Friday, May 9, 2014

4MRMarket Report: "The Music is Back for Mother's Day!" Edition

Moms and kids welcome to celebrate Mother's Day
with some music and area produce!
Happy Mother's Day to all our area mothers (and those beyond the hallowed borders of our City)!

Two different 4MRMarket managers welcomed a baby into their lives this past year, so this Mother's Day is especially sweet for us at 4MRMarket as we celebrate with our wives and new mothers!

If you don't have that perfect gift yet, we'll have a handful of local artisans on hand to help give you some great gift ideas for Mom! You will find artisan produced soaps, African and Peruvian tribal art, and beauty products on offer from Felicity's Handcrafted SoapsPerigee Tribal and Wildlife Art, and Charlette Marie Beauty.

Weekly Concert Series Returns

Since its inception, 4MRMarket has hosted music as often as possible. This season marks the third year where the 4MRMarket Stage will be home a weekly concert series featuring local artists that volunteer their time to bring you a little kick-start to your Sunday! Nearly every week, there will be an artist on stage from 10am to noon. They graciously accept tips and friendly applause, so please help support music at the market from these volunteer musicians!

This week the local musician is Ian Kraft. Ian is a a singer/songwriter who has recently moved into the Alexandria area and is happy to spread his music with market goers. You can sample a couple of his songs in the video below to get a taste of our first musician of the year. Thanks Ian!


If the video above does not load, click here for the source.


Composting at 4MRMarket

Community Composting continues at 4MRMarket this Sunday, May 11th!

Bring your (non-animal) food scraps to 4MRMarket in any type of container you choose, or purchase one on-site for a very low fee. You'll be rewarded with a small bag of very fine soil for your gardening needs.
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4MRMarket Vendors this week:
  • C &T Produce (White Oak, VA) - A huge selection of locally grown produce from a locally, family-run farm in Stafford, Virginia.
  • Off this week: What's For Dinner Now - aka The Stifler Farm will not be at the market this weekend, but will return next week.
  • Tom's Amish Cheese Store (Lancaster, PA) - Artisan Cheese and yogurt, farm-fresh eggs, and Pennsylvania honey.
  • St. Elmo's Coffee Pub (Del Ray) - Brewed coffee, tea, and always a few extra goodies!
  • Whole Health (Alexandria) - Organic teas and body scrubs from one of the largest Message and Acupuncture Therapy businesses in Northern Virginia 
  • Sweet 'N Savory (Alexandria) - Your local Bulgarian baker! Maker of Savory and Sweet Breads, Breakfast Pastries, Fruit Pies, Breadsticks, and Granola.
The Artisans
  • Felicity's Handcrafted Soaps - (Alexandria) This specialty crafter of hand-made soaps and knitted items will be at the market every other Sunday!
  • 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.
  • Perigee Tribal and Wildlife Art - (Virginia) Elena works with a number of coops in Africa and Peru and carries beaded dog collars from the Kenyan Collection, Tinga Tinga Paintings from Tanzania, Monkeybiz beaded animals from South Africa, and other items from artisans from Peru.
  • Others pending!


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, come talk to us any Sunday. 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 9am until 1pm from April 27th 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