After nearly 20 years of providing berries and family activities, and decades of berry picking prior to that at its original Cemetery Road location, the Biringer family prepares this weekend to offer the last “PigOut on the Farm” event at its current Spencer Island location.
“The Port of Everett selected Wildlands Inc., a mitigation development company in Marysville (to take over this land), and they set a timetable for this to be turned into a wetland, so we’re working around that,” Biringer Farms co-owner Dianna Biringer said.
“We’ll still have the PigOut and berry picking this year, and a no-frills pumpkin patch in the fall, but no Corn Maze or Pumpkin Country,” she said.
To those who have called and expressed their sadness at the news of the change, she said, “people shouldn’t worry,” as the Biringers will offer strawberries and raspberries at their new location next year.
“We haven’t decided whether to do any events there, yet,” she noted, but stopped short of saying 2008 will mark the last PigOut ever.
“It takes a year to put the crop in the ground, so we planted at the new location last year,” and will see how that goes before planning any events, she said.
It’s not just the visitors who will miss the PigOut fun and therefore, want to make this year memorable. As a host, Biringer said, she has fond memories of seeing families come to the farm, and of watching them eat the shortcake, pet the animals and enjoy the farm’s swings.
Thus, many guests are scheduled for PigOut 2008, with the Sunshine Generation, a group of children who ride on the farm’s trolley, making an appearance at 2 p.m. Saturday; followed by the main attraction, the “Slurp’n and Burp’n” strawberry shortcake-eating contest at 4 p.m., which the Seattle Seafair Pirates, Sound Harley-Davidson members and many local firefighters will attend.
“We’ll also have firefighters competing against their chiefs and other activities going on,” Biringer said, noting that while admission is free, the staff seeks donations of a minimum $5 per person for the shortcake-eating contest. Proceeds go to Steve Goforth, an Everett firefighter who needs a heart transplant.
Some of the other activities include hog-calling contests and the popular goat climb area, in which visitors put a treat in a can for the farm’s goats, roll the can up a 25-foot ramp, and watch as the goat collects its treat.
As far as whether the true stars — the strawberries — will be ready for the weekend, in light of the recent weather, Biringer said even the farmers can’t make any promises.
“It’s a guessing game, but we’re hoping they’ll be ready,” she said. “This year, we’re picking 15 acres at Spencer Island and 10 acres at the new Arlington location.”
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