“Lucky” sheep and their dogs, the language of flowers, calves called Stacy and Shakira — all of these will await visitors during the 17th annual Clallam County Farm Tour next Saturday.
Admission to the tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is $10 per carload — or free if you pedal a bicycle to the farms. A map and details are at http://Clallam.WSU.edu.
“We’re focusing on kids this year,” said Patty McManus Huber, co-owner of Nash’s Organic Produce, one of the eight farms on the tour.
Nash’s will have a children’s activity zone and a spinach garden where youngsters can harvest their own.
Not far away at the Dungeness Valley Creamery, young, doe-eyed Jersey cattle will greet visitors.
The calves have names exotic and literary: Chloe, Genevieve, Eunice, Dulcinea.
Then there’s Annie’s Flower Farm, formerly the Cutting Garden, where new owner Sid “Annie” Sherwood will give a talk on floriography: what particular flowers mean when given.
Perfume-making
Sherwood, who fulfilled a longtime fantasy when she bought this business last year, also will offer a perfume-making activity, put out badminton equipment and invite everyone to cut flowers among her 39 rows.
Also at Annie’s, local grower Blythe Barbo will give a guided “bee walk,” a garden stroll focusing on the pollinators.
Tour participants can behave much like bees as they go from farm to farm.
Tour stops
Here are the stops on the tour, sponsored by Clallam County Washington State University Extension and the North Olympic Land Trust:
■ Annie’s Flower Farm, producing dahlias and other blooms at 303½ Dahlia Llama Road, Dungeness.
■ Bekkevar Family Farm, producing beef cattle, grain, hay and hogs at 273054 U.S. Highway 101, Blyn.
■ Dungeness Valley Creamery, producing raw milk at 1915 Towne Road, Dungeness.
■ Freedom Farm, a beef cattle and hay farm and equestrian center at 493 Spring Road, Agnew.
■ Jardin du Soleil Lavender Farm, 3932 Sequim-Dungeness Way, Dungeness.
■ Lazy J Tree Farm, producing organic fruit and Christmas trees at 225 Gehrke Road, Agnew.
■ Lökalie Gaare, the “Lucky Sheep Farm,” with sheep and working Border collies as shepherds at 702 Gunn Road, Agnew.
■ Nash’s Organic Produce, with pastured pork, eggs, vegetables, fruit and grain at 1865 E. Anderson Road, Dungeness.
“Farm Tour Central” will be at the North Olympic Fiber Arts Festival in front of the Museum & Art Center at 175 W. Cedar St., Sequim, where fiber artisans will offer hands-on projects, and an exhibit of the history of the dairy industry in the county will be displayed.
The fiber arts festival will run from Friday through Oct. 6.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.