Dancing Grain to Host the Great Scarecrow Walk
Gansevoort— Dancing Grain Farm Brewery is partnering with the Schuylerville Future Farmers of America (FFA) for The Great Scarecrow Walk on Sunday, November 1. Guests will build scarecrows, watch the Bills take on the Ravens, then walk the brewery’s sunflower field at dusk. Proceeds will support agricultural education through the Schuylerville FFA.
Harvest season gets plenty of attention in the beer world – Oktoberfests, pumpkin ales, steins – but rarely a mention of the barley, hops and farmers that make beer possible. For an industry so dependent on agriculture, Dancing Grain believes that deserves a conversation.
In just ten years, the U.S. lost roughly 35 million acres of farmland and more than 200,000 farms. With the average American farmer now 58 years old, the question is simple: who comes next?
That question is personal for Dancing Grain. The brewery exists because its founder, Rachel McDermott, left a corporate career to come home and help build a future for her family’s farm. Partnering with Schuylerville FFA turns that serious question into a fun day on the farm and puts money behind the students who will answer it.
FFA students will build and install scarecrow frames throughout the sunflower field, then help guests bring them to life. The $40 Scarecrow Package includes:
• A Dancing Grain-grown pumpkin
• A bale of Dancing Grain-grown straw
• A scarecrow frame waiting in the field
• Admission for four to walk the field at dusk
$10 from every package goes directly to Schuylerville FFA.
Each pumpkin gets two lives. Guests pick it up before Halloween, carve it for their porch, then bring it back Nov. 1 to become their scarecrow’s glowing head.
Guests who would rather not build can walk the field for $5, with 100% of admission benefiting Schuylerville FFA.
Schedule: Sunday, November 1.
• 11 a.m.–3 p.m. — Scarecrow building
• 1 p.m. — Bills vs. Ravens in the taproom
• 4 p.m. — The Great Scarecrow Walk
Hot apple cider, cider donuts, farm beer, and fall cocktails will be available all day. Costumes are encouraged. Bring a flashlight — things get a little spooky after sunset.
FFA raffle and 50/50 tickets will be sold throughout the Bills game and into the evening. Dancing Grain is still accepting raffle prize donations from local businesses; contact info@dancinggrain.com.
Scarecrow packages and walk tickets are available at www.dancinggrain.com.