Ag and Artisan Holiday Faire at Carson Valley historic dairy showcases local artisans, ag students
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Mon, 11/29/2021 - 4:09pm
Event Date:
December 4, 2021 - 10:00am
Agriculture and art meet to showcase the region’s artisans and agriculture students at the Ag & Artisan Holiday Faire Saturday, Dec. 4, at the historic Storke Dairy, 876C Centerville Lane in Gardnerville, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The event features exhibits and demonstrations from Douglas County 4-H, Grange and FFA students including horsemanship, poultry, cattle, sheep and beehives as well as an exhibit of antique farm implements found on the property during renovations.
Local artisans will have hand-crafted items for sale, including pottery, turned wood, fine arts paintings, photography, jewelry, handmade breads and local honey, home décor and more. KING of Kings taco truck will be available for food purchases, and snacks and beer donated by Alibi Aleworks will be sold to benefit ag education in Douglas County.
Schedule of events:
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Holiday Vendor Faire booths open for shopping
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – poultry demonstrations
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – calf washing and grooming for livestock fairs demonstrations
11 a.m. – bread baking and culinary careers discussion with Reno Local Food Group’s head pastry chef, Katie Bennett
Noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Beekeeping discussions, whipped honey tastings and giveaways, horticulture basket giveaways
1-3 p.m. 4-H Horsemanship Club demonstrations
2 p.m. – bread baking and culinary careers discussion with Reno Local Food Group’s head pastry chef, Katie Bennett
Information can be found at www.carsonvalleymeats.com.
The Ag & Artisan Holiday Faire is sponsored by Carson Valley Meats, located at the old dairy. Karin Sinclair, owner of the historic facility, said ag education is important not only for students, but to help people stay connected to the history and culture of the Carson Valley.
“We see this event as a way to reconnect with the heritage of Carson Valley, and to provide our artisans and our students a forum to showcase their skills,” Sinclair said. “This valley came to be because the original families who settled here saw the value in raising cattle for milk and for food. As a country, we’ve lost our connection with the land as the source of our food.”
The Carson Valley at one time was full of dairies. Those Douglas County dairies are gone now. According to the Nevada Department of Agriculture, most of the remaining dairies in Nevada are in northern Nevada, while the largest dairies are located in southern Nevada. The Minden Butter Manufacturing Company, established in 1908 by area ranchers to promote Carson Valley agricultural products, especially butter, was one of the Valley’s primary industries in its heyday. That building is now part of the Bentley industrial complex.
Sinclair purchased the historic Storke Dairy in 2020 and has been renovating the property ever since. Over the past 18 months, Sinclair and her team have cleaned out the slough, repaired fences and cleaned and renewed the buildings. The pastures hold cattle and sheep, and the chicken yard is full of laying hens.
“It was important to me to reclaim the property as a working ranch,” she said. “The barns, outbuildings and the property in general have only been used as a storage facility for all kinds of stuff from abandoned vehicles to heavy equipment for decades. We are now raising animals and cutting our own hay.”
