I’ve never attended a maypole festival. Nor did I think that Buffalo would ever play host to a maypole festival. Actually, the only reason I am even familiar with this sort of festivity is due to a particular scene in the movie ‘Wicker Man’ (the original, not the remake with Nick Cage) where the pagan celebration pays tribute to fertility and the coming harvest. Now I’m sure that Farmer Pirates is organizing the event in order to beckon in a successful harvest… I’m not sure if the fertility aspect is in play here or not. Either way, this is a highly unusual and creative happening that will surely go a long way towards showcasing many of the different aspects of the programming that the organization is involved with (including a new composting initiative that needs your support.
The Maypole Festival is scheduled to be held on May 20, from 2pm-6pm at Common Roots Urban Farm (Facebook) located at the intersection of Peckham Street and Detroit Street (see Google map). Farmer Pirates is planning on hosting a goat roast on that day (no comment), along with a potluck feast (bring a dish), and live music (bring an instrument). For anyone who is interested in urban farming, or anyone who would like to support the growing initiative, this is going to be an event that should not be missed. Farmer Pirates is planning on hosting these types of events four times a year, to coincide with the four seasons.
As an aside, there was a recent article posted on Buffalo’s urban farming trend in NaturalNews.com. It is recognition like this that will give our city a moral boost when it comes to promoting short term and longterm sustainability.