Farm and Fiddle

This podcast features interviews with three of the staff of Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill near Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Ryan Fielder, music conservator, Gabe Francisco, draft animal coordinator and Kitty Durham, farm manager, talk about their jobs and the Shaker community legacy. While the village today has restored buildings and added modern electricity and internet, the heritage is deep: 100 years ago, a religious group that wanted to practice equality between men, women and all races, came to America from England. These Shakers practiced sustainability in all aspects of life, sharing jobs, growing their food, sheltering widows and orphans. Today, Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill maintains a collection of their buildings and practices what the Shakers preached. The young staff is recovering the music, the use of draft animal power and the farm-to-table meals that the Shakers brought to their new homes.