Market at the Square, Week 23

Bittersweet from Illinois Willows (back 10/25, we hope)

Good grief, there's a lot going on at the Market in October. Let's get started with this Saturday's event:

October 11: Market at the Square and Urbana's Public Arts Program are co-sponsoring a mask-making workshop headed up by local artist Lori Caterini. She'll be using recycled materials to help patrons of all ages create wearable works of art. The workshop begins at 8 AM and runs until the Market ends at noon. It's free and open to EVERYONE, and registration is not required. Please stop by the table - it'll be next to the City's Information Station at the northwest entrance to the Market. Please call Anna Hochhalter, Urbana's Public Arts Coordinator, at 384-2311, or Lisa at 384-2319 with questions.

Still to come in October:

October 18: Sprouts at the Market, the Market's nutrition and farm-linkage program for kids, is back for some education and some healthy trick-or-treating. U of I dietetics student Jen Hewitt will provide a short nutrition workshop for the kids during 4 sessions (9, 9:30, 10, 10:30), who'll then take their official Market bag and trick-or-treat for produce at participating vendors' booths. Produce and bag supplies are limited, so please arrive early for a session to ensure participation. Registration is not required. The Sprouts tent will be located next to the City's Info Station at the northwest corner of the Market. Questions? Call Lisa at 384-2319.

October 25: Market at the Scare! Patrons of all ages are encouraged to attend the Market in costume (your Market Director is already planning hers). There'll be candy, a local photographer documenting the whole thing for posterity, pre-carved pumpkin giveaways, and more! The hijinks get underway at 8 AM. More information is coming soon, but in the meantime, you can call Lisa at 384-2319 with questions.

Etc:

WILL-AM's Celeste Quinn, host of "The Afternoon Magazine", will be at the WILL tent this weekend along with other station folks - stop by and say hello if you get a chance. There might be a meteorologist hanging around, too - in that case, you can thank them for the beautiful weather they're promising us.

The Eastern Illinois Foodbank is gearing up for their annual Food For Families drive, which happens this year from October 18 - November 1. They'll be at the Market this weekend - stop by their tent, donate some non-perishables, and find out what Food For Families and the Foodbank are all about.

Row 5 has been retired for the season. The Market is seasonal and a lot of vendors end their season after the summer is over, so we consolidate operations to keep the Market vibrant and bustling. Many of the vendors you've come to know and love over the last few months that were in row 5 - Tiny Greens, the bagel folks, Ed the Bonsai Guy, etc - have been relocated to Row 4, so look for them there. If you're missing someone, please feel free to stop by the City's Info Station at the northwest entrance and ask - we can help you find them.

Did you know that each week, a different recipe using produce/meat from local graowers is being developed by Prairie Fruits Farm Chef Alisa DeMarco and distributed both online and at the Market? Plans are in the works for 2009 to make a really big deal about this - recipes and cooking demonstrations are things many patrons have asked for - but through the rest of the 2008 season, you can access the recipes three ways:

a) Check out this area's best food blog, Champaign Taste, on Friday mornings for the week's recipe.

b) Pick up the recipe Saturday morning at the Market at the Triple S farms booth (along Illinois Street).

c) Download the recipes in PDF format any time from the City's Market page (the previous four recipes should be up by this Friday, and each Saturday's recipe will go up after the Market has closed).

Speaking of Prairie Fruits Farm, they're blogging. Definitely worth a look!

Whew. That's it for now. See y'all at the Market!