Farm fashion returns to Organic Farm School
The Farm Fashion Show is returning to the Organic Farm School in Clinton this Friday.
Get ready to strike a pose in your finest farm fashion.
The Farm Fashion Show is returning to the Organic Farm School in Clinton this Friday, July 18. Expect a night of comedy, music and, yes, plenty of bucolic fashion on display.
“Last time we had a guy in a burlap sack who really killed it,” Patrick Moote, the event’s host, said.
Other memorable costumes included a trio of people who came dressed as common pests: a bird, a slug and a snail.
“The snail took so long to get up and down the runway, we were having people walking past him,” Moote said. “He really committed to the character.”
Moote, who enjoys farming for its fashionable opportunities, is a 2021 Organic Farm School graduate. He is passionate about the connection with healthy food through nature.
Though he is now the farm manager for Orchard Kitchen, others may know him as the star of the 2013 documentary “UnHung Hero.”
“People definitely recognize me from the film a fair amount,” Moote said, adding that Whidbey Island is a big part of the documentary. He grew up on the island, graduating from high school in 2002.
About five years ago, Moote quit acting in L.A. to move home to South Whidbey to become a farmer. A colon cancer diagnosis in his mid-30s played a big role in this change of direction in his life. The gut is an important part of health and happiness, he said, and a lot of that gets lost in the convenience of food.
“I think food is medicine, and the closer we get to where our food comes from, the better off we will all be,” he said.
Though he may no longer be an actor, Moote never stopped performing. In fact, he organizes a weekly open mic comedy night at Bailey’s Corner Store at 6 p.m. every Wednesday.
It’s also what inspired him to host the Farm Fashion Show, which is in its third year at the Organic Farm School. The last show of its kind in 2023 attracted over 200 people. Because of its popularity and limited parking, carpooling is recommended.
Attendance is free for the picnic-style event, which encourages people to bring their own snacks, beverages, blankets and lawn chairs. “Doors” open at 5:30 p.m., with the show beginning at 7 p.m. Victor Ramos will be the event’s DJ, and the music will be “farm meets club disco,” as Moote put it. He plans to do stand-up comedy to start out the show.
And you don’t have to be a farmer to wear farm fashion, Moote confirmed. Participants are encouraged to fill out a questionnaire before taking the runway that says their name, what they’re wearing and what they’re promoting.
“I encourage people to be as fashionable or as weird as they possibly can be,” Moote said.
(Photo courtesy of Judy Feldman/Organic Farm School). Participants at a past Farm Fashion Shows went all out in their costumes.
(Photo courtesy of Judy Feldman/Organic Farm School). Participants at a past Farm Fashion Shows went all out in their costumes.
