Are you chicken enough?

New leadership, sponsor sought for Tour de Coop

The original Tour de Coop (TDC) wranglers have flown the coop. This just means that their lives have gotten so busy with new business ventures, family life and other projects that there isn't enough scratch to give a new coop and garden tour the time and focus needed to do a credible job.

For the past couple of years we've asked around for a local gardening, urban agriculture and/or pet supply business interested in taking ownership of an existing community event. Any suggestions are welcome. Previous organizers would be happy to volunteer our resources and experience to see another TDC happen; we just can't spare the time to coordinate the event.

Email serious suggestions to erik@ boisechickens.com (remove the space).

So, when is the next local Tour de Coop?

We've had a few folks ask about a 2013 Tour de Coop. The answer is, we are skipping this year and plan to reschedule the TDC for spring of 2014. It's lots of work and the core group of organizers have too much on our plates this year to take on the many moving parts in coordinating the event.

We hope to return in 2014 with something bigger, or at least better. Possibly Mother's Day to coincide with the whole ovulation thing...so stay tuned! In the meantime, you can help us generate funds in advance of next year's event by purchasing from our stock of collectible TDC shirts from the past three years: the 2010 Chicken Head, 2011 Chicken Bike, and last year's fabulous Henzilla: Rise of the Chickens (Bucky Buckaw called this 'the best chicken shirt ever,' or something. It's a honey. Shirts may be purchased at Hollywood Market Yoga www.hollywoodmarketyoga.com  - 208-391-4878 (GURU)

In the meantime, check out our ambitious neighbors to the south at Wasatch Gardens (formerly Wasatch Fish and Gardens). What used to be known as 'Chicken Week,' is being revised and expanded to Urban Garden and Farm Week / make-raise-grow and will take place in Salt Lake City June 16th to June 22nd. Some amazing events and activities are planned, so consider a road trip to see how they do things in the Beehave State.

Another Tour de Coop Completed!

Thanks to all the great hosts who opened their coops and gardens up to visitors yesterday for the Third Annual Tour de Coop. We had four coops in Eagle and six in Boise. Thanks also to Sara Morisette at the Boise Backyard Chicken Egg-Sperience for the pre-tour love. Major gratitude to the folks at North End Organic Nursery and the following vendors who showed up for the after party:

• Cupcake Mixology
• St. Lawrence Gridiron
• Rice Works
• Payette Brewing Company
• P.Ditty's Wrap Wagon

Henzilla Art by Boise's Own James Lloyd!

A few preliminary photos are contained in this slideshow.

Register Here! Register Now! It is Your Destiny!

Click HERE to register!

(Want something longer? use this: http://2012boiseeagletourdecoop.uticketit.com

How it works:

We'll email you the link to the online tour map Friday morning. You can prepay and reserve a shirt online, or (if you prefer to see the goods first) buy shirts this week at bricolage or NEON. Adult sizes $20; Youth sizes $15.

We'll also have a selection of the past three Tour de Coop shirts at NEON during the after party from 4-7pm.

Follow us on Twitter @cooptour for live updates throughout the tour!

If you don't register, the terrorists win!

Registration site up and running

The 2012 registration site is now up, thanks to Elizabeth Donick Swisher.

Visit http://2012boiseeagletourdecoop.uticketit.com/ to pre-order/purchase shirts in your size and style (Mens/Adult and Youth in 6.1oz. Wheat and Ladies' in 5.5oz. Silver Grey (limited edition black tees in Men's and Women's sizes will be available at the After Party) or you may purchase them at the following Boise locations in Boise beginning September 10th:

• North End Organic Nursery (NEON) http://northendnursery.com
• bricolage http://bricoshoppe.com/

Links to the online tour maps will be emailed to all those who register online: we'll send the link to you the week of the event. Folks can also purchase numbered hard copies at the above locations after September 20th or the day of the event.

We will also have Henzilla shirts available during the after party (thanks to Shasta and Scully at www.deadwood-designs.com) and are hoping to add some very nice Henzilla-brand serged muslin tea towels as well from Juliana at InkPony. Wonderful gifts for those special tea-drinking friends. We will also have a few leftover shirts from 2010 and 2011 at the after party at NEON.

We love the Henzilla artwork for this year's Tour de Coop. Hats off to Boise's own James Lloyd http://jameslloydprojects.tumblr.com.

Coops this year will be clustered in NW Boise and Eagle. Biking is encouraged to reduce parking issues near the coops and at the after party; if driving, park strategically to reduce impacts on neighbors and other participants. Above all, be safe!

Keep an ear out for Charlie Coe Music and his new piece entitled Main Street U. S. of A.

After Party Confirmed! NEON

Site of the future legendary 2012 after party.

One of this year's beautiful North End coops.

We are pleased to partner with the most excellent North End Organic Nursery (NEON) for this year's Tour de Coop after party.

Register Here! Register Now! It's Fun!

Expect to see several creative and interesting coops during the one-day tour, followed by food trucks and local beverage purveyors at NEON to help us all celebrate another year of visiting with local chickeneers, beekeepers and wannabee keepers.

The plan at this point is to visit coops and gardens from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, September 22. Folks can start in Eagle or Boise, but we will all wind up eating, drinking and comparing favorites at NEON beginning at 4pm and going until 8 or so. If you haven't been to a NEON event before, you're in for a treat.

After-After Party. Our friends at the Land Trust of The Treasure Valley are holding their awesome Dinner in the Hollow Saturday Night as well. We like 'em so much we wanted to give them a shout out here.

Tour Maps

One of the challenges each year is to get maps out to everyone. Until we've confirmed all hosts, we can't make the maps. A link to this year's maps will be emailed to all registrants late Thursday or early Friday.

We are lucky to have lots of great local businesses in Boise and Eagle that will sell maps and t-shirts. NEON and bricolage are two locations in Boise. Thanks for being patient; we'll post updates here and plan to use Twitter (@cooptour) as well to keep folks updated.

2012 Tour de Coop - It's on, baby!

This year's rockin' artwork from Boise's own James Lloyd

Register Now!

Saturday, September 22nd
10am - 4pm

Boise and Eagle Combined Tour
After Party at NEON from 4-7pm

We're looking to simplify things this year, so we'll be combining the Eagle and Boise tours into one day, with fewer coops in each location. Our goal is to locate super nice coops (including one or two chicken tractors) within biking distance of the greenbelt and Boise river, with another kickin' after party. Stay tuned for details. This year's shirts will be waaay cool. Check our FB page @ Boise/Eagle Tour de Coop, and subscribe to our Twitter feed—@cooptour