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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260912T193000
DTSTAMP:20260817T215904Z
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UID:10007214-1789227000-1789241400@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Westerly Land Trust Farm Dinner Celebrates Local Food at Barlow Nature Preserve
DESCRIPTION:[The dinner is sold out\, but you can register on a waitlist by clicking the Event Ticketing link at the bottom of the page] \nWesterly Land Trust Farm Dinner returns to Barlow Nature Preserve on Saturday\, September 12\, bringing guests together for an outdoor meal built around locally grown food and the land that produced it. \nThe annual dinner begins at 3:30 p.m. at the 80-acre preserve on Westerly Bradford Road. This isn’t simply dinner with a pretty farm as the backdrop. The location is part of the story. \nBarlow Nature Preserve has become a working example of the Westerly Land Trust’s efforts to connect conservation\, sustainable agriculture and the community. The property is home to Frontier Farm and Echo Rock Flowers\, and ingredients grown locally will make their way onto the dinner table. \nThis year’s meal will be prepared by husband-and-wife chefs Johan Jensen and Abbey Hemmann\, the team behind Whitecrest Eatery and Backdoor Kitchen. \nFrom Preserved Land to Working Farm\nThe story of Barlow Nature Preserve begins well before the first dinner table is set. \nThe 80-acre property became the Eleanor F. & Edward W. Barlow Nature Preserve following a bequest from Eleanor Barlow in 2018. The land contains an unusually diverse combination of agricultural fields\, upland forest and extensive freshwater wetlands and sits beside Rhode Island’s 111-acre Newton Swamp Management Area. \nRather than simply preserve the property and leave it untouched\, the Westerly Land Trust saw an opportunity. \nThe organization decided to make Barlow its headquarters while also returning part of the property to active agriculture. The existing farmhouse was renovated into office space in 2019\, and young local farmers were invited onto the land to begin rebuilding its agricultural life. \nToday\, that work can be seen in the fields surrounding the Farm Dinner. \nFarming With Conservation in Mind\nOnly about five acres of the 80-acre preserve are suitable for farming\, according to reporting by ecoRI News. That farmland is now used by Frontier Farm and Echo Rock Flowers\, which employ regenerative growing practices. \nFrontier Farm moved to Barlow in 2019 and developed a 2.5-acre commercial farm there. The farm grows vegetables\, fruits and herbs without synthetic chemicals or fertilizers and uses regenerative and no-till methods whenever possible. \nThat’s particularly important at Barlow because of what’s beyond the cultivated fields. \nThe property contains extensive freshwater wetlands adjoining Newton Swamp. Protecting soil and limiting agricultural runoff were important considerations when farming was reintroduced. The Land Trust worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service on irrigation and water infrastructure while its farmers committed to environmentally responsible soil-management practices. \nIn other words\, the vegetables growing here aren’t separate from the Land Trust’s conservation work. They’re part of it. \nThe Farms Behind the Dinner\nGuests at the Farm Dinner will be eating in the same landscape where food and flowers are being grown throughout the season. \nFrontier Farm focuses on sustainably grown produce\, while Echo Rock Flowers fills another part of the property with locally grown cut flowers. \nThe two farms also operate the seasonal Barlow Farm Stand\, selling produce and flowers grown on the preserve along with products from other area farms. For 2026\, the stand operates on an honor system and accepts cash and Venmo. \nThe Land Trust has increasingly used Barlow as a place where people can experience agriculture rather than simply read about it. Its Farm Squad children’s program\, for example\, introduces kids to planting\, pollinators\, soil health\, harvesting\, composting and farm biodiversity right on the property. \nThat makes the Farm Dinner something of a culmination of the growing season: people gathering around a table on land they’ve watched produce food throughout the summer. \nDinner by Whitecrest Eatery and Backdoor Kitchen\nFor the 2026 Farm Dinner\, Westerly Land Trust has invited chefs Johan Jensen and Abbey Hemmann to prepare the menu. \nThe husband-and-wife team is behind Whitecrest Eatery and Backdoor Kitchen and will create the meal around local ingredients. \nJensen is known for globally influenced cooking and an approach that puts flavor ahead of unnecessary formality. Hemmann brings an equally important ingredient to the evening: hospitality. \nThe result should fit the setting particularly well. This isn’t intended to feel like a restaurant dining room transplanted into a field. The idea is to gather around a table with neighbors\, eat food connected to the surrounding landscape and celebrate the people preserving and working that land. \nMore Than 80 Acres to Protect\nBarlow represents only one piece of a much larger conservation effort. \nThe Westerly Land Trust\, established in 1987\, now protects more than 1\,900 acres of forests\, wetlands\, grasslands and agricultural fields throughout Westerly. Its properties are used not only for conservation but also for public recreation\, environmental education and community programs. \nThe Farm Dinner celebrates that work while helping connect the people supporting conservation with the places being protected. \nAnd Barlow is particularly suited to telling that story because visitors can see several pieces of it at once: cultivated fields\, working farmers\, woods\, wetlands and trails all occupying the same protected landscape. \nExplore Barlow Nature Preserve\nThe dinner might also introduce some guests to a preserve worth returning to another day. \nBarlow Nature Preserve has two separate trail systems\, with routes through woods and along the agricultural portions of the property. \nOne trail area overlooks the hayfield and working farm\, with several trees identified by species. Another runs near Newton Swamp\, offering a more wooded walk with wetland and marsh views. \nVisitors heading toward the farm stand will also find a Little Free Library devoted to nature books. There’s even a hidden compartment on the back containing seeds visitors can take home. \nIt’s a small detail\, but it captures what Barlow has become: not simply land saved from development\, but land being actively used to get people interested in farming\, nature and conservation. \nEvent Details\nEvent: Westerly Land Trust Farm Dinner\nDate: Saturday\, September 12\, 2026\nTime: 3:30–7:30 p.m.\nLocation: Barlow Nature Preserve\nAddress: 449 Westerly Bradford Road\, Westerly\, RI\nChefs: Johan Jensen and Abbey Hemmann\nFeaturing: A locally sourced dinner celebrating Westerly’s farms and conserved land \nMore information is available at the Event Website link at the bottom of the page. \nYou can register to be put on a waitlist by clicking the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/westerly-land-trust-farm-dinner-celebrates-local-food-at-barlow-nature-preserve/
LOCATION:Barlow Nature Preserve\, 449 Westerly Bradford Road\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Barlow Nature Preserve
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Westerly-Land-Trust-Farm-Dinner-Celebrates-Local-Food-at-Barlow-Nature-Preserve.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260815T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260815T193000
DTSTAMP:20260813T152926Z
CREATED:20260813T152926Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260813T152926Z
UID:10007182-1786816800-1786822200@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Date Night Picnic at the Barlow Nature Preserve
DESCRIPTION:Date Night Picnic at the Barlow Nature Preserve offers something a little different for a Saturday night: a private table tucked among rows of summer flowers\, a picnic basket for two\, drinks and a pair of floral arrangements you’ll make together before taking them home. \nHosted by Echo Rock Flowers on Saturday\, August 15\, the 90-minute experience runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Westerly Land Trust’s Barlow Nature Preserve. Guests are welcomed into the flower field\, a part of the working farm that’s normally off-limits to the public\, and can choose a table among the flowers for the evening. (The Westerly Land Trust) \nIt’s called Date Night\, but couples aren’t the only ones invited. Friends and families can book the experience as well\, and groups reserving together can be seated at one large table. \nYour Own Table in the Flower Field\nThe evening begins with a cold drink and a picnic basket already packed with snacks. \nEach table is set with a pre-picked bucket of locally grown flowers\, two vases and simple instructions for creating your own arrangements. From there\, the evening is deliberately unhurried. Arrange the flowers\, eat\, have a drink and spend some time in the field as the light changes over the farm. \nEach reservation includes two floral arrangements to take home. Couples or families can keep both or give one away\, while friends can each leave with their own. \nThe event also offers something visitors ordinarily can’t do at Barlow. While the preserve’s trails are open to the public\, the gated growing areas operated by Echo Rock Flowers aren’t. Ticketed events like Date Night provide direct access to the flower field itself. \nWhat’s in the Picnic Basket?\nRefreshments are prepared for two and packed into a picnic basket for your table. The basket itself stays at the farm\, but everything inside is there to enjoy. \nSelections can include a charcuterie box\, fresh fruit and vegetables\, croissants with whipped butter and a couple of sweet treats. Dietary allergies can be accommodated when they’re listed during checkout. \nEach guest also receives one welcome drink. Adults 21 and older can choose from options including an IPA\, light lager\, rosé or white wine. Infused water and seltzers are available as nonalcoholic choices. \nSo\, essentially\, someone else handles the flowers\, food\, drinks and setting. You just have to show up. \nAbout Echo Rock Flowers\nEcho Rock Flowers isn’t a florist bringing buckets of flowers to the preserve for the night. This is where many of those flowers actually grow. \nOwner Stephanie Bennett began growing specialty cut flowers for market in 2019. The operation started in the garden at Barlow Nature Preserve and expanded into the surrounding fields. Today\, Echo Rock Flowers grows on about 1.3 acres of combined land\, with most of its crops grown at Barlow through its relationship with the Westerly Land Trust. \nThe seasonal flower farm operates primarily from spring through fall\, producing locally grown flowers for bouquet subscriptions\, weddings\, retail sales\, workshops and special events. \nDate Night turns that working landscape into the setting rather than simply using its flowers as decoration. \nAbout Barlow Nature Preserve\nThe Barlow Nature Preserve is located at 449 Westerly Bradford Road in Westerly and combines conserved open space with active local agriculture. \nEcho Rock Flowers is one of the farming operations based on the property\, and visitors can normally walk a trail around the perimeter and see the flower fields from outside the growing areas. \nFor Date Night\, those boundaries open. \nInstead of seeing the flowers from the trail\, guests spend the evening right among them. \nA Few Things to Know Before You Go\nThis is still a working farm\, so dress for the setting rather than the occasion. \nThe ground is uneven\, which means high heels aren’t recommended. Guests are also encouraged to dress in layers as temperatures can change after sunset. Bug spray will be available if needed. \nThe August 15 event has a rain date of Sunday\, August 16. If weather forces a change\, registered guests will be contacted by text. Tickets are nonrefundable but may be transferred to someone else with advance notice. \nEvent Details\nDate: Saturday\, August 15\, 2026 \nTime: 6:00–7:30 p.m. \nRain Date: Sunday\, August 16\, 2026 \nLocation: Barlow Nature Preserve \nAddress: 449 Westerly Bradford Road\, Westerly\, RI 02891 \nHosted By: Echo Rock Flowers \nTicketing: $175 is for 2 people and can be purchased by clicking on the Ticketing link at the bottom of the page. \nExperience: Private picnic among the flower fields with drinks\, refreshments and floral arranging. \nIncluded: One drink per person\, refreshments for two\, two vases and locally grown flowers for two take-home arrangements. \nAlcohol: Beer\, rosé and white wine options are available for guests 21 and older. \nNonalcoholic Drinks: Infused water and seltzer. \nDietary Needs: Allergies can be accommodated when provided during checkout. \nGroups: Friends and families are welcome. Groups booking together can be seated at one large table. \nWhat to Wear: Comfortable shoes suitable for uneven farm ground. High heels aren’t recommended. \nRegistration: Advance registration is required through Echo Rock Flowers. \nMore Information\nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n\n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/date-night-picnic-at-the-barlow-nature-preserve/
LOCATION:Barlow Nature Preserve\, 449 Westerly Bradford Road\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:Barlow Nature Preserve
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Date-Night-Picnic-at-the-Barlow-Nature-Preserve-Saturday-August-15-6pm-730pm.jpg
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