Friends, we often talk about the struggle to hold onto our heritage. We watch the old barns lean a little further to the side each winter, and we worry that the working landscapes we love—those patchwork quilts of pasture and hayfields—might one day disappear under the shadow of subdivisions.
But up in Brattleboro, Vermont, the locals decided that wringing their hands wasn’t enough. They decided to throw a party. And they decided to invite the cows.
Faced with the very real challenge of preserving their agricultural roots, the community birthed a tradition that has since captured the heart of all New England: “The Strolling of the Heifers.”
A Gentler Kind of Bull Run
Now, you’ve heard of the “Running of the Bulls” in Pamplona, Spain? That adrenaline-fueled dash where folks risk life and limb? Well, founder Orly Munzing calls this the “feminine version.”
There’s no running here, and certainly no goring. Instead, you have the slow, rhythmic clomp of hooves on pavement as the ladies of the pasture—heifers, bedecked in flowers and looking their Sunday best—parade down Main Street. It is a spectacle of pure joy, drawing up to 50,000 spectators to cheer on the very animals that form the backbone of the region’s economy.
A Spark in the Orchard
Every great tradition has an origin story, and this one started in the quiet of an orchard. Orly Munzing was chatting with a neighbor, looking out over the land, when he dropped a hard truth on her.
“Pretty soon,” he told her, looking at the changing times, “there won’t be any picturesque hay bales in Vermont.”
That sentence hit home. It was a warning that the “scenery” tourists love is actually the result of hard work by farmers who are struggling to survive. Munzing realized that if they wanted to keep those golden hay bales in the fields, they had to help the people who put them there.
More Than Just a Parade
And so, the Stroll was born. But it is far more than just a procession of fancy farm animals. It has blossomed into a full-blown celebration of regional agriculture.
When those 50,000 folks come to town, they aren’t just watching a parade; they are learning. The event is packed with workshops, farm tours, music, and—of course—food that came from the soil right next door. It connects the eater to the farmer, the visitor to the land.
It is Munzing’s great hope—and ours, too—that by celebrating these farmers, we can keep them on the land. Because a Vermont without cows, without barns, and without those picturesque hay bales just wouldn’t be Vermont at all.
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