The Fifth Annual Bike (or Bus) the Barns Driftless will take place on Sunday, June 25. This charity event includes a full day of farm-fresh food and drinks, behind-the-scenes farm tours, kid friendly activities, live music and amazing Driftless views.
To celebrate the fifth year of connecting farmers and eaters through Bike the Barns Driftless, FairShare CSA Coalition is excited to offer a bus tour registration, as an alternative way to access the farm fun.
“We’re offering a bus tour option this year so that everyone can experience the tasty food, educational farm tours, and farm activities, even if you aren't up for biking the challenging Driftless hills,” explained Erika Jones, Executive Director of FairShare CSA Coalition.
Both bike and bus riders will depart from Viroqua, and visit two local, organic farms: Driftless Organics and Ridgeland Harvest. The day will include a hay wagon ride, sunflower oil pressing demonstration, cover crop talk with Purple Cow Organics, kid-friendly activities, temporary veggie tattoos, and more! Bus registration includes transportation, farm-to-table lunch and snack, and farm activities.
The bicycle tour will be 55 miles, and experience 3,500 feet of elevation gain. Riders will visit the same farms as the bus tour, enjoy delectable food at each stop, several hydration stations, farm tours and activities and a big After Party celebration, complete with a grill-out dinner, craft beer and live music.
“The support of the Driftless area businesses, food entrepreneurs and CSA farms has been amazing over the past five years,” according to Erika Jones. “We've been deepening our relationships with this community and are excited to be back for another year, and hopefully bring more people out to experience the beauty and energy of the region.”
Bus the Barns Drifltess registration is $35 and is available through June 11, or until spots are full. Regular registration for Bike the Barns Driftless is $95 through June 3. If spaces are still available for the bike ride after regular registration closes, late registration will be offered for $105, June 3 - June 11.
FairShare CSA Coalition is working to strengthen and increase access to community-supported agriculture (CSA) in the Driftless region. Through CSA, individuals purchase a share in the season’s harvest directly from the farm, and receive weekly or bi-weekly boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the growing season. The ride supports FairShare's work and our Partner Shares program, providing financial assistance toward the purchase of CSA shares for low-income households. Join the ride to support fresh, healthy food for Wisconsin families!
Many thanks to event sponsors including Organic Valley, Viroqua Food Co-op, Heartland Credit Union, Peoples State Bank, Edible Madison, People’s Food Co-op, Driftless Organics, Rooted Spoon Culinary, Bluedog Cycles, Driftless Café, Kickapoo Coffee Roasters, Ridgeland Harvest, Mayo Clinic Health System, Health Tradition Health Plan, Purple Cow Organics, Sno Pac Foods, and Wisconsin Farmers Union.
