Fun served with a side of apple pie

The Baltimore Sun

The Carroll County Farm Museum has 18 old buildings that include a farmhouse finished in 1853, a bank barn, a smokehouse, a broom shop, a saddlery, a springhouse, a living-history center, a wagon shed, a general store exhibit and a one-room schoolhouse.

The location is ideal for living-history re-enactments and blacksmith days, but museum officials wanted to reach beyond history, said Dottie Freeman, the museum's administrator.

"We decided we needed to be more than just a museum," Freeman said. "Too often people think that once they see a museum, they don't have to go back and see it again. So we want to show them that museums are fun places, not just places where someone once lived, or a place that houses old furniture."

After debating ideas for a new activity to offer at the museum, the staff decided to revitalize the seafood festival that they held once before. But they wanted to add the country to it, Freeman said. And so the idea for the Surf and Turf Festival was born.

With a theme of baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, Chevrolets and crabs, the 2007 Surf and Turf will be held Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. It will include seafood, classic cars, entertainment, games, crafts, demonstrations and educational programs, Freeman said.

"We started the Surf and Turf as a community, summer event," she said. "We want people to come here, have fun, visit the museum, relax and enjoy themselves."

To help pull it off, the museum staff called on members of the community, she said.

For starters, a professional baseball celebrity will be on site, Freeman said. To involve the community, children and teens dressed in baseball uniforms will receive free admission to the event, she said.

The food will be provided by some well-known local eateries.

The seafood will be provided by Salerno's Restaurant, which also caters at the wine festival, she said.

For the Surf and Turf Festival, Salerno's will provide 15 to 20 bushels of crabs, shrimp, scallops, soft crabs, crab soup and cream of crab soup, said Bruce Reamer, the restaurant owner.

"When I heard about the event, I thought it was a great idea," Reamer said. "We hope that it will become a destination event like the wine festival."

A member of the Maryland Cattlemen's Association and Beef Council will be on site for grilling demonstrations. A nutritionist will discuss the benefits of eating properly prepared beef, Freeman said.

The museum's Board of Governors will sell apple pie to raise money for the endowment fund that covers the cost of repairs to the museum buildings.

"We can't always get what we need for our budget, because everyone gets a slice of that pie," Freeman said.

The pies for the event will be made by another of the county's icons - Baugher's Bakery. The order for the event will mean more apple peeling and chopping, said Lorraine Baugher Jones, of Boonesboro, who manages the bakery.

The order won't slow down business at the bakery, Jones said. In a typical week, the handful of bakers chops and peels 10 to 12 crates of apples in the summer, and double that number in the fall, Jones said.

"In an average week, we make about 300 apple pies, but we have made as many as 2,000 for other festivals," Jones said. "It may mean that our workers have to stay a little bit later."

And what would apple pie be without ice cream? Members of the youth group at St. Mary's United Church of Christ will sell several flavors of Hoffman's homemade ice cream to raise money, Freeman said.

"These events usually bring out a lot of people, and so they are a great opportunity for small groups to raise money," Freeman said.

The festival will include a mixture of new and old, Freeman said.

"We'll have old-fashioned games, such as horseshoe pitching and hula hoops," Freeman said. "But we'll also have volleyball and checkers. And there will be a dunking booth where people can dunk community members and public officials."

Local politicians have also signed on to participate in an activity called "Pickin' Politicians" a contest where elected officials who have volunteered to participate will compete to see who can pick the most crabmeat in 15 minutes, Freeman said.

"We want to provide activities that will appeal to people of all ages," Freeman said. "We want everyone to have something to do. We hope that people will come here and have fun, and then want to come back."

Festival

When: Saturday, July 21, from noon to 7 p.m.

Where: Carroll County Farm Museum, 500 S. Center St., Westminster

Admission: $5 adults; $3 for children ages 7-18 and adults 60 and over. Children under 6 are free with a paying adult.

Information: 410-386-3880, or visit the website: www.carrollcountyfarmmuseum.org

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