ROCKPORT — On Saturday, Dec. 7, Aldermere Farm, a preserve of Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), will ring in the holiday season with cows, hot cocoa, and ugly sweaters during its annual Beltie Holiday. The event will be open to all ages and held from 9 a.m. to noon at Aldermere’s Welcome Center and Program Barn at 20 Russell Ave, Rockport.

The Aldermere Achievers 4-H Club will run a “photo booth” for attendees to have their most memorable holiday portraits taken with Belted Galloway calves. Visitors will be invited to enter an “Ugly Holiday Sweater” photo contest for a chance to have their picture featured on next year’s Beltie Holiday poster. There will be complimentary Beltie ornament kits, hot cocoa, a 4-H bake sale, and information about the youth agriculture programs hosted at MCHT’s Aldermere Farm and Erickson Fields Preserves.   

Donations will be collected to fund the supply of Aldermere beef to area food pantries. Thanks to generous support from the community, Aldermere Farm was able to donate more than 2,000 lbs. of beef to local food pantries last year.   

This event is free and open to the public. No advance registration is necessary.   

After visiting Aldermere Farm, visitors may take a 5-minute drive to Erickson Fields Preserve (164 West St, Rockport) where they can immerse themselves in a good book while strolling through the woods. Pages of Where Do Fairies Go When It Snows, written by Liza Gardner Walsh and illustrated by Hazel Mitchell, will be posted along the 1.4-mile loop trail.   

For more information about MCHT’s preserves and events, call 207-236-2739 or visit www.aldermere.org.