With its 2019 season now underway, Gibbs Farm: Pathways to Dakota & Pioneer Life is offering a wealth of new programs, along with popular favorites from previous years.
Visitors can gain insights into the lives and cultures of the Dakota people, as well as the multicultural heritage of pioneers who settled, farmed and raised families in 19th-century Minnesota. The farm’s 2019 season began Memorial Day weekend and runs through Halloween weekend, Oct. 27. The farm is open weekends, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
New Gibb Farm programs include an expanded series of events aimed at adults. Earlier in June, Adam Regn Arvidson, author of “Wild & Rare: Tracking Endangered Species in the Upper Midwest,” led a history talk.
Meanwhile, on July 20 and 27, Tom McGregor, award-winning plein-air painter, will demonstrate tried and true plein-air oil painting methods, as well as give personalized instruction based on where you are as a painter. All levels welcome. Cost is $40 per session and registration is required. For information, information, materials list and registrations:
July 20: https://www.rchs.com/event/plein-air-painting-workshop/2019-07-20/
July 27: https://www.rchs.com/event/plein-air-painting-workshop/2019-07-27/
In partnership with The Good Acre, Gibbs Farm will also be hosting Dinners on the Farm. Special evening events will have a cooking demonstration and meal by a featured local chef.
Returning events include Gibbs Halloween, complete with costumes, food, and trick-or-treating; the Apple Festival, which explores the legacy of apple cultivation in Minnesota; and Prairie Festival, a celebration of the contributions of Minnesota’s first people, the Dakota, to the state through presentations on topics ranging from language to food.
The Gibbs Farm Family Friendly Saturday programs will also take up a different topic to investigate each week, and homemade ice cream will be offered to the public each Sunday (included in the price of admission).
“The importance of Gibbs Farm can be found in its ability to immerse visitors, child and adult, in history via engaging interpretation of 19th-century life for the Dakota and pioneers, and hands-on, activity-based learning,” Sammy Nelson, Gibbs Farm site manager, said about the museum which is operated by the Ramsey County Historical Society. “Becoming immersed in the past can allow visitors to make connections to the present, themselves, and their community.”
Gibbs Farm is located near the intersection of Cleveland and Larpenteur avenues, directly on a trail that Mdewakanton Dakota once frequently traveled. Parking is free for site visitors in the Gibbs Farm lot on the north end of the site off Cleveland Avenue. General admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors 62 and older and $5 for children ages 4 to 16. Ramsey County Historical Society members enjoy free regular admission and free or discounted special event admission. For information on events, programs, Gibbs Farm Day Camps, or school field trips, see the website at www.rchs.com/gibbs-farm/ or call Gibbs Farm at 651-646-8629.
