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| Anna Spiller on the potato planter that caused an eye injury recently (photo by Tim Gillis) |
WELLS – The Wells Rotary Strawberry Festival will be held
Saturday, June 16, at Spillers’ Farm, Route 9A, Branch Road, in Wells. Bill and
Anna Spiller, who own the farm, say they have been getting ready for the
festival for weeks now, and look forward to annual event. Jim Spiller, their
son, started the festival five years ago when he was president of the rotary.
He and his wife Jeannine own Spillers’ Farm Store, and they have also been
gearing up, baking all the homemade biscuits and shortcakes that will be for
sale to help raise money for local rotary projects. They will also be selling
hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage and peppers. And it continues to be a family
affair, as their daughter, Michelle, will be doing free face-painting for
children.
“She’s a (University of Maine at) Farmington grad, with a
degree in early childhood education,” Jim Spiller said. “She’s awesome with the
kids.”
Bill and Anna raise the berries and will be conducting the
pick-your-own aspect of the festival. Also, they will be giving free hayrides
on the hour, at 11 a.m., 12 noon, 1 and 2 p.m.
“The strawberries are early this year,” Anna said. “People
have been picking their own here for more than a week.” The Spillers get up at
5 a.m. each day to begin the daily labors of life on a farm. They have a new
chore, as well. There are two baby geese who joined the fourteen adults
recently. Caring for them has added to the tasks, and made for some dangerous
times, in fact.
“I hurt my ear when I was trying to help one of the babies
through the fence,” Anna said. “The mother attacked me. Bill got hurt too when
trying to get a goose out of the area. He smacked his head on the woodwork.”
Anna was popped a good one by the handle of a potato planter
when hauling it out for re-use. Luckily, she had her safety goggles on, so the
injury was minimized. They had put it away for the season, but needed to get it
back out again when the local food pantry told them how much they would need.
“We got the call, and I knew right away we would need to plant more,” Bill
said. The Spillers donate food to the York County Shelter.
All the pain is worth it to the Spillers. “It’s all part of
farming,” Anna said.
Folks attending the Festival should be prepared to park on
grass. There will be parking attendants to help guide people to the
pick-your-own area, as well as other Festival events.
