Scythe mowing workshop this month

scythe mowingTransition Town Charlotte is sponsoring a hands-on workshop on scythe mowing from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Bud Shriner farm at 1503 Ferry Road.

The workshop is limited to 15 participants, and seating and participation will be arranged to comply with COVID-19 physical-distancing requirements. You can register by emailing Louis Cox or telephoning him at (802) 922-6186.

Scythes are long, thin, very sharp blades with long handles that have been developed over hundreds of years as efficient and economical tools for mowing grass and harvesting hay and grains on medium-sized plots.

The scything workshop will be led by three Transition Town Charlotte members: Louis Cox, Wolfger Schneider and Amos Baehr, who have extensive experience in using scythes instead of power mowers for various lawn- and field-management tasks. If you have your own scythe, please bring it.

The workshop will include instructions on how to sharpen scythe blades, demonstrations of how scythes are used for different kinds of mowing, and information about where to buy scythes. Workshop participants then will be guided in practicing grass mowing, invasive plant management and weed control on Bud Shriner’s property.