Community Corner
Herring Run Festival at Plimoth Grist Mill
Plymouth’s Town Brook in April means one thing–the annual herring run! Every April tens of thousands of herring leave the ocean to head upstream to lay their eggs in freshwater. Most of the herring that migrate through Town Brook are a variety known as alewives, which Native Wampanoag have been using as food and fertilizer for centuries. Back in 1621 the Wampanoag people shared this knowledge with the Pilgrims.Come to the Herring Run Festival and help us celebrate the wondrous and humble herring! Witness the herring run up Town Brook (Mother Nature permitting). Visit with local scientists to learn about their efforts to restore the herring population; hear about dam removal projects on Town Brook; get a close up view of the herring; and help scientists collect data by counting herring. You’ll also learn about (and meet) another fascinating and important resident of Town Brook–the American Eel!
Representatives from the following organizations will be on hand to share their knowledge of the herring, waterway health, and the local environment:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Restoration Center (NOAA)
United Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration (DER)
Town of Plymouth Department of Marine and Environmental Affairs
Watershed Action Alliance
The Herring Run Festival will also feature special hands-on activities for kids, music, a local artisan marketplace and, of course, the grist mill will be grinding organic cornmeal and sampe (grits) and sharing samples of our favorite corn dishes. Feel like doing a little running yourself? Start your day with the 5K Herring Run Classic at 10 a.m. and “run where the herring run.” For more information on the race, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Plymouth/HerringRunClassic5K.4
Plimoth Grist Mill is nestled on Town Brook and is the perfect vantage point to witness the herring migration. See them schooled up while waiting their turn at the bottom of the fishway, watch as they ascend the dam, and see them emerge through the counting station at the top to continue their voyage to Billington Sea.
Tickets are Regular Museum Admission: Adults $6.00 and Children (5-12) $4.50