For Immediate Release                                  
April ‘07 

                                                        
Contact: Martin C. Langeveld

802-254-2407       

langeveldvt@comcast.net                                                                                                           

Top Ten Vermont Event Expects to Attract 50,000 Spectators To More Fun Filled Agricultural Celebration than Ever

Brattleboro, Vermont -- The 6th Annual Strolling of the Heifers Parade & Festival (Friday, June 1 – Sunday, June 3), sponsored by Turkey Hill Dairy, will be livelier than ever this year. Named one of Vermont’s Top Ten Summer Events by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce for five years in a row, the parade, which is the agricultural celebration’s focal point, attracts an annual average of 50,000 spectators a year. The animal and entertainment cavalcade will start at 10:00 am on Saturday when its starlets -- 100 flower-bedecked bovine beauties -- begin strolling down Main Street. They will be followed by a team of six Belgian draft horses, pulling an antique Wells Fargo coach that has appeared in Pasadena, California’s famous Rose Bowl Parade. Many other nationally recognized acts will follow, including the Quaboag Highlander Pipe Band -- one of the largest pipe bands in America. The Andover One Wheelers, a group of 30 cyclists from New Hampshire, who have appeared several times in New York City’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, will return to Brattleboro for the parade. The Red Star Baton Twirlers of Derry, New Hampshire, also will be back in town. Recently named the “World Champions of Baton Twirling”, these young women have performed in Washington, D.C.’s Cherry Blossom Parade. Three of their alumnae, who are Golden Girls -- the sole exhibition baton twirlers that perform with the bands of Norte Dame, Purdue and the University of Southern California --, will join them. Many other animals, bands and entertainers also will appear in the spectacle.
Dairy Fest & Market Place Hosts All Kinds of Activities

The entertainment cavalcade will culminate at Brattleboro Retreat Healthcare’s grounds where the Dairy Fest & Market Place will take place until 3:00 pm. Dairy Fest highlights will include the Best Chefs of Vermont Tasting Pavilion, a Celebrity Milking Contest, a Fiddle Festival and a Children’s Farm Fun Tent that will feature a wonder cow that can be milked, butter making, a hay maze and live animals.  Other entertainers at the Dairy Fest will include world renowned trapeze artists as well as magicians, clowns and jugglers.

Another event on Saturday from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm will be the Brattleboro Area Farmers’ Market on Route 9 in West Brattleboro.  Two musical events will take place that night at the Cotton Mill Hill building in Brattleboro. One of them will be a concert by Louise Taylor from 7:00 pm – 9:30. For those who like to dance, the Vermont Jazz Center Big Band will perform from 8:30 – 11:00 pm. There also will be a Community Contra Dance from 6:30 – 9:30 pm at the Shriner’s Hall at Green Street Extension. Log on to: www.strollingoftheheifers.com for details and ticket prices.

On Sunday morning, there will be a Royal Farmers’ Feast from 7:00 am – 12 noon at the Chelsea Royal Diner in West Brattleboro. After enjoying a delicious meal made with fresh local produce, the public is invited to pick up a map for the self-guided farm tour, which will run from 12 noon – 4:00 pm. The weekend’s festivities will culminate on Sunday evening at 7:00 pm with the Brattleboro Music Center’s POPS! In the Park outdoor concert by the Windham Orchestra at Living Memorial Park’s Outdoor Stage in West Brattleboro.

The weekend festivities will kick off in downtown Brattleboro at 5:00 pm on Friday, June 1.  The Strolling of the Heifers will provide entertainment on Main Street during Gallery Walk by many locally known entertainers. At 7:30 pm, the public is invited to attend Celebrating Our Local Agricultural Legends, a tribute to a select group of southern Vermont farmers for their contributions to the agricultural field. This free event will take place at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center in downtown Brattleboro. For information on any aspect of the weekend festival log on to: www. strollingoftheheifers.com or call the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce at: 877-254-4565.

The mission of the Strolling of the Heifers is to promote awareness of the importance of agriculture in our daily lives and to raise money to fund educationally oriented agricultural programs for youth. Log on to www.strollingoftheheifers.com for details.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS. PRIMARY MEDIA SPONSORS: Brattleboro Reformer; WKVT GOLD: Hood/Booth Brothers Dairy - Official Milk of Strolling of the Heifers; Holstein Association; SoverNet, USA; Toyota; Turkey Hill; WTSA SILVER: Aubochon Hardware; Brattleboro Food Co-op; C&S Wholesale Grocers; Cabot Cooperative Creamery; Horizon Organic/The Organic Cow; Organic Valley; Price Chopper; Redex Industries/Udderly Smooth; Walgreens; WCAX-TV BRONZE: Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce; Brattleboro Museum & Art Center; Brattleboro Retreat Healthcare; Brattleboro Savings & Loan; Costume Ladies; Durand Ford Toyota; Green Mountain Tent Rentals; Hannaford Superstore; Key Bank; Mount Snow; New Chapter; Newman's Own; Stacy Subaru; Stuart Communications; The Rutland Herald; Trust Company of Vermont; United Natural Foods Inc.; Vermont Cheese Council; Windham Foundation CRYSTAL: 101 The Fox Radio; Building A Better Brattleboro; Chelsea Royal Diner; Chittenden Bank; Foard Panel; G.S. Precision; H&R Block; Hampton Inn; Home Depot; Keats Inc.; The Keene Sentinel; Leader Distribution; The Marina; New Holland; The Putney School; Riverview Café; U.S. Cellular/21st Century Cellular; Staples; Stoneyfield Farm; University of Vermont Extension; Vermont Country Store; Vermont Department of Agriculture; Vermont Natural Water; Windham County Dairy Promotion; World Learning; Woodstock Farms; WRSI/The River; Zinn Graphics PATRON: A Candle In The Night; American Flatbread; Antioch University New England; Arthur Whitcomb; Best Energy Saving Technologies; Brattleboro Chrysler, Jeep, & Dodge; Brunelle & Son Construction; BRW Electronics/ Radio Shack; Building Green Inc.; Capers Restaurant; Cockadoodle DOO; Cooke Family Realty; Co-operative Insurance; Farmers Diner/Vermont Smoke & Cure; Fleming Oil Company; Free Lunch Media Productions; Gallery Walk; Garelick Farms; Grafton Village Cheese Co; Holiday Inn Express; Hooker-Dunham Gallery & Theater; Howard Printing; Landmark College; Leader Distribution System, Inc; Marlboro Graduate College Center; Mary Meyer Mfg Co.; Merrick Pet Care; New England Natural Bakers; Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub; O’Connor Law Office; Perkins Home Center; Putney Food Co-op; Red Roof Inn; Save The Corporations from Themselves; SEVCA; Silver Forest; Southern Vermont Cable; Spring Tree Maple Products/Specialty Brands of America; Suburban Propane; Taylor for Flowers; Triple T Trucking; The Valley Advocate; Verizon Wireless Zone; Vermont Agricultural Business Education Center; Vermont Agricultural Credit Corp; Vermont Bread/Rudy’s Organic Bakery; Vermont Land Trust; Wal-Mart; Windham Wines; Zinn Graphics SUPPORTING: Abbiati Monuments; Agri-Mark, Inc; Agway; Anon’s; Banknorth Vermont; Bart's Homemade; Best Inn; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont; Brown & Roberts Hardware; Brown Family Farm; Burton Car Wash; Cersosimo Lumber Co and Cersosimo Industries; Clear Solutions Inc.; Colonial Motel & Spa; Creamery Bridge Candles; David Manning; Inc.; Efficiency Vermont; Fireworks Restaurant; Friends of the Sun; Gale, Corum, Mabie, Cook & Prodan Law Firm; GPI Construction, Inc.; Green Mountain Spinnery; Hertz & Lloyd Attorneys at Law; Kristensen, Cummings, Phillips & Carol PC; Latchis Hotel; Mini Melts Dots of Ice Cream; Moo Dooers/VNAP; Newfane Country Store; Newton Business Products; Northland Downey Insurance Group; The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co. Inc; One Stop Country Pet Supply; Peebles; Perkins Home Center; Peter Havens; Pieciak & Co; Inc.; The Putney Inn; Real Green Goods; The Richards Group; River Valley Credit Union; Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters; The Sandri Companies; Solar Source; Thai Gardens; True Value & VS Variety Store; USA Solar Store; Vermont Artisan Designs; Vermont Natural Coatings; Vermont Veterinary Medical Assn.; Vermont Vinyl; Vermont Water Buffalo; VT-NH Veterinary Clinic; Windham Family Vision Care; The Windham Solid Waste Management District; Winter Panel Corp.; Women's Agricultural Network; Woodman Athletics; Yankee Farm Credit; Zephyr Designs SPONSORS: Adagio Trattoria; Adivasi; Altiplano; A.L. Tyler & Sons, Inc.; Amy’s Bakery Arts Café; At the Oasis; Bast Investment Co; Beadniks; Berkley & Veller/Greenwood Country Realtors; Black River Produce; Book Cellar; Borter’s Jewelry Studio; Brattleboro Haulage; Brattleboro Area Realty; Brattleboro Veterinary Clinic; Brooks House Realty; Campbell & Boyd Ins. Services; Inc; Carley’s Florist; Creative Woods Furniture Inc.; Crispe & Crispe Law Firm; Crofter Moving & Storage; Dalem’s Chalet; Inc.; The Dorner Agency, Inc.; Edward Jones & Company; ERA The Masiello Group/Stepping Stone Real Estate; Fenton Family Dealership; Fitts, Olson & Giddings; Fitz, Vogt & Associates at World Learning/SIT; Friends of Brooks Memorial Library; Green Mountain Bovine & Equine; India Palace Restaurant; J Coleman & Co Architects; James M. Puls & Associates Certified Public Accountants; John Rocray Law Firm; Lawton Floor Design; Linden Gardens; Masiello Employment Agency; Merrill Lynch; Merrill Gas Co; Inc.; Miller Brothers-Newton; Inc.; Nassau Broadcasting Partners, WHDQ/WZLF/WXLF/ WWOD/WCFR/WNHV/WSTV; New England Coffee; The New England House; Océ North America Document Printing Systems; Oly’s Plumbing & Heating; Outer Limits Health Club; Pinnacleview Equipment Inc.; Potter Steward Law Offices; Putney Road Market; Shin La Restaurant; Stevens & Associates; T.J. Buckley; Thomas M. French Attorney At Law; Verde for Home & Garden; Vermont Butter and Cheese Co; Walker Farm; Windham Flowers; WW Building Supply; Wyman Agency.

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