Who doesn't like a bike ride on a late summer day? Or to eat fresh, locally grown produce and dairy right on the farm? Or to enjoy live music performed by Connecticut-based musicians in the natural theater of the great outdoors?

How about an all-day, family-friendly event that combines all three?

CT Folk's third annual Tour des Farms — a 25-mile leisure bike ride to local farms, gardens, and other agricultural treasures in Connecticut — will take place on Aug. 20.

This year, the tour will travel throughout the Amity region, making stops at Treat Farm and Field View Farm in Orange, Massaro Community Farm and Savino Vineyards in Woodbridge, as well as the Ansonia Nature Center.

Alice-Anne Harwood, the CT Folk member organizing this year's ride, said the tour was founded three years ago as a way to celebrate all the state has to offer to its own residents, as well as to others.

"We are all about community sustainability. And so an event like this that ties it all together is a way to celebrate what we believe in as an organization," Harwood said.

She added that each tour has been held in a different region with a different route, a practice they plan to continue.

"We are going to move the tour every year," Harwood said. "This is a great way for us to highlight all of the resources we have right here in Connecticut."

The Aug. 20 route includes lightly-traveled scenic country roads, rolling hills and pleasant residential streets, with a slight incline in various areas. Throughout the route, riders may follow the ride leader, or set their own pace with the cue sheets provided by CT Folk. 

The ride will be appropriate for most riders over age 12. And families  are encouraged to take part in the tour together. 

There will be a more experienced group of riders and then a second group for those who want to keep a more leisurely pace.

"It really is a ride built for everyone," Harwood said.

For those who would like to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from the stops along the 25-mile trek, CT Folk support and gear staff will carry — and refrigerate — any produce purchased along the way until the end of the ride.

And top off a day celebrating fresh local food and scenery, at each stop along the route, participants will be entertained by a live music performed by musicians from throughout the state.

"What better way to explore and discover local food and farms, and then hear some really great local music," Harwood, a Hamden resident, said.
 
In addition to live music, Harwood said activities at the Tour des Farms sites will range from a tour of the site, a presentation by the site manager, or simply a quick stop for a break.

The list of performs at each stop are:

• Treat Farm — String Fingers
• Massaro Community Farm — Michele Riganese
• Savino Vineyard — Beth Patella
• Ansonia Nature Center — Sarah LeMieux
• Field View Farm — Jen Lowe

Harwood said the melding between local musicans and local producers in organizing the tour has been a satisfying and successfull one.

"The farms are just this wonderful group of people interested in building a community together. It's been a great experience working with them," she said.

The tour will begin at 9 a.m. at Treat Farm in Orange. The farm, which has been in active operation for more than four generations, is owned by Jeff Wilson and his sister Heather Bucknam.

The two siblings, together with their family members, manage the farm's day-to-day operations. Wilson maintains the crops and the growing season, while Bucknam — who grew up in Orange but now resides in Simsbury — takes care of the administrative aspect of the family business.

"We run it jointly, and it really seems to work well," she said.

"My brother is just a tremendous grower," Bucknam said. "And we sell what we grow."

Bucknam said events like the tour, as well as Orange Farms Day the following weekend, help to highlight what residents may, or may not, know is in their own backyard when it comes to local produce.

"People have come up to me and said, 'We never even knew you were here.' And to me that's a crime," she said. "It's such a unique thing for the area. Because there are so few local farms left."

Melissa Waldron Lehner agrees.

Lehner, the outreach and partnership coordinator for Massaro Community Farm in Woodbridge, said she has found that many area residents are also unaware of the 51-acre farm.

"And it's a rare, precious thing we have here," she said.

Lehner added that with more and more people becoming aware of where their food actually comes from, the movement to buy locally continues to grow in numbers.

"We have the land, we have the means," she said. "Let's make some good things happen."

Massaro has a full slate of events planned to coincide with the bike tour on Aug. 20, a day-long festival they are calling "Pizza, Pickles and Pedals." Massarao volunteers will be grilling pizza topped with fresh vegetables from the farm. And Woodbridge-based New England Brewing Co. will be on hand to offer tastings of their newest beers.
 
In addition, throughout the day workshops are being offered for those who might like a taste of farm life. Talks on beekeeping, chicken basics, invasive species and a pickling demonstration are all on the menu.

The event at Massaro begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m. Pizza on the Grill begins at 11:30 a.m. and the beer tasting follows. More information about the workshops can be found at www.massarofarm.org.

With several board members also avid bikers, Lehner said being a stop on the tour seemed like a natural choice for the farm.

"It just sounded like fun," she said.

The tour comes full circle, ending where it began: back at Treat Farm. Shortly after the riders have returned to Treat, at about 2 p.m., an outdoor concert will be held at the site, featuring all of the musicians who participated in the tour.

Harwood said riders are invited to enjoy the concert for no additional cost. And non-riders are also welcome to attend the afternoon concert on a “donate what you’d like” basis.

"We do hope everyone will stay to enjoy the final concert," she said.

All proceeds from the Tour des Farms benefit the educational programs of the nonprofit organization CT Folk.

CT Folk members are expecting a healthy turnout for this year's tour — more than 140 took part last year — so experienced riders who are interested in serving as guides are encouraged to contact event organizers.

For more information about the tour or to register for the event, visit the tour's page on CT Folk's website.