The Public Coast Farm in Buxton. Photo Courtesy Public Coast Farm
This Saturday, July 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. the Public Coast Farm, located in Buxton at the former Apple Valley Airport site at 22330 NW Fisher Road, will host what owner Ryan Snyder says is the inaugural Blueberry Festival.
Snyder, the founder of Cannon Beach-based Public Coast Brewing, will host the event, which includes a 5K fun run and walk starting at 11:00 a.m. on a track that circles the perimeter of his farm.
Beer tasting, blueberry tasting, and picking, farm goods, food prepared by chef-turned-brewer Will Leroux, and live music from Cannon Beach bluegrass band the Floating Glass Balls, will provide the day’s entertainment.
Snyder said the Blueberry Festival will help introduce his farm and farmstand, which will open next week on Thursday, July 29, to customers on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
“We’re not brewing beer on site but we have aspirations to,” Snyder said. “Like many things since the (outbreak of COVID-19), we planned to do this sooner but have been delayed. We plan to be involved with the local community and to partner with other farmers in the region. We’ll have more to say about that soon.”
The site that is now the Public Coast Farm was the home of Portland children’s television legend Ramblin’ Rod Anders, who constructed an airstrip for his own private use on the property. After his death in 2002, the site was purchased in 2004 by Mike and Jennie Applebee.
The Log Cabin that Ramblin’ Rod Anders lived in. Photo: Chas Hundley
What followed were a string of attempts to expand the airstrip, accompanied by citations, appeals, filings, and bad blood between some of the area’s residents, who hired an attorney to oppose expansion of the airstrip.
The property was purchased in 2018 by the current owners.
Also a feature of the property is the site of the proposed Salmonberry Trail. A portion of the proposed 86-mile trail runs adjacent to the farm, just a few miles from where the trail would love its parallel course adjacent to the Banks-Vernonia State Trail. While currently an overgrown tangle of blackberry brambles and weeds choke the disused Port of Tillamook Bay right-of-way, the areas saw a cleanup hosted in Buxton on June 19 by volunteers with the Salmonberry Trail Foundation.
The site of the proposed Salmonberry Trail adjacent to the property on January 14, 2018. Photo: Chas Hundley
For more information on the Blueberry Festival 5k event, which is $30 per participant, go online to racelookup.com. To register for the event go online to eventbrite.com. Entry to the Blueberry Festival is free to the public
