Farm Stops
This year’s ride returns to New York’s Champlain Valley, where riders will start and finish at the Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport.
Stops along the ride include Juniper Hill Farm in Wadhams and the Whallonsburg Grange and Whitcomb’s Arts and community space in Essex.
The ride culminates with a finish line celebration back at the Fairgrounds featuring local food, beverages, and live music.
Juniper Hill Farm
Sponsored by Adirondack Land Trust
Juniper Hill Farm is nestled between the Adirondack Mountains and Lake Champlain, on the Boquet River in Wadhams, New York.
Established in 2007, they started growing on three acres of fertile land. They now cultivate over one hundred acres. They are continuously adding more greenhouses with a goal of bringing to market an earlier and higher quality variety of products.
During the summer, Juniper Hill can be found selling produce at five local farmer’s markets weekly, and they provide CSA shares to subscribers and wholesale goods to local grocery stores and restaurants. Their growing practices exceed the requirements of the National Organic Program, and the farm is recognized by NOFA NY as a Certified Organic Farm.
Visit juniperhillfarmcsa.com to learn more.
Whallonsburg Grange Hall
Sponsored by Mercer Advisors, Long Run Wealth Team
The historic Whallonsburg Grange Hall is located in the heart of the Champlain Valley, 5 miles from Lake Champlain and the village of Essex, New York. It sits at the crossroads of NYS Route 22 and Whallons Bay Road in the hamlet of Whallonsburg. The beautifully restored, century-old building is home to concerts by regionally and nationally known performers, a biweekly film series, plays, lectures, classes and workshops throughout the year. In July and August, The Depot Theatre Academy children’s summer camp moves in with dozens of young actors spending four weeks rehearsing and presenting musical theater on our stage. All kinds of community events, from annual meetings to Election Night Dinners take place here and the Grange is available to rent for birthdays, weddings, anniversary parties, family reunions, meetings, and other gatherings. The certified commercial kitchen is available to rent for catering, cooking, canning, commercial food production, and farm and community projects.
With ANCA’s assistance, the Town of Essex was able to secure various funding sources to install a solar array on the building’s roof in 2023, significantly reducing its costs and carbon footprint.
Learn more at www.thegrangehall.info.
Whitcomb’s Arts
The Grange also owns Whitcomb’s, the renovated building and greenspace across the street. It is home to a blacksmith, pottery studio, woodworking shop and art gallery as well as a Community Room, open for drop-in visitors.
In the 1920s, Gordon Whitcomb opened a garage on the site, then also occupied by a gristmill and general store. A fire in 1926 destroyed the other buildings but the garage survived.. The original building was expanded by Gordon’s son Clarence “Narni” Whitcomb in the 1950s. Narni also sold used cars, auto parts, and gas. Whitcomb’s Garage was a gathering spot for the community and was also a regular destination for local kids who bought candy and other snacks there.
The garage closed in the late 1990s and the building sat mostly empty and deteriorating. In 2018, a generous donation gave the Grange the opportunity to purchase the building and the 1.5 acre greenspace on the Boquet River that the building sits on. With an amazing team of volunteers and the support of several foundations and many contributors, Whitcomb’s has been reborn with workshops, a retail store, and community room for small events, exhibitions, classes and more.
Learn more at www.thegrangehall.info/whitcombs.
Essex County Fairgrounds
Bike the Barns will start and finish at the historic Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport, N.Y. Our finish-line celebration will take place at the recently renovated Floral Hall (pictured, photo courtesy of Adirondack Harvest).
The first Essex County-Clinton County Fair was organized by Elkanah Watson in 1848. For fifteen years land was rented south of town. However, during the period 1885-1889, various parcels were purchased by the Essex County Agricultural Society to form the present Essex County Fairgrounds. A track and many buildings have been added to the fairgrounds since then. The Grand Stand and the Agricultural Center were built just after the turn of the century. The many 4-H barns were constructed by volunteers over the years since 4-H began in 1941. In 1985 the historic structures on the fairgrounds were inventoried for the New York State Parks and Recreation Division for Historic Preservation. In 2004, Floral Hall was completely renovated keeping its historic look.