Charging Admission

A few of our loyal Cider Squeeze fans have asked about our new admissions policy, so here's a brief look at the efforts we've made to keep the Philip Foster Farm accessible for as many people as possible.
We have always charged for scheduled tours, and have traditionally been free for events and drop-in guests through the summer. The financial reality is that schoolchildren have been our major source of funding for the last 15 years, while our major expenses center on staying open in the summer and managing events (not usually as lucrative as you might think). As part of our longterm plan to improve the site, provide better customer service, and put more opportunities for history education in your hands, we needed to have a consistent source of income in the summer.
Charging admission to our drop-in guests for summer hours and events has raised our summer income significantly, without lowering our visitor numbers. We are still not covering all the expenses related to staying open, but every little bit helps.
We have enjoyed being a free resource, and strive to be as accessible as possible. Memberships in the JZH Historical Society are very inexpensive, and volunteers can earn them with only 10 hours of work.
The volunteer board that maintains the farm literally donates thousands of hours and hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars in cash and in-kind contributions to keep the Farm moving forward. Please join their efforts to preserve and maintain our little piece of Oregon's heritage by visiting the Farm, becoming a member of the Historical Society, or volunteering your time and skills.

Dutch Oven Cookoff

The Barn Dance was a blast, but we're already moving on to September 11th, when we'll have our Dutch Oven Cookoff and Blackberry Jam Acoustic Music Festival.

The cooks are getting their registrations in this week, preparing to cook up a tasty little competition. Judges are eagerly waiting to see whose breads, main dishes and desserts are the best. Musicians will be bringing their instruments to jam between 11:00 and 4:00.

Admission for the day is only $5.00 per person or $20.00 for a family of any size. Musicians get in free with an instrument. More information for cooks at http://philipfosterfarm.com/cookoff.html

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. See you there!