Saturday, July 27, 2013

4MRMarket Report: "What's in Your Basket?" Edition

As the summer ushers in all varieties of fresh, delicious produce, so too does 4MRMarket grow!!

Show 4MRMarket some love!! And help us continue to attract more vendors!

Pledge to celebrate at 4MRMarkets this summer and the folks at American Farmland Trust will send you a free "No Farms No Food" bumper sticker. Your pledge will help show prospective vendors that there's community support. (Donations to support AFT are optional.)

Don't forget all your old favorites, as well:  produce, pasture raised beef, artisan cheese, herbal teas, and much more! There's more reason than ever to check out 4MRMarket this weekend!

And of course, the 4MRMarket Stage will be humming again from about 10am to Noon with 4MRMarket veteran musician Jong Lee. Jong runs Jive Sound a bass guitar shop on the Avenue in Arlandria and his performance earlier this year was a lot of fun.
Jong Lee performs 10am - Noon

Remember, the concert is free, but Jong and all our performers welcome tips and friendly applause for sharing their craft with you on a lovely Sunday morning.
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Don't forget that the Buy Fresh, Buy Local and Win campaign continues this weekend at 4MRMarket!

Bring your “Farm. Fresh. Pledge.” punch card if you already have one. If you didn't get started yet, just ask for one at 4MRMarket and earn one punch for each $10 you spend on Virginia Grown products.

The Junewinners!
Collect all 14 punches for a chance to win a Virginia Grown® / Virginia’s Finest® gift basket valued at $250. (See the official rules for more details). 4MRMarket will also award prizes to monthly drawings from all punch cards received.

You can fill up your bags with a great selection of produce, meat, cheese, teas, health and beauty products, and more.

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Here is what's at 4MRMarket this week.  Plus, there may be one or two more new items in store beyond even these!

  • C &T Produce (White Oak, VA) - A huge selection of locally grown produce from a locally, family-run farm in Stafford, Virginia.
  • The Stifler Farm aka "What's For Dinner Now" - Farm-raised Black Angus beef, humanely raised on lush pasture fields of the Shenandoah Valley, naturally farmed pork...and now... Uncle Frank's Grilling Sauce!!
  • Tom's Amish Cheese Store (Lancaster, PA) - Artisan Cheese and yogurt, farm-fresh eggs, and Pennsylvania honey.
  • Whole Health (Alexandria) -  Organic teas and body scrubs from one of the largest Message and Acupuncture Therapy businesses in Northern Virginia (approved by the Alexandria Health Department).
  • St. Elmo's Coffee Pub (Del Ray) - Brewed coffee, tea, and always a few extra goodies!
  • Old Town Suds - (Alexandria) This maker of eco-friendly soaps, cleaning supplies, bath bombs, and more! Old Town Suds started because Steffanie was allergic to most commercial soaps on the market; then she became really sick and wondered if her health was being made worse by everyday chemicals. Their decadent soaps & nose-pleasing cleaning products are tough on dirt but easy on humans, pets, and the Earth. Look for Port City Beer soap & Legend (Richmond, VA) Beer soap plus the Cup of Joe soap that looks like a latte!
  • Charlette Marie Beauty (Centreville, VA) - A naturally effective, eco-friendly, line of handmade bath and body skin care goodies. Her products are made with bio-dynamic, natural botanical active ingredients.
  • Raining Cats & Dogs - Gourmet Organic and Gluten Free Pet Treats
  • Kenya Microcrafts - Fair trade handmade baskets and jewelry from Kenya.
  • Others pending!
Artisanal Crafts available on a rotating basis...
like these hand-made, natural soaps from Old Town Suds.


See below all the ways to help and participate in the market!
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The supercool 4MRMarket t-shirt
BUY. Proceeds of our 4MRMarket T-shirts go to support the expansion and revitalization of 4MR Park. They cost $12 and come in 4 colors. See us model a few at the market.  You can pre-pay online via Pay-Pal (send money to 4MRM@arlandria.org).

DONATE. Help 4MRMarket help 4MRPark. Tax-deductible donations can be made to support us in our efforts to revitalize Four Mile Run Park. Donate to the City's Living Landscape Fund to fund tree and other amenities at 4MRExpand More information here.

HELP. If you'd like to volunteer with the 4MRMarket, go to: volunteer.4MRMarket.org to sign up or look for the "volunteer" tab on our website. You'll be able to volunteer to help process SNAP/EBT and Credit / Debit Card sales, help us keep our books, help set up or tear down for the market, or help us find musicians to play the market. You can also find a Market Manager to ask to help, or email us at 4MRMarket@arlandria.org for more info.

READ. Keep up to date on all the goings on by following 4MRMarket on FacebookTwitterGoogle+ or via our website and blog.


SPREAD THE WORD.  Please tell folks about us. And tell folks about some of the great things we're doing. For instance, all SNAP/EBT participants can take advantage of the Inova-sponsored "Double Dollar" program again this year that doubles the first $10 SNAP participants spend at the market. 4MRMarket is the first farmers’ market in Northern Virginia (and still the only) to accept SNAP. And C&T Produce now accepts SFMNP vouchers!
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Buy Fresh Buy Local 4MRMarket products.
The Four Mile Run Farmers and Artisans Market (Alexandria, Virginia 22305) brings fresh, nutritious food to people of all income levels, provide an opportunity for local artisans and producers of goods to bring their wares to market, strive to reflect the diversity of the community, and improve the quality of life for Arlandria residents and visitors. It is part of an overall vision to expand and improve Four Mile Run park and the surrounding neighborhood.

4MRMarket is open every Sunday from 8am until 1pm from April 14th until November in Four Mile Run Park at 4109 Mt Vernon Avenue, Alexandria. 

For more info see: http://www.4mrmarket.org/
On Facebook: facebook.com/4MRMarket
On Twitter: @4MRMarket
Contact us at: 4MRMarket@arlandria.org
Or call the 4MRMarket hotline: (804) 4mi-Run1

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