Town #56 Franklin

Sunday, October 4, 2009
Blue Slope Country Museum and Fall Event


Somewhere we got a post card or found reference in the paper or on the internet for a weekend event at Blue Slope Country Museum. We have passed through the main roads of Franklin often, but this time we followed narrow country roads in North Franklin to Blue Hill Road in the northwest part of town. Blue Slope is a working dairy farm with Holsteins for milk, Belgian work horses, and goats for meat and cheese. They make maple syrup and have a farm trucking business. They also have a museum full of hand tools, dairy equipment, and much more. Educational programs are available for groups of all ages.

This weekend was their “Annual Fall Event,” complete with re-enactors, draft horse demonstrations, exhibits, working artisans, crafts, music, antique tractors and cars, and a food tent ($12).

We bought a beautiful, unique Eastern European macramé piece that could be used as a doily or framed for a wall ($29), and a bunny-shaped jigsaw puzzle for Ella ($5).
We watched hay being baled with a horse-powered bailer. It took one horse and four men—one loaded the hopper with hay, another guided a Clydesdale horse around a circular track to pull a lever which operated the baler, and the others handled the bales, and bailing wire, etc.

We saw cider being pressed and had a sample, and watched a horse and carriage competition. For lunch we each had a bowl of clam chowder sold by the VFW, some of the best we’ve had, with plenty of clams—just the way it should be ($9). The peach cobbler looked good and as it was seasonal, we couldn’t resist. It was warm, and quite tasty. ($7)


We toured the museum and saw some nice wrought iron work by a Mansfield blacksmith. Jan found a weaver and watched her at work on her loom, and we finished up watching apple pies being made. We had a long chat with the pie-making demon-strator and found her technique interesting.


Blue Slope Country Museum has year-round activities such as square dancing, family campfires, horse drawn wagon, and sleigh rides. Their web site has more information.

We later had dinner at Modesto’s on Route 32 in Franklin. We had eaten there before, but were on the way to RI and it was convenient. I had veal parmesan, and Jan had veal portofino, both excellent. I had a rich cannoli cake which I really didn’t need, but was worth it. (Bob)