“My daddy won a cake!”
By Hope Loudon
On October 19th, Urban Roots hosted its Folk Art Jubilee which provided family friendly activities and taught community members about making things themselves. Children thoroughly enjoyed apple bobbing, a cake walk, and crafts. Adults had the opportunity to learn how to harvest honey, and make sourdough bread, quick pickles, yogurt, butter, and balms.
Urban Roots celebrated the fall with festive decorations, a raffle and silent auction, demonstrations, and interactive learning. Giggling children participated whole heartedly, and learned as they played. Freshly pressed apple cider was offered to guests free of charge, and apple bobbing was very popular with kids who were not at all reluctant to get wet.
Perhaps the childrens’ Â excitement was most palpable during the cake walk. The winners were happy as they showed off their cakes, and the children walked slowly so as to make sure that they could get a lucky seat when the music stopped. It was adorable when one small girl proudly proclaimed to strangers, “My daddy won a cake!”
One prominent highlight of the event was a fascinating beer crafting demonstration courtesy of Matt Johnson of Reno’s brewing group Master Brewers of Innumerable Beverages (IMBIB). Matt demonstrated the process for making delicious smelling Farmhouse Pumpkin Beer with spices, malted barley, and special Belgian yeast. Matt explained that one keg of the beer that he made would be auctioned off at the event, and that one keg will be served at a future event for Urban Roots.
Balm making was among the many beneficial workshops offered to guests. Jana Vanderhaar, owner of landscaping architecture company Verdant Connections, taught participants to create fragrant and potentially healing skin salves from beeswax and homemade oils infused with calendula, chamomile, and lavender. Like in many of Urban Roots’ other workshops, participants helped to create their own product as a souvenir.
During the honey harvesting demonstration, kids of all ages were given the chance to try “honey chewing gum” which consists only of the fresh honey and beeswax that come directly from the hive. Jacob Natel, an employee of the River School Farm, gave advice to aspiring beekeepers and explained each portion of the process from  billowing smoke into a hive before harvesting, to separating the honey from the wax with a special centrifuge.
If the fun that kids had at this event was any indication of what Urban Roots’ summer camps entail, then Urban Roots’ upcoming summer camps are a fantastic option. To learn more about Urban Roots, or to register for their workshops or kids camps, visit www.urgc.org.
