Spring Planting Day & Perennial Swap a Success

It was a gorgeous day at the first ever Spring Planting Day & Perennial Swap!

Diana’s Heirloom Produce had vegetable & herb plants, flowering plants & her homemade jam for sale!

Handmade in Holly had their beautiful handcrafted items including slate crosses, rock bookends & handmade earrings.

Sara’s Sassy Beads joined us for the first time with her unique button jewelry – necklaces, bracelets & rings.

Good Dog Cookie Company came in with their gourmet dog treats – including some gluten free treats for your dogs with digestive issues.

88 plants were exchanged at the annual Perennial Swap – lilies to creeping myrtle, yuccas to mint – all types of plants were represented!

Thank you all for coming out to the Hart Community Center and we can’t wait to see you all back in full swing for our regular season – Opening Day is June 16 at our regular location – 12000 Davisburg Rd.  There will be FREE vegetable plant give-a-ways, a FREE bounce house for the kids as well as FREE balloon animals and FREE Face Painting! 

Diana’s Heirloom Produce

Handmade in Holly

Sara’s Sassy BEads

Good Dog Cookie Company

Diana’s Jam

Perennial Swap

Perennial Swap

Perennial Swap

Perennial Swap

Perennial Swap

Perennial Swap

Perennial Swap

Spring Planting Day & Perennial Swap

Join us 1 week from today for our first ever Spring Planting Day – Sunday May 19, 2013 at the Hart Community Center in downtown Davisburg from 10 am to 2 pm!

The Annual Perennial Swap will be held at 12 PM SHARP! 

Come early to purchase Vegetable and Herb Plants from Diana’s Heirloom Produce and check out one of our favorite crafters – Handmade in Holly and also check out a brand new vendor – Sara’s Sassy Beads.  All of these vendors will be regulars at the market throughout the season – come get the first taste of the great products they have to offer!

Looking forward to seeing you next Sunday!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The Springfield Farmers’ Market is searching for volunteers for the 2013 season.

The Market is open every Sunday from June 16 to October 13, with a Spring Planting Day & Perennial Swap on May 19. The hours are from 10 am to 2 pm and we are located at 12000 Davisburg Rd at the Shiawassee Basin Preserve (Spring Planting Day is at the Hart Community Center).

Volunteers of all shapes and sizes are welcomed with open arms. Some tasks require physical mobility (such as set-up and tear down) while others can be done sitting in a chair (counting attendees). Other tasks can be done outside of market hours (such as painting signs). All types are welcome – Church Groups, Youth Groups, Families , Individuals, Seniors, Retirees and Children (to name a few). We are in need of assistance in the following areas:

Attendance Counter (Come to the market and count all the people who come up – we need these numbers to support the Double Up Food Bucks Program and to help us see how many patrons attend the market for future grant proposals and reporting purposes)

Set Up & Tear Down (This only takes about 30 to 45 minutes in the morning, and the same in the afternoon – we need assistance putting up and taking down tents, taking out and putting away tables, assisting vendors, taking out and putting away signs, etc.)

Survey Takers (Some weeks we will be participating in DOT Surveys. Questions will be written on poster boards and volunteers will ask market attendees if they would take a second to participate in our survey. They will then hand the attendees dot stickers to place on the board in the proper range for each question to track things such as: how much did you spend at the market, is this your first time at the market, what zip code do u live in, etc. Training will be provided.)

Sign Painter (We want to give our road directional signs a new more polished look, and we are in need of a volunteer or group of volunteers with artistic abilities to take on this project. There are 8 signs, front and back that need just our basic information and arrows directing people to the Farmers’ Market. All designs must be approved by the Market Manager and we will provide the paint and materials to paint. This can also be a sponsorship opportunity for a local business – if you were to provide the paint and materials and also re-do the signs, it would help our very small budget and we will gratefully discuss the benefits for your business. Also would be a great project for a local artist or high school art class.)

Face Painter (The third Sunday of every month will be Kids Day at the Market. We are looking for Face Painters who are willing to either use their own paints (and accept donations only, or charge a nominal fee such as $1 a face), or use our paints and paint faces for FREE. We like to provide as many free activities for kids on these days as possible. You could work one or all of the Kids Days.)

Bounce House Attendant (This position is also for Kids Days at the Market. We need an attendant to sit next to the bounce house and make sure the parents sign a waiver. It is also your responsibility to make sure that it doesn’t get too crowded and make sure that one or two kids don’t spend all day in there and not let other kids get a turn.  You could work one or all of the Kids Days.)

Market Table Attendant (Volunteers are needed to sit at the Market Booth and hand out information such as market flyers and recipes and answer basic questions. The Market Manager is never far in case you do not know the answer immediately. The Bean Bag Toss is also located at the Market Table and you would assist the children in how to participate and distribute prizes when they are done.)

If you are willing and able to assist with any of these tasks, your help would be greatly appreciated. In order to make it the best it can be we rely on our amazing volunteers to keep things functioning properly and to help facilitate growth.

Please contact Colleen Love at 248-249-1592 or farmmarket@springfield-twp.us to sign up to join our Volunteer Team or to ask any questions about these or other opportunities at the Springfield Farmers’ Market.

Community Tabling at the Market

The Springfield Farmers’ Market strives to provide a vibrant space for the community to gather, shop the wares of some of the best farms in the area, and socialize. The market will offer local vegetables, freshly grown flowers, crafts, baked goods, and even some hot/ready to eat foods. The market will also offer FREE space for community groups.

Community Groups are invited to join in on the market fun! There will be space at the market for two Community Groups each week.

Community groups may consist of; Churches, Area non-profits, School groups, Clubs, etc. Groups are welcome to have a FREE table at the market.

Spaces are FREE! Groups can sign up for 1 market date per month unless space is available. Spaces are 10’ by 10’, be sure to bring your own table, chairs, tent, etc (If you need extra space, tables or chairs please bring it to the Market Managers attention prior to the day you are showing up to ensure availability.)

Groups may hand out flyers, host drawings, give-aways, etc. Please let Market Manager know of your group’s intentions at time of sign-up.

Selling items or fundraisers are generally not allowed, however special approval may be granted on a case by case basis. Please keep in mind that groups will not be allowed to sell items that directly compete with vendors who have paid for their spaces. Please contact market manager if your group wishes to sell items.

In exchange for the free space at the market, groups are asked to help the market manager with the set-up and take down of the market (i.e. moving picnic tables, setting up market tents, putting up parking cones, signs, etc).

As a Non-Profit group, please do your best to get the word out about the market! The more visitors we have the better the market will be for both of us!

Keep in mind that once your group reserves a space, your group is expected to show up. Absence from the market will result in loss of privileges for the rest of the season. If for any reason you group needs to cancel please notify the Market Manager one week prior to the date your group is planning to attend.

To reserve your community group’s spaces/dates call or email Market Manager Colleen at 248-249-1592, farmmarket@springfield-twp.us, with the dates you group would like to join the market. We looking forward to working with you!

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION AND MORE DETAILS HERE: Community Tabling
or view our Community Tabling Tab on the website

Michigan Junior Chef Competition

Do you know a young person who is interested in becoming a chef?  Here is their opportunity!  Send them this information and get them started on the right path!  (This competition is in no way connected to the Springfield Farmers’ Market – we are just sharing a wonderful opportunity!)

Fresh, local foods, creativity, and teamwork will give you an edge in this fun-filled recipe contest and cooking competition!

First, student teams submit recipes that are fit for a healthy school lunch meal and feature local, seasonal foods. Recipe contest submissions due by March 26, 2013.

Next, up to 8 teams will be selected to bring their recipes to life in a cook-off competition at Michigan State University on May 9, 2013.

Open to all 7th-12th grade students enrolled in Michigan schools. Teams must consist of 3-4 students and at least one adult coach.

Visit https://sites.google.com/site/michiganjrchef/for rules and more information.

 

 

100 Days Till Market Opens!

START GETTING EXCITED!  Only 100 more days until opening day – June 16, 2013.  See the special events calendar listed below for upcoming events and what you can expect from the Market this year.  Stay tuned for more updates on what’s going on with our market, seasonal recipes, information about our amazing vendors and much more!

 May 19 – Spring Planting Day                                                                        Held in conjunction with the annual Perennial Swap at 12pm, regular market vendors will offer a spring preview of their products as well as some vegetable plants & herbs for sale from 10 am to 2 pm.  This event will be located at the Hart Community Center (rain or shine).

 June 16 – Opening Day & Kids Day                                                            Vegetable Plant Give-a-Way (courtesy of Diana’s Heirloom Produce), Bounce House, Balloon Animals, Sweet Treat Give-a-Way and more!  (We are still welcoming donations for the following: gift basket items for a drawing, some kind of sweet treat to give a way, etc.  We will include your company name or logo in all future flyers and a vendor spotlight on the Market website and Facebook page.)

 June 30 – Dog Days                                                                                          FREE Agility Track, On-Site Pet Adoptions, reduced rate Veterinary Services, on site Pet Grooming, dog themed vendors (looking for more!), Basket Give-a-way, working on a Photo Booth with free pictures for all attendees (looking for a sponsor, if you are interested or know someone who is, please contact Colleen Love at 248-249-1592 for a sponsor form) and more!

July 21 – Kids Day                                                                                              Bounce House, Balloon Animals, FREE Cupcake Decorating Demo with April from The Cakeria (winner of Cupcake Wars) at noon and more!

July 28 – Dog Days                                                                                           Working on securing a Disc Dogs Competition (sponsors needed) and if not we will hold an Agility Track competition, On-Site Pet Adoptions, reduced rate Veterinary Services, on site Pet Grooming, dog themed vendors (looking for more!), Basket Give-a-way, working on a Photo Booth with free pictures for all attendees (looking for a sponsor, if you are interested or know someone who is, please contact Colleen Love at 248-249-1592 for a sponsor form) and more!

August 18 – Kids Day                                                                                      Bounce House, Balloon Animals, kids’ activities and more!

August 25 – Monarch Butterfly Festival                                                   Enclosed Butterfly house on site, butterfly related vendors, butterfly balloon animals, butterfly tagging and release and more!

September 8 – Perennial Swap

September 15 – Kids Day                                                                              Bounce House, Balloon Animals, kids’ activities and more!

September 21 &22 – Davisburg Heritage Festival                                     Market will be open both days. HUGE community wide event, date was moved up due to weather issues last year.

October 13 – Closing Day & Vendor Pot Luck                                                  This will be the final day of the Regular Season Market and we will be hosting a vendor pot luck throughout the day to celebrate another great season!  We will have the Hart Community Center reserved in case of inclement weather.  More details to follow!

*We are working on securing Cooking Demonstrations and more special events to draw people in.  As more are secured, we will keep all registered vendors updated.  Please let us know if you have any ideas or resources that can assist us in these endeavors. 

THANK YOU!

NOW ACCEPTING VENDOR APPLICATIONS FOR 2013 SEASON

Hello and Happy Winter Everyone!

We are pleased to announce that we are currently accepting applications for the 2013 season. We are also seeking sponsorships for our Dog Days events. Please see the Upcoming Events tab for the list of exciting new events (and fun old ones) that we will be hosting at the Farmer’s Market.

Make sure to turn in your applications by May 1 to qualify for the Early Bird Rates.

2013 Application and Rules-Springfield Farmers Market with cover letter

2013 Springfield Farmers Market Vendor SNAP Agreement

2013 Sponsor Form Dog Days

Springfield Farmers Market Special Events Calendar 2013

Any questions, please contact the Market Manager, Colleen Love, at 248-249-1592 or farmmarket@springfield-twp.us

We are looking forward to a season of growth!  Can’t wait to see you all at Spring Planting Day May 19 at the Hart Community Center!