KICKAPOO...

The devastation of the floods was certainly evident on our car trip eastward through Coon Valley and then south along the Kickapoo River to attend the Driftless Area Art Festival. It became more apparent that the 4 million dollar Federal Aid requested by our Governor falls way short of the devastation to flood victims.  Besides homes, entire fields were destroyed.

Due to the flooding this 14th year of the festival had to be moved from its past location in Soldiers Grove to the neighboring town of  Gays Mills's Crawford County Fair Grounds. 

The usual serene setting had changed in Soldiers Grove. The Kickapoo waters had overflowed their man made levee in the park with such force it tore through the tennis court over the fest grounds across the street into the parking lot.

Grass covered levee  by Kickapoo River in Soldiers Grove, you can see by the tree line the levee's height  

demolished tennis courts

what used to be where the parking lot across the street from the park

It's not that nearby Gays Mills was untouched as many of its downtown stores were closed including its Food Coop actually the first in the Coulee Region (1970's) and has been relocated to the Mercantile Building on higher ground until they can figure out their future. 

The Crawford Fairgrounds are also on higher ground and had plenty of parking space for the Art Festival. Attendance was good in spite of a warm weekend and area artists from all over Wisconsin and some from across the river from neighboring Iowa and Minnesota shared their beautiful art and flood stories too. The Artist Silent Auction proceeds went to Flood Relief. 

A little less than a hundred artists showed their wares and I always love seeing the kids art booth where kids can work on an art project like painting little  pumpkins/ceramic pieces. 

Area schools had entered their students's art to be displayed in the Youth tent as well. It's wonderful to see the projects art teachers are promoting to encourage their students creativity and artistic abilities.

Judges awarded ribbons to their favorites in the Youth tent as well as kid visitors attaching  tags to adorn their favorites.

It's also great to see artists art growing from one year to the next. One of my favorite glass artists Laurel and her glass works are becoming multidimensional and sculptural.

Laurel Grey Glassworks

 Look for her work in Door County's upcoming art show!

 And of course there's always great local music to enjoy... 



On  Saturday The Roddys and Patchouli performed followed on Sunday by Kickapoo Joy Juice and the Medicine Brothers.

Kickapoo Joy Juice

And local culinary arts including Apple'licious, Food for Thought, Mary's Berries in addition to catering food trucks amongst others added a special locavore touch to the festival.

The music, art, food, people and gorgeous blue skies surrounded by the changing tree colors on the hills added a bit of welcomed reprieve for all of us recuperating from the floods. It's still a beautiful place to live albeit battered right now...  

MOSES...

Some 3400 organic farm conference goers
descended upon the city of La Crosse this past weekend for the 26th annual 
MOSES Organic Farming Conference, the largest such conference in the nation with attendees from 25-30 states and 4 foreign countries bringing about a million dollars of economic impact to our area.

We happened to offer overnight lodging for one participant through  Couchsurfing and although our visit was short, it was refreshing to hear from one attendee in particular who has embraced  the idea of a sustainable lifestyle.  At 37 years of age he serves upon a board for Land Stewardship up in the Twin Cities area. He spent his first day listening to a lot about policy and viewing one of the film offerings (Mysteries of Driftless Region.) 

In addition to round tables, possibilities of over 67 workshops and  and 6 general sessions, an exhibit hall, poster gallery and Book Shop, the conference had both musical and film entertainment. (Film trailer links below),  there was even childcare for families traveling with children ages 3-12 which included breakfast, lunch and activities with a $45/diem.

On Thursday there were Organic University course offerings which included: Soil Biology, Health-Dairy Cattle, Storage Options, Farmscale Permaculture  In Her Boots, Farming with Beneficial Insects, Farming for More $-Less Work, Profitable Fruit Processing  Successful Grass-Fed Beef and Small Grains.

The Keynote Speaker Friday John Jeavons spoke on:Farming for the Future Now: "Optimizing Organic Farming" The Farmer of the Year was also announced that afternoon. 

Workshop categories were in Field Crops | Healthy Soils & Farming Systems | Livestock Market Farming and Specialty Crops | Business, Marketing & Certification Education, Environment and Emerging Issues.

There was something for everybody. Maybe we'll see you here next year. Mark your calendars for the end of February!

Here are some of those film links:
Food Chains

Green Fire

GROW

Mysteries of the Driftless

Organic the Real Natural

Out Here

TERRA FIRMA, a film about Women, War and Healing

Y'all Isn't the Only Difference...

When I left home Natureman had spent an entire week cleaning out the barn and hauling the 'enriched' hay up to the garden. He had also started roto-tilling part of the garden when he was interrupted by daily rain. So  here's the veggie garden I left last week in the End of the Rainbow Valley.

Partial view of our vegetable  garden

My trip down South to Little Rock, Arkansas truly illustrated the difference between gardening zones.  My brother Marc stopped by Dunbar's Community Garden Project a 2 acre outdoor neighborhood classroom worked by elementary and middle school classes . There are chickens, goats and bees besides the organic gardens. 

I was a bit early to see blooms on their sunflowers planted by their freight car storage shed but look how far ahead their gardens are in Arkansas' zone 6 compared to zone 4 here in southwestern Wisconsin despite Arkansas' very cold winter.

Garlic

Broccoli

The sugar snap peas already had blossoms on them.  

Monday the students would be helping  harvest their 20 some odd pounds of lettuce. 15 out of that 20 will go to the middle school kitchen and the remainder's sold to area restaurant chefs. One of the adult Corp workers was busily leaving phone messages as to what produce would would be available this week if the chefs wanted to include it in their daily specials. Produce is also sold at area farmer markets.

If the rains held off there would be a full day of classes coming to the garden.







Brother Marc's Rotary Club helped donate the last amount owed for the garden's wind turbine, they also might be helping with some funding for a future endeavor for an outdoor classroom shelter. 

For urban and suburban kids who don't grow up in a country setting like End of the Rainbow Valley what a terrific way to learn about where your food comes from, to eat locally and what it means to be organic...