Bike the Barns returns Sept. 21 for seventh year

KEESEVILLE | The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) and Bike Adirondacks will again host cyclists and local food enthusiasts for Bike the Barns — a half-day bicycle tour that engages participants with North Country farms and the region's local food movement. The 22-mile road cycling route will take riders to farms and other agricultural points of interest in the Ausable and Champlain Valleys of northern New York State. The event is currently full at 200 riders, but community members are still invited to register to be added to the waitlist. Set for the morning of Saturday, Sept. 21, ANCA's seventh Bike the Barns ride will begin at Ausable Brewing Company in Keeseville, continue to the Babbie Rural Farm and Learning Museum and Northern Orchard in Peru, and cross over the scenic Ausable Chasm to stops at Mace Chasm Farm and North Country Creamery in Keeseville. Riders will end back at the brewery for a celebration of live music and local food and drink. "We look forward to bringing Bike the Barns back to the Ausable Valley and highlighting some of the small farms along this beautiful route," said ANCA Executive Director Elizabeth Cooper. "We're excited to share the rich agricultural history of this area and introduce riders to some of the hard-working farmers and food entrepreneurs who are continuing that legacy today." ANCA established Bike the Barns in 2016 to increase awareness about local food issues and engagement with the small farms and businesses that are instrumental to the health and vitality of local economies, farmlands and communities. Now in its seventh year, the 2024 ride will follow the same route as last year's tour. Doug Haney, owner of Bike Adirondacks, a Saranac Lake-based company that specializes in regional bicycle events, noted that inclement weather affected the overall experience last year. "We heard from so many people after that rainy day that they wanted to experience the same route and farm stops in better weather," he said. "Rain or shine, this really is a special route, with views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains, through Keeseville's historic downtown and over the Ausable Chasm. I'm glad we get to share the experience with new and returning riders this year." The event will be based at Ausable Brewing Company, a nanobrewery owned and operated by brothers Dan and Dylan Badger. Located on 140 acres of farmland along rural Mace Chasm Road, the brewery serves a variety of ales, lagers and house sodas in a relaxed and scenic atmosphere. Babbie Rural Farm and Learning Museum is a non-profit educational institution dedicated to preserving the region's historical and agricultural way of life. Bike the Barns riders will learn about New York's rural and farm life through interactive demonstrations and displays of horse-drawn implements, gas engines, early tractors and other agricultural tools. Established in 1903 and operated by second- and third-generation growers, Northern Orchard Co. is a grower, packer, and wholesale shipper of premium quality apples. The farm produces many varieties of apples including McIntosh, Cortland, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Red Delicious, Gala, Macoun, Cameo, Snapdragon, RubyFrost, Fortune, Paula Red, Zestar, Gingergold and dozens of other favorites and sells other fresh produce and value-added products at its farmstand. Owned and operated by first-generation farmers Ashlee Kleinhammer and Steven Googin, North Country Creamery is a 115-acre dairy farm and home of a herd of grass-fed Shorthorn and Jersey milking cows. The small-scale dairy produces farmstead cheese, milk, and yogurt. At the farm's Clover Mead Cafe & Farmstore, shoppers can also enjoy fresh produce, baked goods and other local products. Half a mile down the road, Mace Chasm Farm grazes cattle, poultry and pigs and produces grafted tree nursery stock on about 120 acres of land. Riders will be able to purchase delicious sausages, cuts, grinds, broths, smoked meats, salami, pate, and cooking fats produced at the farm's butcher shop. Proceeds from Bike the Barns support ANCA's Local Food System Program, which aims to strengthen North Country farms and food businesses while increasing access to local food. ANCA currently leads a federally funded Climate Smart Commodities agroforestry initiative that will help farmers implement practices that sequester carbon and improve land, water and air quality and supports farms and small businesses with grant applications through the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). ANCA also hosts Compost for Good, an initiative that provides support for local farmers, municipalities, food scrap haulers, compost operators and institutions to reduce the amount of organic materials that go to landfills by converting them to nutrient-rich compost. The $99 registration fee for Bike the Barns includes a clearly marked route, mechanical support, farm stops, additional points of interest, and a finish line celebration with local food, beverages and live music. Members of the public are invited to register to be added to the waitlist for the sold out event. Learn more at www.adirondack.org/btb.KEESEVILLE | ANCA is an independent, nonprofit corporation with a transformational approach to building prosperity across northern New York. Using innovative strategies for food systems, clean energy, small businesses, and equity and inclusion, ANCA delivers targeted interventions that create and sustain wealth and value in local communities.

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Bike the Barns returns Sept. 21 for seventh year

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