On Sunday, April 26, Cucurbit Farm hosted Acton’s first ever cow plop 50/50 raffle! The event was aptly titled “Moo Doo for Moo La,” and winners were decided by the bovine beast who dropped the first cow pie on the field. A 50/50 raffle results in a split winning, with half the raised funds going to the raffle winner and the other half going to charity. In this case, there were two raffles happening simultaneously, one to support the Acton Food Pantry and the other supporting Maynard’s Open Table. At least 60 people eagerly awaited the release of the cows into the farm’s field on Parker Street featuring a chalked 22×5 grid, with squares randomly assigned to ticket buyers.
Heidi Nelson decided to organize the cow plop fundraiser when she heard a co-worker describing one that is hosted by the Town of Dedham to raise funds for their recreation department. The Cucurbit team sold 220 squares at $20 each to raise a total of $4400, with $1100 going to the two raffle winners and $1100 going to each of the two food system organizations. The event was announced on April 9, 2½ weeks before the “drop day,” on the family farm’s Facebook page and at the farmstead, where garden plants are presently on sale.
Amigos Locos Tex Mex and Cantina food truck was on site selling tacos and churros to those gathered for the show. Spectators brought camp chairs, and sat enjoying their lunches and the sunshine along a ridge above the field.
Around 1:00 p.m., the cows were let out of the gated enclosure where they had been kept since 5:00 p.m. the evening before. They trotted straight for the hay cradle in the middle of the field, but a bit of corn poured out of a bucket onto the grid by the farmhands enticed them over to the edge of the field for the main attraction. Minutes later, the first cow pie had dropped, and the winners were announced.
Cucurbit Farm was established in 1896, and is currently farmed by Eric Nelson and his sisters Heidi Nelson and Sonja Pyle. It’s a 5th generation operation occupying 12 acres on Parker Street in South Acton, and leasing another 70+ acres in both Acton and Concord. If you missed this year’s Moo Doo for Moo La, the farm family is already committed to hosting another next spring!
Alissa Nicol is a (newly re-elected) member of the Acton Select Board and writes about community events for the Acton Exchange.
