9th annual ‘Bountiful Harvest’ celebration goes glam!

Which celebrity cow milker is going to take home the famous blue ribbon, or shall we say two blue ribbons from Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County’s ninth annual Bountiful Harvest celebration? Come join CCE Orange County for an evening of good old-fashioned fun on Friday, September 20 from 5 to 9 p.m at CCE Orange County’s Education Center and 4-H Park in Otisville. This year’s Bountiful Harvest is “Denim and Diamonds,” celebrating all things country-chic in what CCE describes as “a shining display of glam and style during our first annual glam contest!”

Festivities will include hay wagon rides, a farm-to-table dinner from locally sourced favorites prepared by Country Courtesy Catering, and the highlight event – a celebrity cow milking contest. All proceeds from the event will support the continued development of the Education Center and 4-H Park located at 300 Finchville Turnpike in Otisville. When completed, the site will be a regional education, exhibition, and outreach facility geared toward human development opportunities and agricultural programs.

As part of the autumn evening celebration, local celebrity cow milkers representing Orange County’s retail industry will compete head-to-head in a friendly cow milking challenge. The celebrities will have two minutes to show off their talent by hand milking a cow. All four celebrities are also collecting donations for CCE Orange County in a friendly “wagering” of pledges that accompany the contest. Celebrity milkers include David Mistretta of Woodbury Common Premier Outlet, Franco Fidanza of Fidanza Family Properties, Mark Adams of Mark & Sue Adams Greenhouses, and Eric Price of Pyramid Group Management. Chris Van Aken, of Van Aken Dairy, in New Hampton will provide the celebrity cows for milking, as well as milking lessons to the contestants prior to the event.

“The goal of our unique fundraising event is to get the Orange County community involved with local agriculture and to educate residents about the numerous types of farming, all of which are taking place in their own backyards. We are delighted to have Country Courtesy prepare this year’s farm-to-table dinner with local products as well as to partner with local retailers for our cow milking contest!” said Lucy Joyce, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County.

Folks will have the opportunity to enjoy raffle baskets, old-fashioned games, and a live auction as they enjoy local, homemade apple crisp. The event will also welcome back Derrik Wynkoop, president and CEO of Walden Savings Bank as the live auction auctioneer. All raffle baskets, game prizes, and live auction items have been donated by local friends and businesses of Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County.

CCE Orange County expressed thanks to the 2024 sponsors for the Bountiful Harvest Celebration, with a special thanks to Blue-Ribbon sponsor Woodbury Common Premier Outlet.

Tickets are required to attend this event and are $175 per person or $1,300 for a table of eight. To learn more about the event, purchase your tickets, or to pledge financial support for one of the celebrity cow milkers, visit cceorangecounty.org/events, or contact Jill Van Aken at 845-344-1234 or jd863@cornell.edu.