ROCKPORT — On Saturday, Dec. 2, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, a state-wide land conservation organization, invites all ages to celebrate Beltie Holiday with the cows at the Aldermere Farm Preserve. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, at 20 Russell Ave, Rockport.

Visitors are encouraged to don their most festive (or ugliest) holiday sweaters and have their photos taken with a Belted Galloway calf.

There will be free take-home kits to make Beltie ornaments and information about the youth agriculture programs hosted at MCHT’s Aldermere Farm and Erickson Fields Preserves.

Attendees will have the opportunity to enter their names in a raffle to win a handmade Beltie tote bag by Rhubarb Custom bags. The winning raffle ticket will be drawn the following week. 

Donations will be collected to fund the supply of Aldermere beef to hunger-relief agencies. Thanks to generous support from the community, Aldermere Farm was able to donate more than 1,500 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, call 207-236-2739 or visit www.aldermere.org.