A Bedford firefighter adds another used Christmas tree (without the ornaments) to a bonfire during the annual Burning of the Greens on Saturday night at the Joppa Hill Educational Farm.
Sledding, hot chocolate, a bonfire and the Christmas trees didn't go up in flames made the animals at Joppa Hill Educational Farm happy eaters.
For the unacquainted, yes, farm animals, particularly pigs, goats and cows, love to eat used Christmas trees.
But the annual Burning of the Greens on Saturday night in Bedford was mostly for families. Thanks to the freshly fallen snow, the scene was serene as more than 100 children slid down the hills on their sleds or kept warm by the fire in their parents' arms.
Approximately 200 people showed up and townspeople donated more than 300 trees, said Sarah Grosvenor, executive director of Joppa Hill Educational Farm.
Now in its fifth year after being brought back by Fire Chief Scott Hunter, the Burning of the Greens also marks the passing of the holiday season. The local firefighters union volunteers its time to provide free labor and safety, he said.
"I'm so glad to have everybody, plus everybody from the community, out here to enjoy it," Hunter said. "I love the history of this event. It's got a lot of history. This event started in the 1980s and it took a long hiatus until five years ago, when I talked to the farm, because this is just a good place to have it."
The firefighters were clearly having a blast, finding the driest trees to create flames at least 10 feet high at times.
"Well, I think they're having a good time," Hunter said.
Back in the day, the event was held next to the fire station for about 10 years. Now, the Burning of the Greens helps the farm fulfill part of its mission, said Sasha Richards, co-vice chair of events at the farm.
"I think it's a community building event. So any event that we host at the farm that's at a lower price point, or free or we partner with people, is just to bring the community together," Richards said.
"We hope that someday Joppa becomes the community hub for Bedford. We just really want it to become the resource that people can come and just find community and companionship and partnerships and and just really build relationships," she said.
Grosvenor said Christmas trees have been coming in since the day after Christmas and more and more have been coming every day. The giant stacks of discarded trees between the farm's silos allow her to sneak some of the surplus away for the farm animals.
"The definite benefit for animals during the winter time when their forage is no longer available, providing them fresh Christmas trees is like a real benefit," Grosvenor said. "And even I brought one down to the cows, and the minute the cows saw it, they got really excited. They're big too, and they get really excited. They start pushing it around, and they just start eating the fresh greens. So I love it, and I'm glad that there's so many here, because they really like that, and that makes me happy."
She also said it's a much better alternative to people filling landfills with trees. Any leftover trees will also be part of the farm's compost pile, which will benefit the gardens at the farm.
The event also helps raise awareness that the farm operates year round as a community resource, Richards said.
"Often people come here in the summer and they forget that, we still put on things in the winter and life goes on at the farm every month of the year," she said.
Joppa Hill Educational Farm is hosting its biggest fundraiser of the year - the Snowball Gala from 6-10 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Bedford Village Inn. The event includes dinner, dancing and silent/live auctions. For more information, visit theeducationalfarm.org.
The proceeds of the gala help pay for the farm's community programming, new equipment and animal needs, said Jillian Granucci, chairperson for the farm's board of directors.
While the animals might not be invited to the gala, they seemed to make out quite well, Grosvenor said.
"Pigs love to forage. They'll eat acorns, tree limbs, leaves, roots, bugs. So right now they don't have those things, and so providing them with a fresh tree, it's like Christmas for them," Grosvenor said. "The goats especially, I mean, the goats go nuts. ... Having the greenery is something that it's very sweet to them. It's like a nice treat."