MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. — It was a night of good old-fashioned fun at Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County’s (CCEOC) fifth annual Bountiful Harvest Celebration. The gala event, hosted at the CCEOC’s new Education Center and 4-H Park, was attended by 160 friends and supporters of CCEOC and raised more than $50,000 in support of the multi-phase project under way in Otisville.
The evening’s festivities included carriage rides, games and the highlighted event – the “celebrity cow milking contest.” Former Orange County Executive Lou Heimbach, reigning champion, served as the contest’s master of ceremonies. This year’s celebrity cow milkers were members of our local healthcare providers – Anne Nolon of Hudson River Healthcare, Rose Baczewski of Orange Regional Medical Center, Joan Cusack-McGuirk of Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital and Linda Muller of Cornerstone Family Healthcare. The celebrities had two and a half minutes to show their prowess in hand milking a cow. The overall winner was Anne Nolon of Hudson River Healthcare collecting 21 ounces of milk. Additionally, Anne Nolon collected the most donations for Cornell Cooperative Extension in the friendly “wagering” of pledges that accompanied the contest. Chris Van Aken of Van Aken Dairy, in New Hampton, provided the celebrity cows for milking, as well as the milking lessons for the contestants at his farm in New Hampton.
“Our cow milking celebrities were very competitive this year and we appreciate their support,” said Lucy Joyce, Executive Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension. “They took time out of their busy schedules to join us for cow milking training and calling friends, family and business partners to drum up donations on our behalf. The celebrities got up close and personal with a cow, all to help us raise much-needed funds as we work toward the completion of our Education Center and 4-H Park which will serve as a great resource for Orange County residents of all ages,” Lucy added.
The Bountiful Harvest Celebration planning committee was chaired by Patricia Reineke and Andrea Nilon and Amy Minutolo serving as Sponsorship Chair. A sumptuous farm to table dinner was catered by Amuzae, LLC of Goshen featuring locally sourced items, including fall harvest soup, grilled fall vegetables, goat cheese, roast beef and homemade vanilla ice cream. First Federal Savings of Middletown served as title sponsor of the Bountiful Harvest Celebration.
The new Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County Education Center and 4-H Park is located at 300 Finchville Turnpike, Otisville. Three open pole barns, an enclosed pole barn, bathroom facility, and large outdoor horse arena are already completed. To learn more, schedule a tour, or pledge financial support for the new Center, contact Jill Van Aken at 845-344-1234 or email at jd863@cornell.edu. Visit our website at www.cceorangecounty.org for updates and to make a donation.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County
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