Join us on Saturday for the Grand Opening at the brand new Atkins Field Pavilion on Granite Street in Hardwick! Built by Makaio Maher of Green Timber Works construction, the timber frame pavilion has scissor trusses to mimic the form of the one remaining historic granite shed used 100 years ago by the Woodbury Granite Company.
The grand opening is free and open to the public. Live music for dancing will be provided by David Rowell and the WDEV Radio Rangers, and heritage fusion food will be provided by Nando Jaromillo of Moon and Stars. Food will include empanadas made with white scallop squash, a variety of squash grown by Abenaki people, and a meat dish with French-Canadian tourtiere flavoring. There will also be Tulsi basil tea made with local basil and an Italian style cookie with maple glaze. A short program of speakers will happen at 4, and the WDEV Radio Rangers will play from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The timber frame pavilion will be used for workshops, community events, the farmers market, as a cover for the Hardwick Town Recreation Committee's skating rink this winter. It was built after three years of planning and fundraising.
The project got financial support from the United States Department of Agriculture Community Facilities Program, the Vermont Recreational Facilities Program, and more than 200 other individual donors, organizations, and local businesses. HELM Construction Solutions supported the project as project manager, and The Design Group provided architectural services.
A back wall on the pavilion has interpretive panels honoring the working landscape of the past including the Woodbury Granite Company, active 100 years ago on the 15-acre Atkins Field site, creating pieces for granite buildings all over the United States that were shipped by railroad. Relics from the booming business have been marked around the property with help of the Hardwick Historical Society and students at Hardwick Elementary School. The location of relics appears on a history map panel in the pavilion so people can take a self-guided tour through the industrial heritage of the property.
Natural resources on the property have been identified as well, and many have been marked by students in the first phase of a project to create more awareness of resources. One panel showcases these resources, and another honors the Abenaki heritage of the area's working landscape.
The Center for an Agricultural Economy's mission is to support and enhance local food systems, community, and working lands. For more information contact CAE Community Programs Manager Bethany M. Dunbar at bethany@hardwickagriculture.org or (802) 472-5362 ext. 204