Tomorrow: the LAST regular season Rockport Farmers Market!

October 4th Rockport Farmers Market:
The final 2014 regular farmers' market of the season is here, and Seaview Farms will be on hand with their own grass-fed meat, pumpkins and more. First Light Farm and Vintage Greens offer a bounty of produce and flowers. Knead Dough Bakery offers cookies, sweetbreads, and legendary nisu and anadama breads, Heath's Tea Room will have scones and brewed tea. That Nutty Redhead features an array of steamed nuts. Sasquatch Smokehouse has their own line of smoked mussels and fish. This week's market also offers Twin Lights tonic AND fresh coffee and doughnuts from Brothers' Brew. The home growers section of the farmers' market is packed with all sorts of good things: lots of fresh produce, flowers and jams!
Bonus: To get a a sense of all the great stuff going on around here with food, don't miss this article from food writer Heather Atwood on Rockport's local food scene.

Music at the Rockport Farmers Market
Rose Sheehan and John Hicks will be providing live music this weekend at the market. Both of them have an incredible repertoire that ranges from folk to jazz to blues. And as a bonus, John is bit of a comedian between songs, so don't miss their appearance at this week's Rockport Farmers Market.

Rockport Farmers Market TOTES, T-SHIRTS and POSTERS are here!
Some very cool Rockport Farmers Market merchandise is coming your way, all of it offering a great way to spread the word about the market and support the RFM! Stop by the RFM booth at Saturday's market to see what's new and in stock.

Parking
The Rockport Farmers Market, with the permission of the Rockport Police Dept., has four spaces available on High Street for short-term farmers' market parking every Saturday from 9am to 1pm. If you're in a hurry and need some produce, you can park right next to the market for a few minutes while you dash through the market! 


Participate in Harvestfest!
Opportunities abound to volunteer to help make the festival happen. You can also showcase your cooking, agricultural and/or creative skill at Harvestfest. Enter a pie, your best jam or jelly, or make a scarecrow. Click the links below to join the fun!







Support Local Food
A Rockport Farmers Market vendor (as well as Rockport resident) Lisa Griffiths of That Nutty Redhead, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help grow her business. Consider supporting local food and local industry and check out Lisa's exciting campaign! Check it out HERE.

 

Upcoming Events October 18th: Rockport Harvestfest: a celebration of local food & drink, including craft-brewed beer and local wine, as well as a packed out Farmers Market, Scarecrow Stroll & more.

The Rockport Farmers Market Float & Lots More Info...

DID YOU SEE OUR FLOAT IN THE ROCKPORT FIREMAN'S 4th of JULY PARADE??? Sorry for the all-caps there, but we are excited that the RFM was represented in Rockport's parade. A HUGE thanks to Tim & Ruth Sullivan for making it happen with the float, in spite of hurricanes and flooding and other obstacles. Be sure to check out their product at the Rockport Farmers Market, where Tim & Ruth sell Sullivan's Sugarhouse maple syrup every week. And don't miss the other fantastic offerings from the roster of other fantastic vendors at each week's market.

This Week's Rockport Farmers Market Vendors: Wally's Blackburn Bistro, First Light Farm, Vintage Greens, Grant Family Farm, Seaview Farm, Fudge Everything!, Sasquatch Smokehouse, Heath's Tea Room, Trupiano's Sausage, Rett's Home Baked Goods, Sea Biscuit Fine Bakery, Sullivan's Sugarhouse, Cuz It's Good!

And More...Homegrown mint will be on offer, as well as the famous pesto from culinary wizards Paolo LaBoa and Mercedes Flavin!

Music Music Music! We will have the Indigo String Band playing MUSIC (yee-haw!) and be joined by our own local pre-school co-op, Sandy Bay Preschool as the week's featured nonprofit/community organization. Music is provided thanks to a grant from the Rockport Cultural Council.

For more, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly updates. In the meantime, check out the rest of the latest newsletter: http://eepurl.com/YHj01

Some Incredible Music Lined up for Motif No.1 Day!

Rockport’s annual Motif No.1 Day festival on Saturday, May 17th will feature locally and nationally acclaimed musical acts: Louise Mosrie, The Honey Dewdrops, What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?, The LeitMotifs, James and Jake, and Alek Razdan and A-Train Orchestra.

Raised by British parents on a farm in middle Tennessee, Louise Mosrie grew up disliking the slow, sleepy ways of her small rural town. But when she moved to Nashville in 2004 to work on her song-craft, she found that the melodies and imagery that emerged in her writing came straight from the southern culture she once dismissed. Influenced by artists such as Nanci Griffith, Allison Kraus and Lucinda Williams, her songs tell stories of joy, love, struggle and heartbreak through the vivid characters and scenery of southern life.

Louise will be accompanied by Red House recording artist Cliff Eberhardt, who is the producer of her upcoming CD. Cliff was a driving force of the Greenwich Village New Folk movement, and his songs have been covered by the likes of Richie Havens, Buffy St. Marie, Erasure, Lucy Kaplansky and the folk superstar band "Cry, Cry, Cry" (Dar Williams, Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky).

The Honey Dewdrops, husband and wife duo Kagey Parrish and Laura Wortman, write timeless songs that sound as if they are part of an old Appalachian songbook. The topics are universal: friends and loved ones, fellow troubadours, the land and its loss to progress. The instrumentation is sparse (guitar, mandolin, and banjo), and the arrangements are basic. The vocal harmonies are glorious. Hailing from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Charlottesville, Virgina, the Honey Dewdrops appeared on A Prairie Home Companion and gained Folk Radio notoriety with the #1 album “Silver Lining”.

Named after a Victorian children’s game, What Time Is It, Mr. Fox? can time-travel from the woods of Medieval France to a 1930s New Orleans jukejoint. Led by the gender-defying voice of 3rian King, the ensemble delivers their own brand smoky cabaret, neo-soul and acoustic noir, sounding something like Tom Waits and Annie Lennox performing in a French cafe. What Time Is It, Mr. Fox? will be represented on Motif #1 Day by singer-songwriter-guitarist-keyboardist 3rian King and violinist and vocalist Nathan Cohen.

Together in this configuration for their first public appearance, the LeitMotifs are guitarists John Rockwell and Eric Wilson (also sharing vocals),bassist Dimitri Eleftherakis, and fiddler Larry Young.

James Vassallo (born March 1998) and Jake Stavros (born December 1997) are an American rock/pop act working under the moniker “James & Jake”. Discovered in early 2013 by skilled indie award- winning songwriter/producer Brad Byrd, James & Jake recorded their debut EP “Blue” with famed rock producer/mixer Warren Huart (Fray, Aerosmith, Augustana) and Grammy award winning engineer Phil Allen (Adele).

The A-Train Orchestra is a versatile group that performs an eclectic mix of blues, rhythm-and-blues, and swing. The band features 20-year-old Alek Razdan on saxophones and vocals, Dan Whalen on guitar, Rikki Razdan on saxophones, David “Doc” Vincent on drums, and Ken Demaine on bass. From waterfront bars and bistros to corporate functions to family-friendly festivals, the A-Train Orchestra provides an exciting musical experience for listeners of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy.

Motif No.1 Day performance schedule information can be found at www.rockportartfestivals.com

Community Coffeehouse THIS Thursday!

This event is a great way to kick off our festival season. A percentage of proceeds go to support the work of Rockport Festivals! Hope you can join us for some coffee from Brothers' Brew and some fantastic indie-folk music from a festival favorite. See you there!

Start Your Labor Day Weekend at the Rockport Farmers Market!

Tomorrow is shaping up to be one of the most exciting Farmers' Markets yet as we kick off the three-day weekend with delicious fresh food.

The amazing natural rind cheese is back at the Market this week, coming to us from a family farm in Vermont. The beautiful, organic produce from First Light Farm will be at the Market as well, along with a host of other delicious goods. Alexander, who makes Ma's Tomato Marmalade, has a fresh batch all jarred up and ready to sell, with fresh organic tomatoes that came off the vine just this week... AND we have music coming your way, with the sounds of Chris "Squantch" Sears and band, coming to the Market around 11 a.m...

Bounty from First Light Farm

 Check out the vendors below, and remember, the Rockport Farmers' Market goes on rain or shine, so don't let a foggy New England morning keep you from getting your fresh, local food!

Wally's Blackburn Bistro (guacamole, pico de gallo, hummus)
Seaview Farm (grass-fed beef, produce, eggs & honey)
Prides Osteria (handmade pasta, pesto & focaccia)
Ma's Tomato Marmalade (pickles & savory jams)
Brothers' Brew (doughnuts, nisu & coffee)
First Light Farms (tons of fresh in-season produce)
Home Grower's Wheelbarrow (herbs & more)
Rockport Festivals Market booth
Batter Up Bakery (small batch cookies and gluten-free granola)
Sea Biscuit Bakery (anadama bread, cookies & granola)
West River Creamery (natural rind cheeses, maple syrup)

Ma's Tomato Marmalade with the Motif in the background! photo: Mary Z

Some Awesome Live Music Coming Your Way at HarvestFest!

Some great live music will be a part of HarvestFest, with an emphasis on traditional folk, celtic and bluegrass. Click the links to check out each band and musician.

11 am -  12:15 pm 

Tom O'Carroll playing in Dock Square.  Traditional Irish & Folk. Click here

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Nicholas Bogosian and Michael Knoblach playing in Dock Square. Old Timey Roots Music. Click here.

1:45 - 3:15 pm
Daniel Dye & the Miller Road Band playing in Dock Square.  Indie Americana. Click here.

3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Brad Byrd with full band playing in Dock Square. Indie/Alt Rock

---

11 am -  12:30 pm

Courtney Reid playing on T Wharf.  Indie/Alternative Rock. Click here

12:45 pm - 3:15 pm

The Sturdy Oak Boys playing under the tent on T-Wharf. Bluegrass

3:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Old Cold Tater playing under the tent on T-Wharf. Bluegrass

---

2 pm - 3 pm

Rockport Legion Band in Harvey Park. Click here or here to watch a video clip.