Saturday, August 24, 2019

Super Sunny Sunday @4MRMarket

The Four Mile Run Farmers & Artisans Market (4MRMarket) 
will be open every Sunday from 9am until 1pm 
in Four Mile Run Park at 4109 Mt Vernon Avenue, Alexandria. 


For us, it all starts with Community. And ways to help the community. Last week the Lemonade Girls raised almost $200 for the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. This week we have some more fun activities.

If you come by, say hello to PINKAVA founder and co-owner Stephanie! This amazing woman was newly married, working full time, earning two graduate degrees, AND renovating a home when she got the news she had breast cancer. Rather than falling into despair, she knew she needed something to occupy her time and look forward to, so she started roasting coffee in her garage as a hobby. Her experience with diagnosis, treatment, and recovery had her wondering, where are the other young women who are going through this process, and HOW are they dealing with it when no one seemed to be talking about getting cancer as a person under 30? Stephanie knew she wanted to create a safe space of support to say “I’ve been there. I know where you’re coming from, handling life as a young woman with cancer”. She also knew it was time to leave the garage and share her delicious coffee with the world. So PINKAVA Coffee Company was born, with the mission to build a community for cancer patients and survivors to connect, while making truly great coffee!

And like every Sunday this year, at 8:45 we'll have the Morning Stretch @4MRMarket . Join us for Four Mile Run Market Morning Stretch with yoga instructor Julia Valentine (RYT-200).
Wake up gently with an hour of stretching on the floor (or a chair if you prefer) -- enjoy the benefits of gentle yoga without needing to know any yoga words or poses.  This Sunday's suggested $10 donation will go the Four Mile Run Conservatory to help with park improvements.

Wake up gently with an hour of stretching on the floor (or a chair if you prefer) -- enjoy the benefits of gentle yoga without needing to know any yoga words or poses.

Elsewhere in the park, we'll have folks joining in a Kayak Clean-up of Four Mile Run. It's pretty full but more events will be listed on our calendars soon. And pretty soon we'll start raising funds to kickstart the new accessible water access point to facilitate our cleanups and provide all folks with the chance to experience Four Mile Run.

We're incredibly grateful for the community of support for the non-profit we founded, the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation. Last year, we removed more than 2.5 tons of litter, mostly lightweight plastic & styrofoam, engaged at least 400 people at 28 public and volunteer events, study microplastic pollution with summer student interns, conducted ongoing documentation of wildlife and planned for future park improvements.

Stop for breakfast & share with our community: Pinkava's great coffee for a cause, Baked By Yael bagels, Agape Smoothies, #artbacon, sausages and kombucha from The Fermented Pig, and fresh meats from Harmony Hill Farm. Along with great produce from Papa's MarketLopez Farms and Tom's Amish Produce. Hot cheese empanadas from Ana's Twist, or baked goods from Savory n' Sweet.


We'll be here this week with a perfect way to enjoy a lovely Sunday morning at Four Mile Run Park. And a great way to #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood.

Keep on the look-out for more details to come as we venture onward.



New Vendors! And Special Guests!!

Look for NEW VENDORs Sundays, 9am-1pm at Four Mile Run Farmers & Artisans Market.

Agape Smoothies Meet the face behind Agape Smoothies! Website coming soon! #Fruit #juice ##fruitsmoothies #greensmoothies #vaforlovers#smoothies #strawberries #smoothiebowls #happiness #love #energy#healthy #inspiration #foodie #workout #lovers #vegan #veganfood #agape



Harmony Hill Farm, purveyors of beef, pork & lamb from West Virginia.

Nell, Winnie, and Josh are pleased to bring The Fermented Pig handcrafted products to market. They have a weekly selection of handcrafted and smoked bacons available all year round! Their curing process and our handcrafted rubs offer an endless variety of exciting flavors ranging from sweet to spicy to savory handcrafted kombucha, bacon, and charcuterie

PINKAVA Coffee Company )FF THIS WEEK is built upon bringing you incredibly roasted coffees and making a difference in the fight against breast cancer. Through thoughtful action and great coffee, together we can affect change. Craft roasters with a cause. Single origins, Half-caffs, Decafs, Fair-trade, Organic. 10% goes to breast cancer research.

Baked by Yael are coming with bagels and other baked goods. All products are nut-free and kosher, with gluten-free and vegan options. (Bagels are all vegan, but not GF).

New crafters and food artisans may be joining us along the way too. Like...

Aroma DC CandlesAroma DC Candles offers hand crafted scented candles & soaps. We use 100% Soybeans, Beeswax, Almond oil, Coconut oil and Shea Butter eco-friendly products. We take great pride in our products. Our soybeans & beeswax come from locally grown farmers within the US. All candles & soap products are proudly made in the USA.

Also, keep abreast on FacebookTwitterInstagram or on the web.


As a 100% neighborhood volunteer-run market, we are proud that 4MRMarket serves as an incubator for small start-up businesses, a space for non-profits to promote their causes, and a community gathering place for live music, fellowship, and quality food and craft options. We're happy to announce the new vendors approach us almost every day. We love hosting new businesses and watching them grow. And we've been there through their ups & downs.


4MRMarket Morning Stretch

Now every Sunday @8:45am - Morning Stretch @4MRMarket


Join us for Four Mile Run Market Morning Stretch with yoga instructor Julia Valentine (RYT-200).
Wake up gently with an hour of stretching on the floor (or a chair if you prefer) -- enjoy the benefits of gentle yoga without needing to know any yoga words or poses. 

Class is held OUTSIDE (in shade) if it's mild, or INSIDE the air-conditioned red community center building if it's too hot. Julia closes class with some amazing samples from the Four Mile Run Farmers Market family of vendors including, whenever available, artisanal bacon from The Fermented Pig and fresh bagels from Baked by Yael.
100% of your donation will help raise funds for park improvements with the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation.
RSVP: http://4mryoga.eventbrite.com
Suggested donation $10 -- at class or online at: https://www.fourmilerun.org/p/donate.html

What wear: No yoga or work out clothes necessary, just dress comfortably for moving around.
What to bring: Bring your own mat or towel & water bottle. (there is a water fountain to refill your bottle).
Note: bathroom facilities and water fountain on-site.

VéloCity @4MRMarket 

VéloCity Bicycle Cooperative will be at 4MRMarket  THIS Sunday offering (weather permitting): "Advice, Assessments & Adjustments". 

Volunteers will be on-hand for folks to ask questions about bicycling. Bring your bike and they'll perform an assessment to determine if there are any areas that might need fixing. Minor adjustments will be made onsite.

All services mentioned will be free.


On 4MR Stage, ~10am - Noon

The 4MRMarket Stage schedule has openings. Email us at 4MRStage@arlandria.org if interested or to make a suggestion. Look for updates as we go on.

The Fairlington Raccoons will be playing a combination of Bluegrass, Country, Blues, and some folk-rock, live from 10am - 12pm this Sunday!


Want to play in the future or know someone who does? Email us at: 4MRStage@arlandria.org

We'll also have our Spotify playlist of past 4MR Stage performers. Check it out!

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Since its inception, 4MRMarket has hosted the 4MR Concert Series. This season marks another year where the 4MR 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!

Remember, the concerts are free, but all our performers welcome tips and friendly applause for sharing their craft with you on a lovely Sunday morning.

Please see the 4MRMarket FaceBook event page for more information about the show!


Composting Sundays @4MRMarket


Community Composting Collection takes place each and every Sunday at Four Mile Run Farmers & Artisans Market. In an effort initiated by the City of Alexandria and heartily support at 4MRMarket, residents can bring non-animal food scraps in any type of container or purchase one on-site for a very low fee. 4MRMarket even supplies a water hose to rinse out your containers (if you help us water our container garden by emptying it out there.

And ICYMI, along with the Four Mile Run Conservatory we've been supporting Compost Alex in their efforts to pilot community composting in Four Mile Run Park.

#KeepOn #eating. Keep on #composting.



4MR Walks & Cleanups
The Four Mile Run Conservatory has added events to the calendar for 2019. Land-based clean-ups will focus on some areas that are more accessible when the vegetation is dormant, and on locations where we can get to larger items, such as shopping carts, at low tide.

Three new volunteer kayak clean-up opportunities are scheduled through August, with more to be added in the Fall. Please consider joining us. It's fun and rewarding.

REGISTRATION opens two to four weeks in advance for each event. Upcoming dates:

Sunday, August 25, 8-11AM

Register for these events to offer your help.

Last year we achieved 2-1/2 tons collected. This Summer we have accumulated over 1 ton. A land-based clean-up of 'Sunnyside' tributary this past Spring was phenomenal collection 717 lbs or litter. That's over 1/3 of a ton, reviving one of our creeks in a way that hasn't been done in maybe a quarter of a century or more.


    Specific details available to those who register at the link above. For more upcoming events, walks and cleanups with the Four Mile Run Conservatory, check out their website and at: www.fourmilerun.org


    For the current list of revolving vendors this season at 4MRMarket, see our vendor page on our website: Meet our Vendors

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    More ways to support 4MRMarket:


    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 our partner the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation to fund tree plantings, clean-ups, water stations and other amenities at 4MR Plaza or throughout the park.

    VOLUNTEER. We love help with set-up and tear-down and/or helping folks shop using SNAP or Credit/Debit cards. Just find a Market Manager to ask to help, or email us at 4MRMarket@arlandria.org for more info.

    FOLLOW. Keep up to date on all the goings-on by following 4MRMarket on FacebookTwitterInstagramEmail 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 participants can take advantage of the Inova-sponsored "Double Dollar" program again this year that doubles the first $20 SNAP participants spend. An extra $20!! 4MRMarket is proud to have been the first farmers’ market in Northern Virginia to accept SNAP.
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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.

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