Tour de Farm Sussex County, BBQ and Craft Beer Festival at Monmouth Park and Taste of Bordentown highlight three days worth of holiday fun.
This one of those events in which participants literally ride miles for food. But we are not just talking any food -- we are talking the freshly produced products from Sussex County-based farms. This rain-or-shine event gets underway at 8 a.m. Sunday (all participants must register by 9 p.m. Friday) at the Sussex County Fairgrounds, 37 Plains Road, Augusta. The morning starts off with a locally sourced breakfast that includes yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, breakfast pita sandwiches and more.
At 9 a.m., as participants have the option of choosing between one of three rides: 62 miles with 4,000 feet of elevation; 34.3 miles and 2,000 feet of elevation; or 15 miles and 1,000 feet of elevation. Sunset View Farm, Willow Brook Farm, Hidden Pastures Farm, Churutabis Farm, Everlasting Garden, Glenmalure Farm, Vernon Valley Farm, Ventimiglia Vineyards, Ideal Farms and Hillcrest Farm will be among the stops along the way. Participants will be able to to taste and purchase items from the different stops (no worries, there will be someone there to deliver all of the purchased goodies back to the finish line). Tickets are $65 per rider.
For those who prefer not to remain stationery, there is another delicious option: Vernon Valley Farm, 99 Sand Hill Road, Sussex, is hosting a farm-to-fork celebration dinner (tickets are $125 per person) catered by Andre's, starting at 3:30 p.m. The meal will start off with local fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses from the farms, puree of sweet corn and potato soup and a composed gazpacho salad. It will be followed with a buffet dinner of buttermilk fried chicken with creamy slaw; cedar plank salmon with horseradish and dill; beef brisket with peach barbecue sauce and more.
Labor Dinner Weekend without a barbecue simply seems incomplete. So why not head to Monmouth Park, 1 Oceanport Ave., Oceanport, for the annual BBQ and Craft Beer Festival. This year's edition is a three-day affair (11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday through Monday). There will be BBQ aplenty, as well as more than 40 craft beers to choose from. The festivities will also include a spicy wing eating competition presented by Jack's Goal Line Stand.
Want to enjoy the best of what Bordentown restaurants have to offer? On Saturday, 3 to 6 p.m., on Farnsworth Avenue, you can enjoy samples from the town's restaurant row. Tickets to this fourth annual event are $15 per person, and advance purchase is strongly recommended. Call 609-324-9909.
Contact Bill Gelman at bkgelman@hotmail.com.
