After almost two years of planning, the walls for the new Peterborough County Agricultural Heritage Building are about to go up — and the entire community is invited to attend an “old-fashioned barn raising” on Sunday, April 2nd at Lang Pioneer Village Museum in Keene.
Since February, carpentry students and faculty at Fleming College — under the guidance of Mortlock Construction Inc. of Peterborough — have been hard at work constructing the frame for the new building, according to a design by Lett Architect.
The completed walls are now ready to raised, and Peterborough County is hosting a celebratory barn-raising event on Sunday at Lang Pioneer Village (104 Lang Rd., Keene).
The gates will open at 11 a.m., with welcoming remarks at 12 p.m. The family-friendly event, which wraps up at 2 p.m., also features live music and local food created by Chef Michael Sterpin, Chef Brad Watt, and Chef Kevin McKenna (working alongside Fleming College culinary students).
Admission is free (although donations to the project will be accepted), but you must register in advance. When you register, your name will be included in a draw for one of five spots in a VIP Sneak Peek tour of the building before its grand opening.
The event takes place outside and is rain of shine, so please dress appropriately for the weather.
Although the County of Peterborough has encouraged CBC’s Rick Mercer to attend the event by producing a YouTube video, there’s no word yet on whether he will be there.
Peterborough County first announced plans for the new Peterborough County Agricultural Heritage Building, along with a “Raise the Barn” fundraising campaign, in June 2015.
In addition to funds raised through the campaign, the federal government provided $970,000 to the project in November 2016. Earlier in March, TD Bank, East Central District Soil & Crop Improvement, and the Hamilton Township Mutual Insurance Company each donated $30,000 towards the project.
The new building, which will be built in a historically authentic barn style, will include an agricultural “wall of fame”, displays of agricultural implements and equipment, a restoration workshop, and more.
The idea for the new building came on the heels of the 2006 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo in Keene. The event, hosted by the Ontario Plowmen’s Association, was attended by an estimated 100,000 people and brought around $25 million in economic benefits to the region.
Following the success of the plowing match, a legacy fund was endowed to the County of Peterborough to continue local education on the impact and importance of the area’s agriculture heritage.
The county expects that the Peterborough County Agricultural Heritage Building will increase tourism to the area, appeal to local farm families, and help educate city and urban dwellers on the important of agriculture to the local economy.
To find out more about the Peterborough County Agricultural Heritage Building, how to sponsor or donate to the project, and to register for the barn-raising event, visit www.raisethebarnlpv.com. You can also follow @RaiseTheBarnLPV and like the Facebook page.
VIDEO: Inviting Rick Mercer to help Raise the Barn
