New Concept in Open Air Museums Opens in New Lebanon, N.Y.

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NEW LEBANON, N.Y. — BEHOLD! New Lebanon, a new type of living museum that celebrates and explores contemporary rural American life, has scheduled its first weekend of activities, Aug. 29-Sept. 1.

Located in this rural Columbia County community in upstate New York, BEHOLD! New Lebanon is a museum without walls, comprising a wide – and variable -- range of venues and guides representing rural America as it exists today.

More than 50 country guides invite visitors into their homes and work spaces, where they practice cooking, farming, cattle raising, automobile racing and mechanics, furniture-making, and much more. The guides are not costumed docents recalling old-world skills - they are actual townspeople.

The museum is the idea of historian and social activist Ruth J. Abram, founding president of Manhattan’s Lower East Side Tenement Museum, which honors America's immigrants. A resident of New Lebanon, Abram brought the Behold! New Lebanon concept to regional residents, who responded enthusiastically with ideas and an outpouring of support.

The result, BEHOLD! New Lebanon, features programs that take place over four weekends: Friday-Monday, Aug 29 -Sept 1; Friday-Sunday, Sept 12-14; Friday-Monday Oct 10-13; and  Friday-Sunday, Oct 31-Nov. 2



“BEHOLD! New Lebanon challenges stereotypes about rural life and expands the concept of the museum,” Abram said. “Contemporary rural American living has been energized by young people determined to model an environmentally sensitive way of life. In opening our homes, farms, garages, barns, fields and forests, we will share our delight over our lifestyle, and over the skills we have acquired in order to be successful country people, and communicate the values underlying our choices.”

These values include the importance of conservation, historic preservation, family and community life, farm-to-table cooking, and other contemporary ideals.

Donors have made it possible to offer reasonably-priced ticket packages. Donors include Judith Grunberg, Chuck and Deborah Royce, Mike Benson, Francis Greenberger, Monte Wasch, and Robert Webber, as well as organizations and businesses such as Columbia County Tourism, Hudson Valley Greenway Communities, Berkshire Bank, Hudson River Bank & Trust Co. Foundation, Lebanon Valley Speedway, Shed Man, Stewart Shops, photographer Uli Rose and personal weather forecasting app Poncho.

More information can be found at www.beholdnewlebanon.org.


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Hoosick Falls Farm Awarded Animal Welfare Certifications

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HOOSICK FALLS, NY — The beef cattle at River and Rail Farms are now Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW).

The Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW label lets consumers know animals are raised outdoors on pasture or range in accordance with the highest animal welfare standards in the U.S. and Canada, using sustainable agriculture methods on an independent farm. 

Consumer Reports has rated Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW as the only "excellent" food label for animal welfare and verification, according to a press release.

?Siblings Lauren, Erin, and Matt Williams' beef cattle are also Certified Grassfed by AGW. Certified Grassfed by AGW is an optional, additional accreditation for Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW farmers and ranchers raising cattle, sheep, goats or bison according to the Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW high-welfare standards and a 100 percent grassfed feeding protocol.

Lauren, Erin and Matt Williams of River and Rail Farms began farming in 2022 when the siblings purchased the farm from the previous owners—a multiple-generation farming family who ran an organic dairy and diversified livestock farm. The Williams raise Red Devon cattle, a traditional livestock breed well suited to pasture-based management and known for their high-quality meat. The family chose to pursue Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW and Certified Grassfed by AGW certifications because they felt the programs best mirrored their exemplary animal husbandry practices and commitment to sustainability.

"We utilize managed rotational grazing to ensure both a healthy farm and high-quality traditional breed Red Devon beef, and we are proud to offer the very best products we can to our customers," Erin Williams said.

"In a marketplace crowded with misinformation and greenwashing, trusted third-party certifications like Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW and Certified Grassfed by AGW deliver real transparency for farmers and consumers," AGW Executive Director Emily Moose said. "We're proud to work with farmers and ranchers like River and Rail Farms to promote their high-quality products and sustainable farming practices."

Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Certified Grassfed by AGW beef from River and Rail Farms is available at area farmers markets along with directly from the farm, with pre-order online and pickup on-site. Check the AGW directory for details. For more information, visit tilldalefarm.com along with the farm's Facebook and Instagram page and contact Lauren, Erin and Matt Williams at riverandrailfarms@gmail.com and (717) 202-5842.

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