Published:
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Agritourism blossoms along the Red Rooster Route
By John Wolcott
HBJ Freelance Writer
ARLINGTON — It's farm fun time again in north Snohomish County, with a fresh slate of special festivals beginning in June.
This year's roster of entertaining agritourism events will be larger than last year, reflecting the increasing popularity of the annual activities, all aimed at attracting city dwellers to the countryside for a rural farm experience and maybe a memorable overnight stay.
Now in its fourth year, the events will be publicized in 25,000 full-color brochures being mailed to residents in King, Skagit and Whatcom counties to entice residents to venture into Snohomish County. Copies also will be available at each of the participant's farms and stores.
“We want people from other parts of Snohomish County, as well as the counties nearby, to come see the fun we have planned for them this year,” said Connie Foster, who operates Foster's Produce & Corn Maze with her husband, Brian, president of the Red Rooster Route Marketing Association.
“We saw an increase in business during last year's events, in spite of the weather not being as nice as in 2010,” said Brian Foster, recalling 2011's long, wet spring and frequently drippy summer weekends. “Many people keep coming back, making it an annual event, and we continue to see new people each year, too.”
Connie Foster said “the farm attractions get people into the rural areas to experience country life” and many of them “shop in downtown Arlington, where we often have promotions with Arlington merchants. … Many even spend the night at a local hotel or bed and breakfast to spend a weekend enjoying local dining, bowling and shopping, as well as the farms, flowers and produce.”
She said the area offers hiking trails, camp sites, a kangaroo farm and other outdoor opportunities “and Arlington's Highway 530 is the gateway to the North Cascades mountain recreation areas.”
Throughout the spring, summer and fall, the agritourism group expects to shoot videos of each farm and attraction to produce a promotional video that will be distributed and published on each sites's Web page for the 2013 season.
Although most of the farms have been open for business since early spring, Biringer Farm's Strawberry Festival on Highway 530 launches the season's farm events calendar on June 16 and 17, with berry picking and family activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Next on the festival list is Red Rooster Route Days on July 21 and 22, offering visitors opportunities to stop at farms that include Garden Treasures, Foster's Produce & Corn Maze, Biringer Farm and Bryant Blueberry Farm & Nursery, all within a few miles of each other.
Two new sponsors have joined the festival this year. The Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum will be open Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. until Oct. 31, and Arlington Farmer's Market, featuring fresh local produce and other wares, will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, July 7 through Sept. 1.
Again this year, brochures for Red Rooster Days events will feature a route card where each of the six destinations will stamp your visit. Completed cards will be entered in a drawing for three prizes, an expanded selection from last year.
Prizes include a one-night stay at the Medallion Hotel at Smokey Point (www.medallionhotel.net) with a dinner for two at The Cellar Restaurant in the hotel; a two-person raft trip with North Cascade River Expeditions (www.riverexpeditions.com) and a two-person, 2 1/2-hour fly casting class with Dickson Fly Fishing (www.flyfishsteelhead.com) on the Stillaguamish River, plus the gift of a dozen local river flies.
The farms offer a variety of produce, entertaining attractions and events throughout the growing season, including opportunities to pick fruit and vegetables, see farm animals and visit gift shops at the farms. Each farm has its own specialty.
Three of the farms — Garden Treasures Nursery and Organic Farm, Foster's Produce and Corn Maze and Biringer Farm — are on a three-mile stretch of Highway 530 between Island Crossing at I-5 and downtown Arlington. The fourth, Bryant Blueberry Farm & Nursery, is on Highway 532 and can be reached from northbound Highway 9 and Stanwood-Bryant Road.
Heading east on Highway 530 from I-5, the first farm is Garden Treasures, where Mark and Patricia Lovejoy feature a farmer's market with organic products, a gift shop, flowers and a variety of fresh organic produce. The farm's Pozole & Sweet Corn Roast Festival is set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 8, although the farm's other items will be sold all day.
A short distance down the highway is Foster's Produce and Corn Maze farm, celebrating its Corn Festival on Sept. 8, followed by the farm's popular Pumpkin & Corn Maze Festival, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Oct. 1-31.
From spring into fall, the Fosters' farm offers flowers and hanging baskets, a country market, an antique and gift shop, waffle ice cream cones, pies and other products. Also, visitors can see the farm's animals, including goats, pigs, sheep, rabbits, chickens and its “famous goat trick” presentation.
“The goat is always fun to watch and a good draw for us,” Brian Foster said.
Across Highway 530 is Biringer Farm's acreage where the farm's Strawberry Festival is celebrated June 16 and 17, featuring U-pick or picked strawberries, pony rides, kiddie slides, animals, trolley rides and strawberry shortcake from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
The Bryant Blueberry Farm & Nursery, a short drive up Highway 9 to Highway 532, offers its annual Blueberry Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 28 featuring its namesake crop.
The Arlington Pioneer Days celebration is always a popular fall attraction at the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum, from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 15. It presents an historic look at the valley's history preserved in its modern museum.
The farm fun festivals and their daily attractions are free, featuring family-style entertainment along with the farms' produce, products and special items.
For more information about the festivals, farms and area attractions, go to www.redroosterroute.com, which describes the area's farms and festival members, with links to their individual websites.
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