The 64th Annual Farm City Banquet will be held on Thursday, November 7 at 6 p.m. at the Boone United Methodist Church located on New Market Boulevard in Boone. The theme for this year’s banquet is “High Country Grown: Who’s Your Farmer?” to celebrate Watauga County’s farmers and the community and town folk that support them.
The banquet and awards ceremony is organized annually by the Town of Boone, ASU, and N.C. Cooperative Extension of Watauga County. This year, the program includes special guest Sheri Castle, award-winning professional food writer, cook and storyteller who hails from Watauga County, and music from Will Willis, a local singer & songwriter.
Following a dinner supplied from local farms, awards will be presented to those in the farming, civic, and business community who have made significant contributions to the agricultural economy. Commodity groups also will award their respective producers of the year, and the Watauga Soil and Water District will present the Farm Family of the Year award. The Boone Chamber of Commerce will present the “Tuckwiller Award” to recognize achievements in Community Development in memory of the late Lake Ernest Tuckwiller, past Watauga County Farm Agent.
Door prizes of baskets full of locally produced foods and goods will be drawn from ticket stubs, and an original painting by acclaimed local artist Richard Tumbleston will be given away as the final prize.
The Watauga County Farm Bureau is the Platinum Sponsor this year and encourages both farm and city folk alike to join in on an “old-fashioned supper” catered by Lost Province. Gold sponsors are Mast General Store, New River Building Supply and Lumber Co. and Southern Ag; silver sponsors are Hollar & Greene Produce Co., Carolina Farm Credit, BREMCO; bronze sponsors are the Watauga County Christmas Tree Association, Blue Ridge Women in Ag, and PHARMN.
The group would like to thank their sponsors for their wonderful support in helping to make this event a very special Banquet for the community.
Tickets are now on sale for $10.00 per person (children 5 and under eat for free; children 6-12, $5) and can be purchased at the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Watauga County Center, 971 W King St., Boone. No tickets will be sold at the door and ticket sales are limited to 250. For more info, please call 828-264-3061.