CAMPERS AT THE Horse & Theater Camp offered by the Starksboro nonprofit Unbound Grace will take to the stage with an original production on Thursday. The community is invited to watch the free performance and learn more about the various youth programs provided by the organization at Sentinel Farms.
Photo courtesy of Kerry Kurt

STARKSBORO — Community members are invited to Starksboro’s Sentinel Farms this Thursday to watch local youth take to the stage in an original production and learn more about the various programs offered at the farm.

Sentinel Farms, located at 4118 Route 116, is the site of a beef operation run by Starksboro farmer Kerry Kurt and the home to the nonprofit Unbound Grace, founded by Kurt in 2007. Through the nonprofit, Kurt offers several farm-based educational programs for youth, including an ongoing Horse & Theater Camp that will culminate with the community event on Thursday evening.

Attendees will have a chance to view the original production campers have created this summer, enjoy cheeseburgers made with Sentinel Farms beef, and learn more about the programming offered through Unbound Grace. The evening will kick-off with burgers at 4:30 p.m., and performances will begin at 5:30 p.m. Those interested in attending can contact Kurt at 802-377-1066.

The Horse & Theater Camp at Sentinel Farms is offered for three weeks throughout the summer and open to youth of all ages and experience levels. Kurt said this year’s campers range in age from 5-14.

Those participating in the camp work with youth theater director Mickey Pekar throughout the week to develop a character they’d like to portray on stage. Campers then use those characters to knit together a story, which is presented to an audience at the end of the week.

In addition to delving into theater, campers also learn how to take care of horses and chickens and about other farm operations.

Kurt said a big aspect of the camp is helping youth develop lasting relationships — both with the surrounding environment and their fellow community members.

“Building sources of durable, enduring relationships into our community is needed and it’s helpful,” Kurt said.

Another focus of the camp is helping youth build confidence through engaging, hands-on activities.

“When children are confident, when all beings are confident, we don’t tend to be violent, we tend to be caring and loving,” Kurt said.

A CAMPER AT Sentinel Farms’s Horse & Theater Camp smiles while working with one of the farm’s horses. The camp is aimed at helping local kids build confidence, learn skills and develop lasting relationships.
Photo courtesy of Kerry Kurt

Kurt sees the camp and all of her work at Sentinel Farms as a means of achieving her overall goal of promoting community health and wellness, particularly when it comes to what we eat.

That goal is what guides her approach to raising beef, she said. Kurt uses a method she calls retro-regenerational farming — a blend of “retro” farming practices without the use of hormones or herbicides and with the use of “regenerative” practices that work with nature rather than adding to or damaging it.

“I do the best that I can to steward the land in a loving way, and make sure that all of the natural animals are welcome,” Kurt said. “It’s their place.”

Through her beef operation to the youth programs she runs, Kurt said she hopes to encourage fellow community members to treat the world around them with love and care.

“All life should be respected and treated as sacred, which means that you would care for it to the best of your ability,” Kurt said.

Those that stop by Sentinel Farms this Thursday can hear more about the farm’s operations and how to get involved in or support various programs. Kurt noted Unbound Grace’s camps are open to all youth regardless of their financial situation. Those interested in supporting the nonprofit’s programs can learn more at unboundgrace.org.

Sentinel Farms is planning to expand its offerings for local youth this fall with the opening of a new mechanical arts/welding studio. Kurt said the winterized classroom will provide a space for youth at the farm to continue learning and developing friendships throughout the fall and winter months.

“That’s going to start likely in August and will meet one afternoon after school for a couple hours,” Kurt said, adding that the farm is currently seeking help with supplies and labor to finish the project.