Special Presentation on the Future of Farming by Ridgefield-area Residents
Living Off the Land on Sunday, October 27, 1 - 4 p.m. at The Carriage Barn at Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center& History Center
John Papa, owner of West Lane Farm
Joe Alvarez, owner High Ridge Hydroponics
Tony Steger, Beekeeper & Superintendent of Ridgefield Golf Course
An abandoned shipping container might not be the first image that comes to mind when one thinks of a farm, but that is precisely the home of High Ridge Hydroponics (HRH), a vertical farm located in Ridgefield.
Joe Alvarez (pictured above), founder of HRH, operates a 320 square-foot farm inside a climate-controlled vessel on West Lane Farm, owned by John Papa. Both will be the presenters on Sunday, October 27, from 1-4 p.m. in the Carriage Barn at Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center (KTM&HC).
“It is fitting that Mr. Papa and Mr. Alvarez will round out our Sunday speaker series,” said Catherine Prescott, assistant museum director and lead curator of the exhibition. “#HandsOnHistory Living Off the Land demonstrates the way families used technology to create simple machines to grow and harvest food over 200 years ago; these speakers will discuss ways we can employ modern technology to produce crops into the future.”
#HandsOnHistory Living Off the Land tells the story of family farming during the late 18th through early 20th centuries in Ridgefield and surrounding Fairfield and Litchfield County towns. The exhibition explores the fascinating ways ordinary people invented and used science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to develop simple tools and machines for all stages of food production.
Exhibition hours are Saturday and Sunday 1 - 4 p.m. Admission is FREE; no registration is required for the exhibition or Sunday talk.