The Kyra Jean Williams Farm to College Fall Feastival celebrating Montana's food cycle will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the Oval at the University of Montana in Missoula on Thursday, September 18, 2014. This annual harvest feast will provide students, faculty, and staff a glimpse into the UM Farm to College Program, as well as a holistic view of Montana's agricultural food cycle. The entertainment Feastival will include contra dancing and music by local artists.
All of the items on the menu will be provided by local farmers, ranchers, and food producers. Preparations to grow and raise the food for this feast began in April of this year. "Our goal is to celebrate the success of the UM Farm to College Program and to raise public and student awareness about the time and effort required to produce the foods we eat each day," said Mark S. LoParco, director of UM Dining.
To sustainably complete the food cycle, all pre- and post-consumer waste generated by this event including food, plates, and napkins will be pulped and processed into soil-enhancing material within 48 hours. The soil-ready material provides the starting point for the next growing cycle.
This year, UM Dining has renamed the Farm to College Fall Feastival to honor Kyra Jean Williams, who tragically passed away in an auto accident in August of last year. Williams began working with UM Dining in 2008 as an Americorps Vista volunteer after graduating with a BA from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. As the UM Farm to College Program's coordinator, she planned and implemented the first Fall Feastival. The Feastival was so successful that it has become an annual celebration. In her memory, the event has been renamed the Kyra Jean Williams Farm to College Fall Feastival.
The UM Dining is a national pioneer in advocating the benefits of buying and eating local, sustainable foods. The program will celebrate its 12th anniversary in the spring of 2015.