1999 MADISON COUNTY HOP FESTIVAL PRESS RELEASES
Hop Festival Date: Saturday, August 7, l999, from NOON till FIVE
Hop Festival Location: ONEIDA, NEW YORK
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Person: Kimberly Kotary, Curator and Event Co-Chair ONEIDA, NEW YORK. Plans are underway for the 1999 Madison County Hop Festival. The Festival will be hosted by Madison County Historical Society on the grounds of Cottage Lawn, 435 Main Street, Oneida, NY on August 7, 1999 from noon to five.
The first Saturday in August has been chosen for the Hop festival for its historical significance in the history of hop growing. The Hop Growers Association of Central New York, formed in Oneida in 1875, held its first four Annual Hop Growers Picnics at Spencer's Grove (Sylvan Beach) on the first Saturday in August beginning in 1878. The Hop Growers Picnic was one of the largest annual events in Central New York for 45 tears and is credited with popularizing Sylvan Beach. The picnics often drew crowds of 35,000 or more. People went to enjoy a day of rides, games, music, dancing, swimming, boating and fishing and to listen to speeches.
In this tradition of celebration and expectation for the hop harvest, Madison County Historical Society and local historical organizations will provide an afternoon of activity and information. Local historical organizations will provide displays and exhibits pertaining to local history and/or the hop agricultural industry of the last century. Speakers from several universitites will provide lecture sessions on the agriculture of the hop plant, on the cultural influences of the crop and on the architecture of hop buildings. Exhibits of hop tools and plants will be available. MCHS will feature the exhibit "BitterSweet: Hop Culture in Central New York." The popular MCHS video "When the Hop Was King in Central New York" will be shown. Samples from area microbreweries will be of interest to some participants. One of the highlights of the afternoon will be the crowning of the Hop Festival Royalty. Live music, activities for children and refreshments will be available.
The Hop Festival Committee is searching for hop houses, hop royalty and volunteers. If you have ideas, information or would like to join the committee please contact the Madison County Historical Society at (315) 363-4136.
MEDIA RELEASE PROFESSOR FROM MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY TO SPEAK AT HOP FESTIVAL
Dr. Thomas Summerhill, Assistant Professor in the History Department at Michigan State University, will provide a presentation The Hop Pickers at the Fourth Annual Madison County Hop Festival on Saturday, August 7, 1999. At 3 o'clock Dr. Summerhill will discuss the harvesting of hops in upstate New York in the 19th Century from the point of view of the pickers. He will also give a comparison of harvesting hops in New York to other areas of the United States and Europe.
Dr. Surnmerhill is currently completing work on a book manuscript entitled "Harvest of Dissent: Agrarianism and the Transformation of Nineteenth Century New York" that examines farm protest movements and their social, economic, and political importance to the development of modern America. Dr. Summerhill grew up in Oneonta and earned a BA at SUNY Cortland, an MA at Syracuse University, and a Ph.D. at the University of California San Diego. He was a fellow at the Yale University Program in Agrarian Studies in 1996 97, a graduate fellow at the Smithsonian Institution in 1991, and received the Albert J. Beveridge Grant of the American Historical Association in 1995. His article, "Farming on Shares: Landlords, Tenants, and the Rise of the Hops and Dairy Economies in Central New York," appeared in New York History in 1995.
Other presentations in the Speakers' Tent at the Hop Festival will include Sandra Bullard recalling the days of Hop Time at 12:30. Al Bullard sharing a slide presentation on hop houses in Otsego County, and Dr. Michael Tomlan, author of Tinged with Gold rounding out the lectures at 4 pm.
The Madison County Hop Festival will be held at Cottage Lawn 435 Main Street in Oneida from 12:00 to 5:00 pm, on Saturday, August 7, 1999. A bus tour of hop houses in Madison County will follow the festival. Throughout the afternoon there will be exhibits and displays by local historical societies in the county, brewing exhibits, microbrew tasting, children's activities, entertainment, and refreshments as well as the exhibit "Bittersweet: Hop Culture in Central New York" and the video presentation "When the Hop was King in Central New York. " The new hop king or queen will be crowned at 2:30 pm.
For more information and advanced tickets at four dollars contact the Madison County Historical Society at 315 363 4136.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RE: ENTERTAINMENT AT HOP FESTIVAL ONEIDA Madison County Historical Society is pleased to announce the entertainment for the 4th Annual Madison County Hop Festival on August 7, 1999 on the grounds of Cottage Lawn, 435 Main Street, Oneida, NY. Fritz's Polka Band of Verona will be the featured group of the day. Fritz's Polka Band is an eclectic mixture of multi cultural polka styles, combined with country, waltz , fox trot, square dance and contemporary. They are known for playing a little of everything. The band was formed in 1978 by lead accordionist, Fred Scherz, Sr. and his eight year old son, "Fritz," for whom the band was named. Since that time the band has made seven recordings which have achieved international air play. The band and individual members have received many prestigious honors. Fritz’s Polka Band has played at the New York State Fair, regional and county fairs ethnic events, colleges, concerts, social occasions, corporate events, anniversaries and benefits. Recently they performed at Hershey Park and Mrs. T.'s Pierogies Polkafest in Hershey, PA. The band has recorded six albums. Their most recent album, "Polka With All your Might " was released in April and is available with the band's last four recordings at area Media Play stores in CD and cassette format. The current members of the band include Fritz Scherz on accordion and vocals, Fred Scherz, Sr. on accordion and vocals, Gabe Vaccaro on bass guitar and backing vocals, Tom Campbell on guitar and vocals, Frank Nelson on guitar and vocals, and Rick Szczyt on drums and backing vocals.
Madison County Historical Society would also like to announce that R&R Concessions of Rome will feature an extensive menu with children's specials and featuring their famous Blooming Onions. Mark your calendar to join in the fun at the 4th Annual Madison County Hop Festival on August 7 from noon to 5 p.m. There will be plenty going on for the whole family including children’s activities, guest lectures, sampling from area micro breweries and the music of Fritz's Polka Band!!
P.O. BOX 415 ONEIDA, NEW YORK 13421 (315) 363 4136
MEDIA RELEASE: CONTACTS:
The Madison County production of hops for the processing of ale or beer was celebrated by the formation of the Hop Growers'Association in 1878. Annual picnics were hosted by the group into the first quarter of the 19th Century to honor those who made the local industry so successful. In that spirit of commemoration, this year's Fourth Annual Madison County Hop Festival on Saturday, August 7th, will offer a travelling celebration of the countys hop heritage. Advance purchase tickets will be required for this guided bus tour which will culminate in a hop themed reception at a relocated hop barn in Erieville owned by tour guide Carl Stearns. Stearns, a partner at Crawford and Stearns Preservation Architects and Planners of Syracuse, has graciously offered his barn for the tour in the past but this will be the first time that the tour plan has included a stop to view the structure.
The organizer of the tour, and also tour guide, is Barbara Giambastiani Bartlett, Restoration Coordinator for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. Bartlett is a former director of the Madison County Historical Society and the editor of Country Roads Revisited (1984). It was Bartlett, Dr. Michael Tornlan acknowledges in his comprehensive book on the hop culture in America, who was responsible for the initial study on hop growing that "sparked the much longer investigation" that led to Tomlan's book Tinged with Gold.
Hop culture was first introduced to upstate New York and Madison County in 1808, and by 1852 the towns of Brookfield, Eaton, and Hamilton collectively were responsible for more than half the county's total production. In 1879 Madison County was ranked third in state production. This production was of national significance because New York produced more than one half of the nations total crop that year. In order to increase cultivation and production efficiency, many ideas and inventions were conceived in the county. H. Niles Harrington and Charles Osborne of Peterboro were responsible for a combined hop picker and separator in 1978. H.H. Hathaway of Clockville invented a mechanized hop picker in 1880 and later in the century, A.S. Hart of Morrisille invented a new type of hop pole which promoted a more efficient harvest. For a variety of reasons, including increased competition, market changes, and agricultural blights, the county hop production had nearly vanished by the 1930's.
The guided coach tour will leave the Hop Festival at Cottage Lawn (435 Main Street in Oneida) at 4:30 pm on Saturday, August 7 and is scheduled to return to Oneida at approximately 8:00 p.m. that evening. Viewing of and visits to several former hop farms and related sites will be highlighted. Participants will be welcomed on the bus with an array of finger foods to start the tour and will later be treated to a social hour and reception to be catered by Wheatberry of Cazenovia. Tickets must be purchased in advance by July 31st with a minimum of 25 participants required. Make payments ($30) to Madison County Historical Society, PO Box 415, Oneida, NY 13421. All proceeds from this benefit tour will be directed toward county history projects. For more information contact (315)-363-4136.
MEDIA RELEASE
Al Bullard of Milford, New York, will be returning to the Madison County Hop Festival on August 7. This year he will share his slide collection of Otsego County Hop Houses. The slides will show extant hop structures addressing the styles, the relationships with the farm complex, and the interesting architectural features. This session will be at 1:30 in the speakers' tent.
Mr. Bullard has also prepared a video of hop houses in Central New York which will be shown in the video tent on a schedule with the MCHS video "When the Hop was King in Central New York." This video was recently shown on the History channel.
Mr. Bullard's interest in hop history began in 1966 when he took Dr. Bruce Buckley's Folklore class at the Cooperstown Graduate Program. Fulfilling a requirement to study an assigned plot of land, Bullard was introduced to buildings used decades ago during the heyday of the hop industry. This began his thirty three year search for hop houses, tools, pictures and photos in Central New York. He has shared many of these hop items at previous hop festivals and this year will be bringing hop pullers. Mr. Bullard has worked with the New York State Historical Association on the Hop Culture Seminar in 1995, and the hop house and hop exhibit to open this year at the Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown.
Al Bullard received his M.A. in Folklore Studies and Museum Management from SUNY Oneonta in 1968. Currently he teaches American History and Government at Cooperstown Central School. He owns his own antique business and restores furniture.
The Fourth Annual Hop Festival features speakers on hop history, displays by local historical organizations, agricultural and historical exhibits, brew demonstrations, microbrewing tasting, children's activities, entertainment, and refreshments. The Festival is Saturday, August 7, from noon to five at Cottage Lawn. For more information on the Fourth Annual Madison County Hop Festival contact the Madison County Historical Society at Cottage Lawn, 435 Main Street, Oneida, NY, 13421. (315 684 3262) Advance tickets are available at four dollars.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Re: Microbreweries to Attend Madison County Hop Festival ONEIDA Madison County Historical Society is pleased to announce the microbreweries that will be attending the Fourth Annual Madison County Hop Festival on August 7,1999. Most of the microbreweries that have attended in the past will be back again this year with a few new names and faces. Returning is Middle Ages Brewing Company from Syracuse. Owner Mary Rubenstein is an Oneida native and has supported every Madison County Hop Festival. Empire Brewing Company of Syracuse, Cooperstown Brewing Company of Milford and Sackets Harbor Brewing Company of Sackets Harbor will be back for their third year at the Festival. Saranac Brewing of Utica and Brewery Ommengang of Cooperstown will be attending the hop festival for a second time. Two other New York microbrewenies will be attending the Hop Festival for the first time this year- Kobor's Brewing Company of Schuylerville and Ithaca Brewing Company of Ithaca. Visitors to the Fourth Annual Madison County Hop Festival will not want to miss the opportunity to sample from two of Vermont's a micro breweries Trout River Brewing Company of East Burke and Otter Creek Brewing of Middlebury. In all that gives visitors ten different micro breweries to sample from and more than twenty different beers to sample. Them will be a great variety to include many different styles like lagers, ales, lambics bitters, India Pale ale, stout,, light ales, brown ales, Belgian ales, Porter. Come compare styles and figure our for yourself what style of beer suits your tastes and preferences.
Representatives from the micro breweries will be on hand to answer your questions about their brews and brewing facilities and about brewing in general, They can help answer your questions about the effects different types of hops, malts, yeasts, grains and sugars have on the flavor of the beer. They can also tell visitors about the different brewing techniques. It you have always wanted to learn more about beer and brewing, the Madison County Hop Festival is the place to do it.
The micro brewery sampling area is just a small part of the activities that will be happening at the Hop Festival. There will be children's activities, guest speakers, 18th Century brewing demonstrations, displays from local home brew shops, displays of brewery memorabilia from local collectors, displays by local historical societies, glass etching, music by Fritz's Polka Band, food and fun for the whole family. The event will be held on Saturday, August 7 from Noon to 5 p.m. on the grounds of historic Cottage Lawn, 435 Main Stred (Rt. 46) in Oneida, NY. Advance sale tickets are available for only $4 at Madison County Historical Society, Call (315)363-4136.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RE: 18th Century Brewing Demonstrations at Hop Festival ONEIDA--Madison County Historical Society is pleased to welcome Patrick Reynolds to the Fourth Annual Madison County Hop Festival. Mr. Reynolds will be coming all the way from the Henry Ford Museum in Mlichigarr to give visitors a glimpse of what home brewing was like in the 18th century. Reynolds wears period clothing and does his demonstrations over and open fire to give observers the full picture of what it was like to make home brew in the 18th century.
From the time of the earliest colonists until now beer and brewing have played a significant part in our nation's history. Battles were fought over and toasted with beer. Visitors to the Hop Festival will see beer being brewed as it would be in a home of the 1790's. Some beers of yesterday were very similar to beers of today while others were quite different. Resourceful colonists often turned to innovative substitutes to the basic ingredients in beer (barley, malt, hops and yeast) leading to some interesting combinations. In the 18th century, they may have brewed a Spruce Beer a brew which is made primarily of molasses, ginger and Spruce twigs. Other historic brew included ingredients such as black pepper, sage, malted corn or pumpkins. Visitors will get to see and examine all the ingredients of beer- barley, malt, water and yeast. Learn about the brew we drink today and the brew of George Washington's time (his favorite is said to be Porter.) There will be no samples of this historic brew because it does take several weeks to get a finished product. However, visitors to the Hop Festival are encouraged to sample from the microbreweries that will be attending the Festival.
The Fourth Annual Madison County Hop Festival will be held on Saturday, August 7 form noon to 5 p.m. on the grounds of Cottage Lawn, 435 Main Street (Rt. 46) in Oneida. In addition to the 18th century brewing demonstrations, there will be guest lectures speaking on the history of the Hop growing industry in central New York, a children's area called "1876," brewery memorabilia displays and displays from local historical societies, sampling from microbreweries, video screenings, the exhibit "BitterSwect: Hop Culture in Central New York," music by Fritz’s Polka Band, great food and much more.
Madison County Historical Society
PRESS RELEASE
RE: New Book on Hops to be Introduced at Hop Festival
ONEIDA The Madison Counly Historical Society is pleased to announce that Sandra Martin-Bullard will be speaking at 12:30 p.m. on August 7 at the Fourth Annual Hop Festival about her book and the experience of writing it. Ms. Martin Bullard's book Hop Time was published a few months ago after thirty two years of interviewing people who always mentioned hop time as an important and fun part of their lives. "They remember it (HopTime) with a smile," Martin-Bullard writes. The author's grandparents grew hops, as did the diarists that she quotes in her book, that has a people oriented view of hop growing. The general yearly cycle of hop growing is addressed in this publication packed with pictures of those hop times.
Sandra Martin Bullard's daughter says her mother has a "Foot in two centuries." Sandra was the curator of the Greater Milford Historical Society's Sayre House for fifteen years, providing yearly programs and displays, as well as being the town of Milford Historian. She collects toys and sells antiques and books. Her experiences as a mother, school teacher,
housewife, gardener, antiquarian bookstore worker, listener, writer, and now as an author will be a rich perspective on the times of hops.
Hop Time books will be available from the author after her presentation, at the Hop Shop during the Hop Festival and in the MCHS gift shop during the rest of the year. Also available for sale is the video "When the Hop Was King in Central New York" produced by the Madison County Historical Society with grants from the New York Council for The Humanities, the Central New York Community Arts Council, and the Howard and Bess Chapman Charitable Corporation. This video was recently shown on the History Channel. A three part series on hop growing from Great Lakes Lakes Brewing News will also be available for purchase at the Hop Festival.
The Hop Festival is a celebration and study of the influences of the hop growing time in the last century. The Festival runs from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 7th at Cottage Lawn, 435 Main Street, Oneida Advanced tickets are available for Four dollars. For more information call 363 4136.
Madison County Hop Festival
RE: Home Brew Suppliers at Hop Festival ONEIDA Are you a home brewer?. Do you have a home brew kit sitting in your closet that someone gave you for Christmas? Would you like to find out more about home brewing? Come to the Fourth Annual Madison County Hop Festival and talk to some fellow brewers. On August 7 from noon to 5 p.m. two local home brew shop owners will be setting up informational displays about their business.
Rich Burgess owns Bottom of the Barrel on North Madison Street in Rome. Rich has the only home brew supply in the Utica/Rome area. His store carries beer and wine making supplies, soda kits, liquor bases, gourmet coffee and tea, French press coffee pots and English tea pots as well as coffee grinders. Bottom of the Barrel is also a great source for beer steins, specialty beer and wine glasses, cork screws, bar accessories and all your bottling needs. Rich also carries a line of balsamic vinegar, wine vinegars, herbal vinegars, herbal oils and extra virgin olive oil. Bottom of the Barrel is known for it's very friendly atmosphere. Rich and his staff are experienced brewers that can answer questions about making anything from ales to lagers or wine to champagnes. Bottom of the Barrel is open Monday through Friday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday noon to 5 p.m.
The Brew Haus in Cazenovia is the only home brew shop in Madison County. Madison County historical Society is pleased that owner Don Feola will be available to talk to visitors at the Hop Festival and share his experiences in brewing. The Brew Baus carries home brewing and wine making supplies to meet your needs and challenge your skills. Check out The Brew Haus on the web at http://members.tripod.com/~donfeola/index 2.html
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Home brewers attending the Madison County Hop Festival will also want to take advantage of the opportunity to question microbrewers from Vermont, Sackets Harbor, Syracuse, the Cooperstown area and all over the region. Visitors can also learn more about the history of hop growing in Central New York by listening to guest speakers, visiting the exhibit "BitterSwect: Hop Culture in Central New York," or by viewing the video "When the Hop Was King. " The children's area will also be filled with fun activities for kids to learn more about their central New York hop growing ancestors. There will be plenty of fun for the whole family at the Fourth Annual Madison County Hop Festival.
For additional information or to reserve a booth space, please call (315) 363-4136 or write to: Kimberly Kotary, Madison County Historical Society, 435 Main Street, P.O. Box 415, Oneida, New York 13421.
Phone: (315)-363-4136
Re: 4th Annual Madison County Hop Festival
CONTACT: Kim Kotary; Curator, Madison County Historical Society P0B 415, Oneida, NY 13421 Phone: (315)-363-4136
CONTACT PERSON: Kimberly Kotary, Curator
DATE: 11 May 1999
Madison County Hop Festival
For immediate release
Dot Willsey (315)-684-3262
Kim Kotary (315)-363-4136
HOP FESTIVAL TO OFFER HOP TOUR FUNDRAISER
CONTACT: Dot Willsey; Pres, Madison County Historical Society--Phone:(315)- 684-3262AL BULLARD RETURNS TO HOP FESTIVAL
CONTACT PERSON: Kimberly Kotary, Curator/Event Co Chair
DATE: 1 July 1999
CONTACT PERSON: Kimberly Kotary, Curator
DATE: 7 July 1999
P.O. Box 415, 435 Main Street, Oneida NY 13421
(315) 363 4136
CONTACT PERSON: Kimberly Kotary, Curator
DATE: 26 April 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT PERSON: Kimberly Kotary, Curator/Event Co chair
DATE: 25 April 1999