Something for EVERYONE!

 Friday, August 25, 2017

For starters, Friday was PARTY DAY!  The Charlestown Land Trust says thank you at the end of each season with hot dogs and watermelon for all.   Not to worry if you were unable to travel to where the food was being cooked and sliced….At this “restaurant” our shoppers and vendors benefitted from “service with a smile”

And then there was the MUSIC!  From the time that the bell sounded signaling the market opening,there was music, music, music…of all sorts offered by an array of musicians…throughout the morning.  Fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People stepped in time to the music as they shopped at vendor booths, old and new.  Luscious Heirloom tomatoes…

 

 

 

 

 

Grape-sized, sweet kiwi….crunchy apples…

Briny, fresh shellfish right out of the pond….

 

A wide assortment of salads and salsas, side dishes and specialty foods…

Bright, comfortable clothing for the beach…or anywhere!

We welcomed a fresh water advocate from the Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association and a salt water advocate from Save the Bay who updated us on what’s happening in our section of the Ocean (Pond and River) State.

There were special visits from two local artists, one of whom gave some budding young artists a chance to express themselves. 

 

Glancing around the market it was clear that people weren’t the only ones present.   Charlestown Animal Shelter brought along some friendly, well behaved canine friends….as did several shoppers and a couple vendors as well.  Just like their human counterparts, everyone got along…

Our talented CLT volunteer photographers circulate throughout the market each week and create stories with their cameras….But, as always, their subjects have a choice about their pictures… Hearty thanks to those from Thundermist for staffing our SNAP/CREDIT/DEBIT table this summer making the Charlestown Land Trust Farmers’ Market more available to our whole community.

Take a look at these happy faces….

                  

     

Add yours to the mix and join us this coming Friday, September 1st for our Final Market Day for Season #10!  URI’s water testing people will be on hand.  Music by Glorybound.  Stock up for your Labor Day Weekend!  You will be glad to be at the Charlestown Land Trust Farmers’ Market …and we will be delighted to welcome you!

Everywhere You Looked…..

Friday, August 18, 2017

….lively HAPPENINGS were underway!

Following a path across the Market Green brought attendees from one opportunity to another.  As always there was the shopping for premier locally harvested fare…And then SO much more!

HERA was with us, hosting the second annual Faerie House Making event complete with all the fixings…..All ages were welcome.

Just next door there was Music for the People brought to us by Tunes-n-Tales….a collection of singers and musicians who sang songs we knew and songs we didn’t.  They provided everyone with percussion instruments and blankets for sitting. We all played and sang along  with abandon.  Fun!

And then, it was time for The Ladies of the Rolling Pin, a group of dancers and musicians in the Morris Dance style tradition.  Imaginative in dress and dance steps, they contributed to the celebratory tone of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

There in the midst of the dancers was our very own Market Manager Sarah!

Just next door on the market green was South County Art Ass’n complete with a potter’s wheel for demonstration and opportunities to learn more about what is available at their Kingston studio.

 

 

All of this was in conjunction with our usual array of  vendors….The deliciously local food, quality products from nearby craftspeople, prepared herbal products, pure lotions and a booth staffed with people offering information about our beloved Charlestown.

 

                        

                                                                         

This coming Friday, Aug. 25th, be ready for COMMUNITY CELELBRATION TIME. Bring your instruments to jam, your songs and singing voices and there you will be – in the midst of the festivities.  We’ll be providing picnic fare, free for all!

Part of all the fun will be a chance to chat with people from the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association and meet friends from the Charlestown Animal Shelter.

You can count on the Charlestown Land Trust Farmers’ Market to provide the freshest of fresh food, SNAP and Credit/Debit options, welcoming faces – always welcoming faces!  So Join Us!

A Market for All Ages….with a Special Eye on our Youngsters!

Friday, August 11, 2017   A Perfect Day – Sun, low humidity, smiling shoppers…

Everything was in order.  Fresh peaches and nectarines, ample sweet corn, flavorful melons, tomatoes, fresh baked goods, meats ready for the grill, and – for the first time all summer – STEAMERS!

Each week families flock to the market – local people, tourists, summer residents….And very often there are children accompanying them.  CHILDREN bring a unique vitality that we at the CLT are happy to welcome – along with their families.

The Church of the Holy Spirit hosts a tree shaded table with art activities every week, always something new and fun to do for children of many ages.

 

 

 

 

 

If there’s only time for a quick visit then  Gandolf and Carl, two affable, beautiful alpacas from Lazy K Ranch will be waiting.  They are magnets for children – and their parents! (The yarn used for the luxuriant knitted items at this vendor booth comes from alpacas.) Check out a few of the alpaca visitors over the summer…

There is sweet comfort at a market populated by the free spirits of children – shy or outgoing…a range of ages….and personalities.

If you were looking for something local and delicious, maybe you tried some of the offerings at the Church of the Holy Spirit’s Chowder Cook Off.  Delicious!

And then perhaps a visit with Scott MacNeill from the Frosty Drew Observatory with his “sunscope” was in order…There’s a LOT of enthusiasm about skywatching these days in advance of the solar eclipse on August 21st.

Jazzy Music provided by Mark Hinkley percolated throughout the market contributing to the summer atmosphere.

Sounthern RI Volunteers had both an informational table at our market and provided us with some new, energetic volunteers.

Once again this year we welcomed ecoRI, Rhode Island’s premier online environmental news source.

 

 

People’s Power and Light was back with ways to save money, save energy and save the planet!

 

 

 

Three VERY special additions to the market are coming this week (Friday, Aug. 18th).  Our 2nd annual Fairie House Making event organized by Hera Gallery and a dance demonstration by The Ladies of the Rolling Pin!   The South County Art Association will be with us, complete with a potter’s wheel!…We’re sure you can already feel the fun!

Join us!  (And come early for steamers…there should be a few – straight from Ninigret Pond….)

An Abundant Harvest at a Market with a Family Feel…

Friday, Aug. 4, 2917

BLUEBERRIES! NECTARINES! CORN! BEANS! TOMATOES!  And that’s not to mention cukes and squash and radishes, herbs and flowers and so much more!!!  Each week in the summer more is added to the harvest. This week we were joined by Narrow Lane Orchard…Delicious!

 

It is both noticeable and notable that every week, our market is filled with FAMILIES! Some of them are working together as vendors….

Others shopping together for treats and treasures,

Others were listening to storytelling by Loren Spears from the Tomaquag Museum…

 

 

Or relaxing together..

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…Even playing together….

There were more opportunities to learn about healthy wells from URI’s representatives.

And as always, Julie at the Thundermist SNAP table, was there to help with credit/debit and SNAP benefits.

Special thanks to our new vendor Lily (and friend) who sells handmade cards and jewelry to benefit Stand Up for Animals along with painted #South County Rocks, symbols of kindness in our community and beyond.

Throughout the day Mike Bussey’s Music, both guitar and banjo, provided pizazz and atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At our next market, this Friday, August 11th you will find ecoRI, R I’s premier online environmental reporting service.

The South County Art Association will demonstrate the work they do in Kingston.  Perhaps this fall you will want to join them!

People’s Power and Light will be on hand so come by with your questions about how to be part of the Green Energy movement!  Their efforts to help develop renewable energy dovetails with efforts surrounding Charlestown’s Solarize program which is going full steam this summer.  There’s lots of enthusiasm for energy efficient living on a local level!

CLT’s  Mark Hinkley will be here with jazzy Music all market long so be sure to Join Us!

CLT Volunteers – Special Ingredients for a Successful Market

Friday, July 28, 2017

You come to the market for fresh produce from the farm, oysters from the pond, meat raised in nearby pastures…and a host of other treats to be encountered as you stroll among the vendors…..

         

You may also notice that when  you arrive at the Charlestown Land Trust Farmers’ Market there are people to welcome you, help you figure out where to park, answer your questions and let you know what’s available at our market that week.  You are noticing our VOLUNTEERS!  They provide the backbone for what happens each week.

Here are some of the people who go the extra mile to help everyone’s market experience be the very best it can be.

At the Market Table you may meet Linda, Connie and Sue…joined by Roe..along with Miranda and Annie.

 

 

Karen (on the right) is especially good at greeting people and sharing info about the Charlestown Land Trust.

 

 

 

 

 

In helping the vendors to set up we rely on Greg and Amanda.

And in the parking lot?  There’s Miranda again with her friend Ann.

 

Logan can often be found helping out selling oysters… or offering his services at the fresh lemonade stand  with the Bussey family workers.

   

All the while, Roger (here in the middle of Roe and Mark) as well as Fred, searching out points of interest, are photographing the happenings all around the market.

Overseeing the operation is Sarah, our Market Manager, standing on the right here with Linda.  Sarah may not be a volunteer, but we all benefit from her positive attitude and bright spirit….which we think will attract even more volunteers.

 

We are lucky indeed to have such an array of people willing to help out each week!  And we are ALWAYS ready to welcome new volunteers with some time to spend on a Friday.

As Tom Burgess played and sang through last Friday (I wonder if he knew we were singing along…) shoppers were meeting some of our new vendors.

Enjoying their second week with us was LulaRoe, a bright, comfortable line of clothing for young and old, women and men and marketed by two young women from town.

 

Nearby was Wiggle Room with information and materials (including WORMS) for people to start their own composting system.

 

DEM joined us this past week with Animal Twister, animal artifacts and lots of info!

 At times there was a line of people disposing “any electronics with a cord” waiting at the Indie Cycle truck….Thank goodness for this recycling business that meets people at all kinds of venues in RI.  This week it was our turn to have their services.

And REMEMBER – Stop at the Thundermist table for details as we now accept Credit and Debit for all, as well as SNAP, Fresh Bucks, and Senior Coupons for all who qualify.

 

Coming up this week, Friday, Aug. 4th we will have URI’s Water Quality people once again…Such a valuable service  for Charlestown residents who ALL have wells.

Loren Spears, a Native American Storyteller and Director of the Tomaquag Museum will be at the Market.

And there will some folks from Charlestown’s own Parks and Rec Department.

Mike Bussey will be our Music Man so be sure to Join Us!