Red Rooster Route road rally set for July 21-22

Get on the road this July 21 and 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Red Rooster Route Days Road Rally. A weekend celebration of local food and agriculture, the festival is an exciting opportunity for families and communities to learn about individual farms on the route, enjoy locally grown produce and berries and get a taste of farm life. Now in its third year, the road rally is emerging as a not to be missed weekend of family fun on the farms.

June 29, 2012 1:09 pm

ARLINGTON — Get on the road this July 21 and 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Red Rooster Route Days Road Rally. A weekend celebration of local food and agriculture, the festival is an exciting opportunity for families and communities to learn about individual farms on the route, enjoy locally grown produce and berries and get a taste of farm life. Now in its third year, the road rally is emerging as a not to be missed weekend of family fun on the farms.

The Red Rooster Route Days Road Rally is family fun at its best. Pick up a Red Rooster Route brochure at the first location you visit, being sure to have each farm and partner that you visit stamp your brochure so that when you turn it in at the last location you visit you will be entered in the drawing for the chance to win one of the following great prizes: a one night stay at the Medallion Hotel and dinner for two at The Cellar Restaurant, a two-person river raft adventure with North Cascade River Expeditions (includes wetsuit rental), or a two-person, two-and-a-half hour fly casting class with Dickson Fly Fishing on the Stillaguamish River, plus one dozen local river flies. Winners will be contacted by phone or email by July 28. New to this year’s road rally is the Arlington Farmer’s Market so don’t forget to stop by for a stamp on your card.

All four farms on the Red Rooster Route and their partners; the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum and Arlington Farmer’s Market participate in the festival and will be lit up with perennial and summer flowers as well as delectable berries. Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm Treasures will host a Readers to Eaters Local Food Book Faire on Saturday and bouquet-making lessons on Sunday. Walk the fields and take advantage of their beautiful cut-flower gardens. Foster’s Produce & Corn Maze’s spread of local berries and cherries will make your mouth water. Stop by for their famous berry or mocha shake while the kids enjoy the animal farm and hay maze! Biringer Farm at Arlington brings out its jolly trolley ride to the raspberry fields for families to enjoy U-pick opportunities and indulge in delicious raspberry shortcake with mile-high whipped cream. At Bryant Blueberry Farm & Nursery kids will love picking the plump, juicy berries, romping on the playground and feeding the farm’s goats and ducks. Take a wagon ride (noon to 3 p.m.) and follow it up with your own packed lunch in the farm’s picnic area!. The Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum will be open for guided tours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. where you can explore the exceptional exhibits and learn about the history of the area. A new partner to the Red Rooster Route, the Arlington Farmer’s Market, is a must-stop on the route. Only open on Saturdays, you can shop for the freshest local produce and find unique handcrafts, flowers and enjoy local music and kid’s activities.

“This year’s Red Rooster Route Days is full of fun activities for everyone in the family,” Connie Foster, co-owner of Foster’s Produce and Corn Maze in Arlington said. “We are in the beginning of the growing season and there are plenty of u-pick opportunities on the route as well as fresh farm produce and treats!”

This fourth year of the annual Red Rooster Route will also host a variety of upcoming spring and summer festivals including The Blueberry Festival on July 28 at Bryant Blueberry Farm & Nursery, The Garden Treasures Pozole & Corn Roast Festival on Sept. 8 at Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm and Pioneer Days at Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum on Sept. 15, Foster’s Pumpkin and Corn Maze Festival Oct. 1-31 at Foster’s Produce & Corn Maze and Handmade Holiday Indoor Gift Market on December 1 at the Arlington Farmer’s Market in downtown Arlington. A self-guided tour through the greater Arlington area, the Red Rooster Route is rich with pastoral views and plenty of recreational and u-pick opportunities. To learn more about the farms on the Red Rooster Route and to download a tour map, visit the website at www.redroosterroute.com.

Red Rooster Route Days are Saturday and Sunday, July 21-22,from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Free Admission to all farms on the Red Rooster Route (Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm accepts optional $5 donations for the event. Some farms may charge for certain activities. The Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum fee is $5 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under); Garden Treasures Nursery & Organic Farm, Foster’s Produce & Corn Maze, Biringer Farm, Bryant Blueberry Farm & Nursery, the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum and the Arlington Farmer’s Market. For activities at each location, u-pick availability, and fees during the festival visit www.redroosterroute.com where you will find links to each farm and partner.

The Red Rooster Route, off Exit 208 on I-5, is a non-profit association of small, family-friendly farms in the Arlington area of Snohomish County, which are open to the public during the harvest season. For more information visit the website at www.redroosterroute.com.