celebration of spring will happen rain or shine.
“We believe that our true security lies in relationships and so we are working to build a strong and sustainable community,” said Laurel Green, who with Steve Crofter, own the farm hosting the festival. “The Pansy Festival is a place for neighbors to talk and play with each other and we hope will lead to deeper friendships developing across class and political divides. All kinds of people are welcome.”
The Pansy Festival will feature a short program each half hour, including a mix of music, skits, poems, a history of the place, and facts about pansies. There will also be activities for all ages such as crafts, face painting, photography, and cooperative games.
At the Farm Stand there will be pansies available for purchase as well as dry beans for cooking or planting, sunflower seeds for snacking, rhubarb jam, and more.
A “Three Sisters Lunch” will be for sale including vegan chili, corn muffins (gluten free and dairy free), and zucchini bread, all made with ingredients from Singing River Farm. The name “Three Sisters” comes from the traditional Native American polycultural practice of growing and eating three nutritional staple crops together – beans, corn, and squash. In addition to the lunch, Autumn Berry Lemonade will also be for sale.
“We want our farm to be a welcoming place for all people. In the same way that polyculture (the raising of multiple plant species near each other for mutual benefit) is a good farming practice, we believe that human diversity is beneficial for our society,” said Crofter. “We're very aware that one use of the word 'pansy' is as a disparaging term for an effeminate or gay boy or man. The fact that we are naming this event as a Pansy Festival is a great opportunity for us to explicitly support our diverse community.”
The event will take place outside in a meadow so organizers advise participants to wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic. There is no smoking or use of alcohol on the property.
Also, Singing River Farm has a “no dogs allowed” policy.