(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – The inaugural year of the Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market ends with a pig roast party on Saturday, October 26, 2013. Following the final farmer’s market of the season, the market will host a pig roast party in partnership with Relish restaurant, featuring local foods, live music by Billy Keane, Nico Wohl, Sam ‘n Andi, and Eamonn Barry, and a free bounce house and other activities for children.
Partygoers will enjoy spit-roasted locally grown pig (from Climbing Tree Farm), hamburgers and hotdogs, steamers, corn on the cob, baked beans, pasta salad, quinoa salad, flatbreads from Baba Louie’s Woodfired Organic Sourdough Pizza, and more, including vegetarian items. A beer and wine garden will feature offerings from local breweries Big Elm and Wandering Star and market vendor and local winery Balderdash Cellars for purchase.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 the day of the event, and $5 for children under 12 years old. Advance tickets may be purchased at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge at 444 North Street, Relish Restaurant at 117 Fenn Street or online at pig roast party. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to support the 2014 Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market.
The new farmer’s market, launched this year through a collaboration between the City of Pittsfield, Alchemy Initiative, and Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., has been a big success, drawing over 5,000 shoppers and over 35 different local food and artisan vendors to the First Street parking lot across from the Common in Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District.
Along with local vegetable, fruit, baked goods, meats, cheeses, wine, plants, eggs and craft vendors, the market has also featured live music, weekly culinary adventures for kids from the Nutrition Center, and a community outreach booth that has featured over a dozen local community organizations, including the Westside and Morningside Neighborhood Initiatives.
And after a long application process, the Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market has just been certified to begin accepting USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. In 2014 the farmer’s market will be able to accept SNAP benefits all season long.
“We’re thrilled with our first year and look forward to 2014.” noted market manager Jess Conzo. “We’ve gotten great feedback from shoppers and vendors, and it has been wonderful watching the market becoming a welcoming community meeting space. Even Governor Deval Patrick stopped by to shop one Saturday.”
The Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market debuted on Saturday May 11, 2013, and is sponsored by the City of Pittsfield, Greylock Federal Credit Union, the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Berkshire Health Systems, Republic Services, and the New England Grassroots Environment Fund.
The Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market was created to provide a venue for local farmers, food producers, and artisans to come together to bring fresh, locally-grown and produced food and related products to the community. The market works to:
Bring locally grown and produced food and farm products to the community.
Create a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive community hub: a destination where fresh local food and handcrafts can be purchased and sold, live local music, dance and performance can be enjoyed, and people have access to creative activities and classes.
Nurture the relationship between consumers and producers.
Bring together visitors and residents of all economic backgrounds.
Help strengthen and revitalize downtown Pittsfield.
For more information on the Pig Roast Party or the Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market, please visit Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market, email info@farmersmarketpittsfield.org or call 413.499.9348 using a landline, payphone, or mobile telephone.