The Prairie Festival. 40th Anniversary
Dbilbrey
Prairie Festival 2016
September 23, 2016 to September 25, 2016
The 40th anniversary of The Land Institute will be celebrated this year at our 38th Prairie Festival. We will recognize the organization’s achievements over these two score years. It is sure to be an auspicious moment, given that founder Wes Jackson’s last day as president will be September 30 and a new era will begin October 1 when Fred Iutzi, a former Land Institute Fellow, becomes his successor. It will be a different form of celebration. Former Land Institute interns, graduate fellows and post-doctoral researchers will return. So will several former Prairie Festival speakers and board members. We hope you will join the party.
Online registration is here.
PLEASE NOTE: All Lunches are SOLD OUT Except BOSSIE'S BEST HOT DOG
Although we will be looking in the rearview mirror, we will mostly be looking at the road ahead, given that our scientists have answered a fundamental question as to why our ancestors did not develop perennial grains and why we can now. There are signs that this work now has a life of its own. One indicator is that perennial grains are now on five continents.
A Prairie Festival first
Peter Buffett, musician, author and philanthropist,
will star in a piano-cello ensemble Saturday evening at the historic Stiefel Theatre in downtown Salina. Between songs, Peter will talk about what it takes to positively shape both individuals and community. (Peter wrote part of the score for Dances with Wolves.) The event will be a fundraiser for The Land. Tickets are required and may be orderedhere, or by calling the Stiefel Theatre, (785) 827-1998. We’ll have two buses available to take you take you there. Meet at the bus stop near the Office (olive banner) between 6 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Afterward, buses will bring you back to the grounds (with a stop at the Crestwood parking lot).
Click to download a printable schedule and campus map.
Friday, Sept. 23
5-7 p.m. — Prairie Festival Registration available in The Land Institute office.
6:30-8 p.m. — Reunion of former Land Institute interns, post-docs and research fellows in the Post-Harvest building.
Dusk — Bonfire at Hedge Fire Circle. Conversations are often sparked here.
8-10 p.m. — Barn Dance begins in the Big Barn. Making music is the Land Band, made up of friends who share a love for not only music and dance but also The Land Institute. This is open to the public and donations are accepted.
Saturday, Sept. 24
7:30 a.m. — Opening of Registration Tent, near the Classroom under the blue streamer.
7:30 a.m. — Opening of Bookstore in the Classroom.
8:30-8:45 a.m. — Welcome by Scott Seirer and introduction of the next president of The Land Institute, Fred Iutzi, and his family.
8:50-9:35 a.m. — Four who have served as Land Institute board chairs, representing 30 of our 40 years, will converse about the core ideas of The Land Institute and what effect those ideas have had in changing the collective consciousness in the sustainable agriculture movement. Panelists include Mari Detrixhe, Angus Wright, Conn Nugent and Don Worster.
9:40-10:25 a.m. — Professor Michelle Mack, a former Land Institute intern and present board member, will lead a conversation with early interns and graduate fellows about their experiences. On stage will be Russ Brehm, Karen Finley and others.
10 a.m. — Children’s art activity organized by the Salina Art Center begins on the rear patio of the Classroom.
10:25-10:45 a.m. — Break. Concessions available in the Red Barn from the local Prairieland Market, a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization promoting local foods and community.
10:45-11:30 a.m. — A panel discussion explores how The Land Institute is engaging, beyond researchers, with university and college professors bent on reshaping the education curriculum to explore the underlying presuppositions that need altered and implemented. Bill Vitek, Aubrey Krug and Wes Jackson will talk of this new venture we call Ecosphere Studies.
11:35 a.m.-noon — Terry Evans will talk about the “Family Album” art exhibit in the Art Gallery. The show features more than 100 historic Land Institute photos.
Noon-1:15 p.m. — Lunch break.
1 p.m. — Children’s art activity organized by the Salina Art Center begins on the rear patio of the Classroom.
1:15-2:45 p.m. — Land Institute scientists will talk about their research in developing a new agriculture featuring perennial grains and legumes grown in mixtures.
2:45-3 p.m. — Break. Concessions available in the Red Barn from the local Prairieland Market, a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization promoting local foods and community.
3-6 p.m. (last bus departs at 4:30 p.m.) — Land Institute scientists will lead tours of their breeding plots at Ohio and Water Well (2 miles west of our main campus). Buses will take you there. Catch a ride between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the bus stop near the Office (look for the olive banner). A small amount of walking is required at the field. Allow 90 minutes.
3-4 p.m. — Book signing by Wendell Berry in the lower level of the Classroom. Take the steps just south of the bookstore entrance.
3-4 p.m. — Book signing by Wes Jackson, David Orr, Don Worster, Angus Wright and others at tables set up just east of the Red Barn.
3-5 p.m. — Priti Cox will make and serve samples of Indian phulkas made with Kernza flour. Priti is a native of India and wife of sorghum scientist Stan Cox. A phulka is a puffed Indian flatbread. See how they are made, and how they taste, at a station near the Big Barn.
5-7 p.m. — Dinner, featuring bison and vegetarian bean stews, is served on the lawn east of the Big Barn. Tickets required.
6-7:15 p.m. — Buses roll to the Stiefel Theatre in downtown Salina for the Peter Buffett concert. Meet at the bus stop under the olive streamer near the Office.
6:30 p.m. — Bookstore closes.
Dusk — Make your own music in the Big Barn. Our-Bring-Your-Own-Instrument event allows you to join others in song and fun.
8-9:30 p.m. — Peter Buffett concert begins at the Stiefel Theatre, featuring a reading by Wendell Berry and music and conversation with Peter and his ensemble. After the show, Peter will sign his best-seller book, “Life Is What You Make It,” in the Stiefel lobby.
9:30-10:30 p.m. — Return bus service in operation from the Stiefel Theatre, with stops at both the Crestwood satellite parking lot and The Land Institute.
Sunday, Sept. 25
7-7:45 a.m. — The Prairie Walk begins at the Wauhob Prairie. Meet under the olive streamer on the lawn of The Land Institute office. Two walks, one of them a bit longer, are available.
7-7:45 a.m. — Yoga, led by Lawrence instructor Sorcha Hyland. Meet at the white streamer on the lawn of The Land Institute office.
7:30-8:30 a.m. — Open house at the Greenhouse, our new Post-Harvest Building and labs in the Research Building. Staff will be available to answer questions.
7:30 a.m. — Opening of Registration tent, near the Classroom under the blue streamer.
8 a.m. — Opening of Bookstore in the Classroom.
8-8:30 a.m. — Local musician/songwriter Ann Zimmerman performs in the Big Barn. Her music, with a dash of humor, reflects life on the prairie.
8:35-9:25 a.m. — A panel, led by David Orr, will talk about how The Land Institute has operated within the context of a much larger movement. Joining David will be Ron Kroese, Fred Kirschenmann, Gary Nabhan, Jeffrey M. Filipiak and others.
9:30-10:25 a.m. — Wendell Berry delivers the Strachan Donnelley Lecture on Conservation and Restoration.
10:25-10:45 a.m. — Break. During the break, loaves of Kernza bread, baked by New York baker Zachary Golper, will be sliced for sampling near the Registration tent. Zachary, owner of Bien Cuit bakery in New York City, has tested Kernza flour and served Kernza bread at New York events. To bake this bread, he has borrowed the ovens at a Newton bakery, Sharon Entz’s Crust and Crumb. His recently released book is titled “Bien Cuit: The Art of Bread.”
10:45-11:30 a.m. — Wes Jackson will talk and introduce his successor as president, Fred Iutzi.
11:30 a.m.-noon — Fred Iutzi, who takes the reins as president of The Land Institute on Oct. 1, will explain how he sees the future.
Noon — Festival Program ends.
2 p.m. — Bookstore closes.
Parking
Main parking: The traditional pasture parking is north of Water Well Road.
Satellite parking: The paved parking lot at Crestwood Inc., 601 E. Water Well (about 2 miles west). We’ll have a shuttle service to take you to the festival grounds. Catch a shuttle at the red banner. Shuttle hours: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Shuttle will stop near the Registration tent and operate continuously at peak times. At off-peak times, go to Registration for assistance.
Art Gallery
The exhibition in the Art Gallery is a collection of more than 100 historic Land Institute photos going back to our beginnings. Like a family album, it’s not a perfect record of what happened over 40 years, but a reminder of many participants and events. Photos have been selected from both Land Institute and personal archives.
Time Capsule
Help tell our story. Bring copies of photos, clippings, notes or other Land Institute mementos and post them to our Time Capsule bulletin board. Thumbtacks will be available.
Volunteers
Our staff is hard at working preparing for this special event. However, it is a big job and we are always looking for volunteers to help make it happen. If you would be interested in pitching in for a short time during the festival, we would welcome your help. Interested parties should contact Darlene at wo...@landinstitute.org.
Reminders
- We encourage camping, but do not allow pets,
- Bring your musical instrument. Impromptu sessions are sure to spring up on Saturday night.
- Kansas weather is unpredictable, so come prepared.You may also want walking shoes and a flashlight.
- Join in a public art project. Bring photos, memorabilia or other TLI artifacts to contribute.
- We’ll have children’s art activities on Saturday.
- We expect this to be the largest crowd in our history and because space is limited — well, you know the story about timely purchase. We will not offer refunds, but rather thank you for the donation should you not be able to attend.
Ride Share
We have set up a Prairie Festival Ride Share group on Facebook. Click here to join the group and connect with others interested in ride sharing.