House Party

Thanks to everyone who stopped by Local Roots Market yesterday for our open house! We had a steady crowd of neighbors, friends, future producers, and interested shoppers flowing through to see our work on the building and to sample some of the excellent refreshments provided by steering committee members and producers.


Our last-minute painting and sprucing up caught the eye of several people, including a number of people who appreciated the repeated carrot theme over the front door (painting courtesy of local producer member and board member Monica Bongue of Muddy Fork Farm).


A couple of thoughtful producers set up display tables with samples of their produce and other goodies for members and shoppers to get an idea about what will be available in the coming weeks. Here, Phil and Mindy Bartholomae of Breezy Hill Farm talk with a couple of guests.


Along with baked goods from steering committee members, guests sampled delicious artisan cheeses from Bryan Schlatter of Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese (in the green t-shirt). He talked with several people about the cheesemaking process, and many more people are excited that he'll be bringing his excellent cheeses to market next week.


The Local Roots information table saw a constant stream of people asking questions about the market and membership, turning in membership forms and fees, and buying our new Local Roots t-shirts. (Yes, we will expand the range of sizes as soon as we can restock on shirts and get them silk-screened by volunteers.)

We appreciate the enthusiasm our guests showed for all the work we've done in the past several months, and we hope everyone will stop back next Saturday, November 7, from 10 AM to 3 PM, for the first indoor farmers' market!

Added 11/3/09: Steering committee member Jennifer McMullen has posted another progress report about Local Roots over at The Ethicurean, so stop there and find out more about our behind-the-scenes work!