It’s always difficult to encapsulate all the amazing parts of the 10 weeks I spend at the Farm. A highlight for me involved a go-kart (believe it or not). A first-year Tamarack Farmer (TFer) came to our Work Projects head and said, “I want to build a go-kart.” She told him she’d need to see some plans. A couple days later she told me she couldn’t believe the plans he showed her; they were super detailed—he had thought of everything, even brakes and steering mechanisms. The TFer gathered wood scraps, salvaged some tires from old bikes under the workshop, and was ready within a couple weeks for the big reveal. It happened at our Museum of Farm Arts (MOFA) event. Other Farmers had created paintings, fashion, and poetry; but one TFer had created a go Kart. After we had all eaten delicious fancy foods and wondered through the art museum; we gathered for the performance art. About ½ way through the performances, it was the go-kart builder’s turn. He didn’t say a word; he got up, put his helmet on, strapped his headlamp over it, and got into his go-kart. The crowd cleared a path and began to cheer as he released the brake and raced down the hill, through the front lawn, and then down the road toward Indian Brook.
At our farm harvest celebration, a couple weeks later, I was sitting near the TFer and happened to overhear him reflect (this is not verbatim, but pretty close):
At Tamarack Farm teens are given the guidance and freedom to build their own community, through working together, talking together, and playing together.
In peace,
Amy Bowen, Tamarack Farm Director
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