Weblog Entry

SIGN UP FOR THE BENDERDINKER!!!!!!
SATURDAY, APRIL 25 … We are truly honored to be the nonprofit beneficiary of this amazing & whimsical event. It’s all about kayaking/local food/local music and good, clean fun. Founder Kristina Williams has outdone herself with the addition of giant lawn games for our 4th annual. Oh, and there will be a beer garden to match. We are blessed with the dozens and dozens of volunteers who have signed up to make it all happen. Psyched to have the Soul City Sirens helping with land logistics. Grateful that Escape Outdoors has donated a beautiful paddleboard to raffle. Appreciative for the food donations & discounts we’ve received from farmers for river sampling. And thrilled that Slow Food CSR will be vending some pretty fantastic local food at the festival. So, go find yourself a river-worthy vessel, sign up, and support Augusta Locally Grown! www.benderdinker.com.

Also going on at ALG:

SAT, APR 18 – COMMUNITY COMPOST START-UP WITH G.R.O.W. HARRISBURG AT THE ICEBOX MINISTRIES CAMPUS … What happens when you combine alpaca poo, mushroom waste and sun-dried hydrilla from the canal? We’re about to find out! Come help us prepare a community compost area on our soon-to-be urban farm education center in Augusta. Text Kim at 706-288-7895 to sign up to help. 9am-12noon. Bring your work gloves and water bottle. Big hugs to GRU Biology/Urban Ecology professor Dr. Donna Wear for advising! More hugs to Buena Vista Fiber Farm and Honey Creek Mushroom Farm for their contributions.

SAT, APR 18 – ALPACA SHEARING DEMO AT BUENA VISTA FARM … You are invited to watch the alpacas get a woolcut at Buena Vista Farm in Beech Island, SC. Learn about the fiber arts and share a grilled lunch. Free. Email farmer John Tolley to reserve your spot and get directions: bvalpacas@hotmail.com.

TUE, APR 21 – “MY MARKET CLUB” STARTS AT THE VEGGIE TRUCK FARMERS MARKET … ALG is honored to be selected by Georgia Organics as a “My Market Club” participant. This program welcomes newcomers to our farmers markets with a $5 market token, with subsequent rewards for 2nd and 3rd visits. Repeat customers are also rewarded with a chance to win our monthly market gift basket. Every Tuesday, across from the Kroc Center. And yes! — we double EBT!!!

THU, APR 23 – “MY MARKET CLUB” STARTS AT THE EVANS TOWNE FARMERS MARKET … Many thanks to our board member and market ambassador Kisha Burke for making the My Market Club happen at both markets. The Evans Towne Farmers Market is held every Thursday, 4:30pm-7pm, behind the Columbia County Library. Cooking demos, live music, kids culinary activities, wonderful company. And yes! – we double EBT too!

SAT, APR 25 – BENDERDINKER!

SUN, APR 26 – GREASE! ALG student intern Tabias W. is performing in A.R.C.’s musical production of Grease in Augusta. ALG has received a donation to purchase 10 tickets; we’ll be giving them out first-come, first-serve for Sunday’s performance. Come fill the auditorium with us! Email kim@augustalocallygrown.org to get yours.

SAT-SUN, MAY 2-3 – LOW DOWN THROW DOWN … Honored and flat out stoked that ALG has been selected as the nonprofit beneficiary of the Soul City Sirens Roller Derby tournament this May Day weekend. Come throw a few back, get in touch with your inner queen and support the local foods movement. Proceeds will go to our FVRx program for women and their children. Tourney runs 8am-8pm, both days, at the Columbia County Exhibition Center in Grovetown. Visit soulcitysirens.com. And yes, we’re looking for a few kickin’ volunteers to run our booth too!

SAT-SUN, MAY 2-3 – ICEBOX MINISTRIES MAY DAY PLAY DAY … There are amazing things happening in local foods on Fenwick Street in Harrisburg. At the center of it are the good folks of Icebox Ministries and other partners of G.R.O.W. Harrisburg. Come join us in a two-day renovation of an old florist shop at Icebox Ministries’ new urban campus. We’ll use it as a teaching kitchen for the Fruit & Veggie Rx program this summer. Okay, so this might sound like more of a “work day” than a “play day” … but believe me … it’s all fun. Work starts at 9am each day and goes til we’re exhausted. Painting, flooring, general cleaning up. Email kim@augustalocallygrown.org to volunteer.

SAT, MAY 2 – SOUTHERN MADE, STORE GRAND OPENING … Congratulations to three local farmers for announcing the grand opening of their new fiber arts store “Southern Made” on Sat, May 2, 10am-5:30pm. Located at 1808 Broad Street, Augusta. Come see what it’s all about with Hard Earth Farm of Modoc, SC, Phoenix Farm Fiber in Beech Island, SC and Bella Luna Sheep & Wool Farm of Washington, GA.

FRI & SAT, MAY 22-23 – SHADOW BBQ RETURNS! – This local competition bbq team will again compete in “BANJO-B-QUE,” a nationally-sanctioned event in Evans! Better yet, they feature local meats from local farmers while also promoting Augusta Locally Grown. ALG board president Amy Sutter and her hubby Patrick head it all up! Save this date, buy your tickets and GO SHADOW BBQ!!!

SUN, MAY 31 – FAMILY FARM DAY … Come meet your farmers at Clyde’s Fresh Produce in Grovetown. Show up anytime between 2pm-6pm to see the goings on at this bio-diverse local farm. Seasonal samples and young farm animals make it all the more fun. Save the date.
MON, JUNE I – RAINWATER WORKSHOP FOR URBAN VEGGIE GARDENS … Join us for another “pop up” food-growing workshop. This one will be held at Bottle Tree Farm in Augusta. Instructors Candace & Nate Zukas will share the nitty gritty details of their own rain barrel system, which waters their beautiful urban farmette. 5:30pm-7pm. $5/person. This one will sell out fast!

TUE, JUNE 2 – FRUIT & VEGGIE RX … Augusta Locally Grown is truly honored to be a partner in the Fruit & Veggie Rx pilot project, a first-ever for the Southeast! The pilot will be hosted and coordinated by the Harrisburg Family Healthcare clinic, funded and designed by Wholesome Wave Georgia, educationally enhanced by Icebox Ministries, academically enhanced by Emory University, held together by Good Neighbor Ministries/St. Luke UMC, and made real by medical student volunteers from MCG. Augusta Locally Grown is the project’s cheerleader. June 2 is the project’s kick-off date! Your donations would be very much appreciated.

SUN, JUN 14 — BLUEBERRY PICK YOUR OWN DAY … Grateful to include the farmers at Herb & Berries Farm of Montmorenci, SC, (near Aiken) in our mix. We’ll join forces with them in June to host a pick-your-own morning. Attendance is free; self-picked blueberries cost a 2.50/lb. Come early; beat the heat. More details soon!

TBA IN JULY — BUCKET GARDENING with Stephanie, at Bucket Lady Farm in Augusta!

SUN, OCT 4 — FARM TO PARK DINNER FEATURING CHEF CHARLEEN — Save the date for what will surely be the biggest farm to table event that Augusta’s ever seen! Chef Charleen of Culinary Connections will feature local foods at this Pendleton King Park fundraiser… and ALG will help! Farmers: contact Chef Charleen to feature your special something in this one-of-a-kind event.

Cheers!?Kim