Friends of Silverwood Park - Edgerton Chamber of Commerce

Friends of Silverwood Park
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, June 10, 2016
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Emily Halapatz: 608-213-8211
Summer Barn Dance at Silverwood Park
Features Veteran Vernon County Caller
EDGERTON, WISCONSIN - Dane County’s Silverwood Park will host Tim Jenkins and the Kettle
Creek String Band for its first annual barn dance on Saturday, June 25.
Jenkins has made many trips to the Appalachian Mountain states to learn his craft of fiddle
playing, and the teaching and calling of "American barn dances." He and his wife live on a farm
near the town of Westby, in Vernon County.
The Kettle Creek String Band is also scheduled at Dodgeville’s Folklore Village this month, and
has hosted the Second Saturday Square Dance in Gays Mills for more than 20 years.
Kevin Dohse, Kettle Creek’s mandolin player, has been a performing musician for more than 40
years. His life partner, Jane Keeley, plays guitar and banjo with the band, and resides with
Dohse in southwest Wisconsin.
“We’re excited to bring traditional music to the Edgerton area, and provide a fun, summer
night out for those who like to dance,” said Emily Halapatz, Board member for the Friends of
Silverwood Park. “We also hope to inform visitors about Silverwood’s agricultural heritage.”
Silverwood Park is being developed as a “sustainable education classroom” and is part of the
Dane County Park System. The park - located 25 minutes from downtown Madison on Highway
106 in the Town of Albion - is scheduled to have a master plan approved by the Dane County
Board in 2016.
The Barn Dance will begin at 7:00 p.m., but the park will be open at 5:30 p.m. for those who
want have a tour of the planned sustainable agriculture education facility. Tickets are $10 for
adults (with one beverage included); $5 for 12 to 18 years; and free for those 11 and under.
The event will be hosted by the Friends of Silverwood Park (FOSP), and is a fundraiser to
preserve the historic farmstead at the park. FOSP is a non-profit organization dedicated to the
development and maintenance of Silverwood, in cooperation with the Dane County Parks
Division.
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Silverwood Park is located on Hwy 106 between Edgerton and Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. More info:
www.silverwoodpark.org or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/silverwoodeducationpark/
Barn
Dance
5:30-9:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 25
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Adults (with 1 free beverage) - $10
Ages 12-20 - $5 <12 - free
Food & drink for purchase
Music begins at 7:00 p.m.
Arrive early for park tours!
featuring
Tim Jenkins
and the
Kettle Creek
String Band!
All proceeds go to the Park’s
Historic Farmstead
Preservation Fund
For more information:
www.silverwoodpark.org
The Friends of Silver wood Park, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the
development and maintenance of Silver wood Park, 771 Silver Lane, Edger ton, WI 53534.
The Setting
Silverwood Park is dedicated to sustainable agriculture
education, and is being developed to provide programs
that serve the general public, K-12 students, and new
farmers and agricultural job trainees.
Silverwood Park is a more than 300-acre farm in
southeast Dane County, and part of the County Parks
system. The park includes more than 230 acres of
tillable land and 60 acres of forest, and more than 1/2
mile of shoreline on Rice Lake.
The farm was donated to Dane County in 2002 by
Irene Silverwood, a former teacher for the Edgerton
Public Schools. Her husband, Russell, was a former
member of the Dane County Board, and a farmer.
The Mission
Irene Silverwood required that her land remain in
agricultural use, as well as providing recreation. The
Friends of Silverwood Park, Inc., is a non-profit group
dedicated to development and maintenance of the park.
In 2016, the Master Plan for Silverwood Park is set for
completion, and will include provision for an education
center, greenhouses, horse & hiking trails, and a visitor
center created from the 19th century Silverwood house.
The Vision
The vision for Silverwood is to “educate, innovate and
produce.” The Friends of Silverwood seek to create a
unique intersection of education opportunities that take
advantage of Dane County’s strong tradition of farming
and a local food system that leads much of the U.S.
At the same time, Silverwood’s education programs
will also address important issues such as sustainable
farming, climate change, and loss of pollinators. This
year, supporters are planning a Silverwood Regional
Pollinator Education Project to highlight the role of
pollinators in agriculture and provide the public with
examples of how to create and protect their habitats.
See www.silverwoodpark.org for more information.