Danby, VT—Smokey House Center invites the public to its campus on Saturday, July 18 from 11am to 3pm for the inaugural Forest & Field Festival—a free community celebration of Vermont’s farms, forests, food, and local partnerships. This family-friendly event will bring together farmers, foresters, researchers, artists, makers, and community organizations for an afternoon of connection, learning, and fun on Smokey House Center’s 5,000-acre working landscape in Danby, Vermont.

Workshops, Exhibits, and Apprentice Showcases

Attendees can explore partner exhibits and participate in mini workshops throughout the afternoon, including a 30-minute bird walk with Vermont Audubon, an agroforestry discussion with Breadtree Farms, a workshop on common typewriter issues and repairs with Stephentown Typewriters, and a variety of hands-on kids activities. 

Smokey House Center’s Future Forester Apprentices will also be on site to share their summer independent research projects, which span a remarkable range of topics including silvopasture, agroforestry, mushroom farming, bird-friendly forestry, air-pruning beds, and invasive plant property management. 

A full roster of collaborating organizations on hand will include The Collaborative, The Vermont Farmer’s Food Center, Sage Mountain Botanicals, Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition, Mighty Earth – Bring Catamounts Home, and Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program, among others. Guests can also enjoy blueberry picking and maple tastings, with plenty of opportunities to connect with organizations shaping the future of working lands in Vermont.

Live Music from the Suitcase Junket

The afternoon will close with live music on the outdoor stage from The Suitcase Junket, the songwriter/multi-instrumentalists project of Matt Lorenz. Dubbed as a “master of musical imagination” by NPR’s World Café Live and “astonishing” by WBUR Boston, Lorenz’s weathered, howl-flecked voice was described by Rochester City Newspaper as “a cross between Hound Dog Taylor and a Tuvan throat singer who has swallowed a bird.” 

On sixth album The End is New, Lorenz embraced collaboration with producer Steve Berlin of Los Lobos and a guitar feature from J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. His seventh album, To Go On is his most acutely profound yet—created in the wake of losing his sister, singer-songwriter Kate Lorenz, it’s a tender, beautiful, and arrestingly moving record; an internal dialogue and conversation with the departed, enormously resonant to anyone who ever loved anyone.

Food and Beverages

Local food from RoadRunner will be available for purchase on site—known for their amazing fried chicken, seasonal salads, and lunch boxes, they were such a hit at last year’s Open House, they were invited right back this year.

Spilt Spirits will be on hand pouring two signature Smokey House Center cocktails: a Blueberry Lavender Gin Spritz and a Maple Old Fashioned, made with Smokey House Center blueberries and maple syrup. Stop by to chat with the team about their commitment to organic and regenerative grains.

Watson Wheeler Cider brings an authentically place-based pour to the festival, using only local and organic resources, traditional and natural fermentation techniques, and a start-to-finish approach that begins with grafting and planting trees and ends—happily—in the glass. Their cider reflects the landscape and history of the Green Mountain State.

Red Clover Ale, hailing from Brandon, Vermont, will also be on site with their award-winning bear—each can featuring stunning bird block print artwork by Vermont artist Laurie Brooks of Toad in the Hole Studio. 

Online Auction

Simultaneously, Smokey House Center’s annual Summer Auction runs alongside the Forest & Field Festival from July 12 through July 19, closing at 6pm. With nearly 100 items ranging from local food and drink to outdoor experiences, art, music, gift cards, and cozy Vermont stays, there is something for everyone. Some items will be available to preview during the Forest and Field Festival. Browse and bid at go.rallyup.com/smokeyhousecenter2026. All proceeds support Smokey House Center’s programs and mission. 

Details

Forest & Field Festival

Saturday, July 18, 2026 11am to 3pm 

Smokey House Center, 426 Danby Mountain Rd. Danby, Vermont 05739

Free and open to the public, all ages welcome, bring friends, family, a picnic blanket and lawn chairs. 

For more information visit, www.smokeyhouse.org

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About Smokey House Center: Smokey House Center is an innovative, place-based nonprofit designed to address the urgent need for viable agricultural and forestry practices that support food systems and local communities while fostering ecological health and resilience and community engagement. Through applied research conducted on its expansive 5,000-acre property, Smokey House aims to create and refine climate-adaptive practices that can be replicated in other regions, contributing to a global dialogue on how to best steward the land in a way that is equitable, viable and just. At the forefront of this work is involving young people in every part of the process, providing them with meaningful, hands-on experiential learning opportunities.