The new oven will also be used to bake breads to sell at the Artisan Bread Fair, a free event held annually at the Skowhegan State Fairgrounds. According to Dusty Dowse, Director of the Bread Fair, "The overarching goals of the Kneading Conference and Artisan Bread Fair are to inform and excite people about returning Maine to a grain producing state, a position it enjoyed in the past, and to show the employment possibilities in small grain farming and artisan baking."

The model of regional enterprise that connects the local grain farmer to the miller, the baker, and the consumer has struck a universal chord and is one of the reasons the conference and the Bread Fair attract people from around Maine and the U S. and even Canada, Europe, and (this year) New Zealand. The 2010 conference grew by 45% - an increase that testifies to people's concerns about processed foods and their desire for greater hands-on involvement with the food and, in particular, with the bread they eat.

The Kneading Conference began as a grassroots project to revive the struggling Skowhegan economy by bringing back local grain production and artisan bread baking. Supported by King Arthur Flour and Heart of Maine Resource, Conservation and Development, the conference, now in its fifth year, has grown into an annual event that brings about 240 farmers, millers, novice and professional bakers, bread-lovers, and wood-fired oven enthusiasts to central Maine each July. The conference invites renowned experts to lead discussions and workshops in, for example, heirloom grains, milling techniques, soil fertility, the philosophy of baking, bakery entrepreneurship, earth and brick oven construction, and production and home baking practices.

The Artisan Bread Fair offers an opportunity for Mainers to sample Maine-made breads, pastries, and pizza, talk to professional bakers, and purchase everything to do with bread-baking including books, new and antique tools, kitchen equipment, and complementary foods.

The 2011 Kneading Conference will take place at the Skowhegan State Fairgrounds on Thursday, July 28th and Friday, July 29th followed by the Artisan Bread Fair on Saturday, July 30st.

For information, schedules, photos, and video of the 2010 Kneading Conference and Artisan Bread Fair, and to register for 2011, visit www.kneadingconference.com.