Fabulous Beekman Boys to bring tales of farm living to Asheboro

ASHEBORO – Downtown Asheboro’s Sunset Theatre is be the place to be at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 14, as the Fabulous Beekman Boys reflect on their agricultural adventures.

The duo, Randleman native Dr. Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, will share “10 Things We Learned from Goats, or How We Got Where We Are Today.”

Their appearance is free and the public is invited. A book signing will follow.

The couple purchased the historic 1802 Beekman Farm in Sharon Springs, N.Y., in 2007, as a weekend getaway. When both lost their jobs during the recession and risked foreclosure, they set about to make the farm profitable.

They started with goats, making and marketing cheese and soap. Soon they had drawn other farmers and artisans from the area into the project, which included seasonal festivals and cookbooks, and drew major media coverage.

The Discovery Channel’s Planet Green network tracked their ups and downs in a reality series, “The Fabulous Beekman Boys,” which brought them worldwide renown. In 2012, they competed in — and won — CBS’s Amazing Race.

Ridge is a graduate of Randleman High School and UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and also holds an MBA from the New York University’s Stern School of Business. While working as a fellow in geriatric medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, he collaborated with world-famous architect I.M. Pei to design a care center for older adults, and recruited Martha Stewart as benefactor.

He later became  vice president for healthy living at Martha Stewart Omnimedia, the post he lost prior to the launch of Beekman 1802.

Kilmer-Purcell, from Albany, N.Y., is a journalist and best-selling author of six books including the memoirs I am Not Myself These Days, and The Bucolic Plague, about the Beekman experience. He grew up in Wisconsin and holds a degree in English literature from Michigan State University.

The Beekman Boys’ appearance is the last event of the 2015 Sunset Cultural Series and is sponsored by the Friends of the Randolph County Public Library as part of the group’s annual meeting. Reserved seating is available for Friends members until 10 minutes before start time.

The Sunset Theatre is located at 234 Sunset Avenue. Call 318-6814 for further information.