2018 Market Volunteer Opportunities

Posted on by E-G Market

Interested in volunteering at the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market this season?

Our market is entirely volunteer-driven, which is why your participation could make the difference between something great and something amazing.

Here are the broad areas where we can use your volunteer assistance followed by a brief description of what’s involved. The commitment is flexible — there’s something for everyone and their busy schedules.

Bear in mind that there’s a how-to and existing resources for each of these areas, so you won’t be starting from scratch or going it alone. If something piques your interest, let us know and you’ll be given all the support you need to do it.

Scheduling musicians

Identify musicians who can perform each week at the market. Enter their contact info into a schedule. Ideally, be onsite during setup (2:30-3pm) to help them get them settled.

Vendor relations

Approach new vendors (typically farmers, bakers, ranchers, food trucks). Handle incoming applications. Make sure they’ve paid their fees and their questions are answered. Keep the process of application/payment/scheduling organized. We like to have about 25 vendors each week.

Social media

Post regularly on the market’s Facebook and Instagram pages with recipes, news, events, opportunities, photos, videos, etc. Create Facebook events each week to promote the market. Interact with vendors, customers, foodies, other markets on social media.

School market poster contest

This year it involves Garfield and Audubon Elementary. Get K-6 students to design market posters with the help of their art teachers, announcements in the Monday folders, etc. Collect and judge their submissions, notify the winners.

Print marketing

Get the market posters designed (maybe you know a graphic designer who can augment the school drawings?), printed and hung across town. Get market leaflets designed, printed and distributed.

Community partnerships/events

Got some ideas about fun community-centric activities you’d like to see? Use the market as a platform to put them into action! We like to involve churches, nonprofits, community centers, libraries, schools and other local organizations in the market. You would help identify and approach those organizations as well as plan and promote any special events, such as food truck rallies, our annual Craftwalk event, fun activities, themed market days, etc.

Cooking demos

Work with area chefs to hold cooking demonstrations using market ingredients about once per month.

Day-of volunteering

This means being onsite each Friday during the market season to help staff the market booth (info and payments), supervise the KERNEL kids’ activity, or set up and tear down. There’s already a place where you can sign up for individual shifts during the market season: http://bit.ly/EGFM-vols2018

Volunteer coordination and recruitment

Many hands make light work! If you can help bring more volunteers—family, friends, neighbors, classmates—into the fold, it means we can do bigger and better things with less individual effort. If someone wants to take the lead on organizing our volunteers, it would free core staff to concentrate on managerial stuff.

… so get in touch!

If one or more of those areas might be up your alley, or if you’d just like to learn more about what’s involved, just drop us a line and we’ll get back to you.

Craftwalk 2017

Posted on by E-G Market

After taking a hiatus last year as the market transitioned to its new site, Craftwalk — our annual arts- and crafts-focused market — is returning this season. It’s scheduled for Friday, September 1.

What exactly happens during Craftwalk?

Well, every year we get phone calls and applications from way more arts and craft vendors than any single market can accommodate. For one market date in September we invite all of those artists and crafters out and make a special event of it.

On that day, these nonfood vendors form a huge ring along the sidewalk around the regularly scheduled farmers market.

Crafts + sidewalk = Craftwalk.

Typically Craftwalk vendors bring upcycled items, vintage goods, quilts, specialty clothing, knicknacks, soaps, jewelry, photographs, greeting cards, sculpture — you name it.

It’s a time when school’s starting and the weather is hinting that it’s about to turn colder, so Craftwalk is a good time to come browse for unique back-to-school goodies, small or large gifts, home décor, and a range of other items. Plus do some of your weekly food shopping, of course.

Admission is free for everyone, and the cost to participate as a vendor is just $10. To apply, we encourage you to use our free and easy online application form.

Questions? Call 255-3072 or send an e-mail to market@emersongarfield.org.

Vendors, Music & Activities for September 30

Posted on by E-G Market

Well, this is it. The last market of our fourth season. We’re sad to say goodbye to all of our growers, bakers, farmers and crafters until next June, but we can at least send them off in style.

In what’s now become a tradition, we’ll have an old-fashioned, hand-cranked cider press for apples, pears and other seasonal tree fruit. Come down and give it a whirl! If you want to press a large batch for yourself, you can even bring or buy your own apples. And don’t forget to bring a container too.

The last KERNEL activity of the season is going to be “Wheel of KERNEL.” This is a fun spinning wheel just like you’d find on a kid’s board game. The wheel has 9 categories and a free spin. Each category will cover one of the great games and lessons from the KERNEL activities this season, like Buzz About Bees or hula hooping. It’s totally free and, as always, every participant will get $2 in KERNEL Cash for spending on fresh fruit and veggies once they’ve completed the activity.

BECU will be back one last time, too, with their giveaway booth to promote their new Spokane branches. Give them a friendly welcome and chances are you’ll leave with some nice BECU swag!

And for music, we’re welcoming back Jones & Jones, who’ve performed (by popular request) almost monthly at the market throughout the season. We think their upbeat folk tunes will be the perfect soundtrack to say farewell to another great season and greet autumn.

Here’s everyone who’s scheduled to be closing the season with us today:

Produce

  • The Father’s Table: Neighborhood-grown produce.
  • Song Sparrow Farms: Fresh, locally grown produce, including melons. Also does a CSA.
  • The Farm Yard: Neighborhood-grown fruits and vegetables. Some craft items.
  • Woodard Family Farms: A variety of locally grown produce.
  • Riverfront Farm (Project Hope): Neighborhood-grown, scattered-site produce.
  • Other vendors also sell homegrown produce alongside their primary goods.

Meat & Honey

Baked Goods

Prepared

Non-food

  • Mary Beauregard: Plastic canvas needlepoint.
  • KC Creations: Original photography, greeting cards, beaded earrings and other beaded items.

Vendors, Music & Activities for September 23

Posted on by E-G Market

It’s the penultimate week of this year’s market season. Early morning frosts have started to affect some of our growers’ crops, so be sure to keep an eye out for items like local heirloom tomatoes and zucchini. They might not be available for much longer.

However, some ends are also beginnings, and a few growers like Song Sparrow Farms already have big, plump pumpkins and acorn squash available.

Today’s free KERNEL activity was supposed to be Fun with Fungi, but it’s been changed to a really cool demonstration of transpiration, which is how plants absorb water and let it evaporate from their leaves. Kids will get to see transpiration in action and then do a coloring page. As always, every participant will get $2 in KERNEL Cash for spending on fresh fruit and veggies once they’re done.

This week we’re saying goodbye to Sailor Girl Soap & Supplies and Made with Love Bakery. Stop by, stock up for autumn, and find out where you can get in touch with them during the winter months.

BECU will be back with their giveaway booth to promote their new Spokane branches. Drop in at their booth for smiles and goodies and remember to give them a shout out with the #BECULife hashtag on social media.

For music, we’ve got a new band called Armed and Dangerous. Although they’ve been working on original music of their own, today they’ll be doing covers of classic rock.

Here are all the vendors who are currently scheduled to join us today:

Produce

  • The Father’s Table: Neighborhood-grown produce.
  • Song Sparrow Farms: Fresh, locally grown produce, including melons. Also does a CSA.
  • The Farm Yard: Neighborhood-grown fruits and vegetables. Some craft items.
  • Woodard Family Farms: A variety of locally grown produce.
  • Vladimir Kuzmenko: A wide variety of co-op produce from across Washington State.
  • Riverfront Farm (Project Hope): Neighborhood-grown, scattered-site produce.
  • Where the Wild Things Grow: Wild-harvested fruit.
  • Other vendors also sell homegrown produce alongside their primary goods.

Meat & Honey

Baked Goods

Prepared

  • Black Fire Kettle Corn: Fresh-made delectable kettle corn.
  • D’s Roasted Nuts: German-style roasted nuts with cinnamon and sugar.
  • Simply Sweets: Baklava, soft brittles, truffles, mints and seasonal products.

Non-food

  • Mary Beauregard: Plastic canvas needlepoint.
  • KC Creations: Original photography, greeting cards, beaded earrings and other beaded items.
  • Sailor Girl Soap & Supplies: Face, bath and body products handmade with natural and organic ingredients.

You can RSVP to this week’s market at its event page on Facebook.

Vendors, Music & Activities for September 16

Posted on by E-G Market

Back by popular demand, we’ve got a free cooking demo this week with Andrew Larson, now head chef at Browne’s Tavern. It will take place between 4-6pm.

Andrew is going to be preparing squash bacon fritters and crunchy zucchini canapés using ingredients sourced right from the market. He’ll show you how to shop for the right ingredients and then take you through the recipes step by step. Feel free to bring family and friends along to this fun cooking demonstration and make a group outing of it. We’ll be posting those recipes to our Facebook page during the demo.

While you’re watching the cooking demo, your kids can take part in the free KERNEL activity. Using a leaf, crayon and paper, kids will be making colorful leaf rubbings just in time for autumn. As always, every participant will get $2 in KERNEL Cash for spending on fresh fruit and veggies once they’re done.

Catholic Charities Food for All and Caritas Outreach Ministries will also be doing a Fresh Bucks Spokane tour. All Fresh Bucks-eligible clients will be able to get a personalized tour of the market and have any questions answered.

Plus BECU will be back with their giveaway booth to promote their new Spokane branches. Stop by for lots of free smiles and goodies, then give them a shout out with the #BECULife hashtag to welcome them to the city.

And, finally, Carter Junction will be our musical entertainment this week. Clinton and Sarah unite Clinton’s deep baritone with Sarah’s angelic yet earthy tones to create some beautiful folk and western.

Here are all the vendors who are currently scheduled to join us today:

Produce

  • Catholic Charities Food for All: Local, community-farmed produce.
  • Song Sparrow Farms: Fresh, locally grown produce, including melons. Also does a CSA.
  • The Farm Yard: Neighborhood-grown fruits and vegetables. Some craft items.
  • Woodard Family Farms: A variety of locally grown produce.
  • Vladimir Kuzmenko: A wide variety of co-op produce from across Washington State.
  • Riverfront Farm (Project Hope): Neighborhood-grown, scattered-site produce.
  • Where the Wild Things Grow: Wild-harvested fruit.
  • Other vendors also sell homegrown produce alongside their primary goods.

Meat & Honey

Baked Goods

Prepared

  • Black Fire Kettle Corn: Fresh-made delectable kettle corn.
  • D’s Roasted Nuts: German-style roasted nuts with cinnamon and sugar.

Non-food

  • Mary Beauregard: Plastic canvas needlepoint.
  • KC Creations: Original photography, greeting cards, beaded earrings and other beaded items.
  • Lynette Sjol: Handmade quilts and baskets.

You can RSVP to this week’s market at its event page on Facebook.

We look forward to seeing you there!