HALLOWEEN HAPPENING!

Are you looking for a fun place to go where there's something for everyone?  I realize that phrase is a cliche, but it's one that can be applied to a visit to a Farmers Market.  A Farmer's Market is a neighborhood gathering spot for friends and a place for  parents to relax and play with their children. The environmentalist and gourmand alike can feel at home knowing the produce is fresh and local.  And the fitness minded can walk, run or bike to the Market with the satisfaction of getting their daily exercise in for the day.

A Farmers Market is all of those things and so much more.  It also helps the local economy.  The USDA estimates that for every dollar ($1) spent at a farmers market, seven ($7) are spent in the surrounding community.  A farmer fills his tank with gas while he's in town, a market-goer shops at the grocery store for fresh mozzarella to go with her tomatoes, and a family stops at a nearby restaurant for lunch on their way home.

I've been to many farmers markets over the years from the east coast to the west, and I still remember many of the places I shopped all because of a local farmers market.  Last fall in Fayetteville, Arkansas, we bought bread at a bakery, visited an art gallery for a gift, and had lunch at a Norwegian restaurant--all because of the Fayetteville Farmers Market in the Town Square.  All across America, many people are doing the same thing---spending their money locally because of a farmers market.

There's another angle of the economics surrounding a farmers market that is often overlooked.  For every dollar ($1) earned by a local farmer or artisan food producer eighty to ninety cents (.80-.90) is re-spent in the region.  Say a market participant makes $10,000 selling produce, that means they will spend $8,000-$9,000 locally or 80%-90% of their earnings stays in the region.

These are good reasons to head on over to your area's farmers market--and besides that THEY ARE FUN!  Here's what's happening at the Clayton Farmer's Market on Sat., October 29 from 8:30am to12:30pm.

FAMILY-FUN FOR EVERYONE Wear a Costume and Win a Prize! Sit Around the Market Fire to Warm Your Fingers and Toes. Make a Morning of it and Enjoy Breakfast or Lunch While You take in the Sights, Sounds, and Aromas! 

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY Children can decorate a Cute Little Pumpkin and Take Home a Memento from the Market.

GREAT MUSIC 9:45am to12:00pm The Billy Engel Band plays an eclectic blend of Blues, Funk, Pop, & Rock.  Scary guitar riffs, inspired rhythms, and groovy vocals will have you dancing in the Market.  

SPECIAL VISITOR Read the news from the Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch.  Meet the folks who write the on-line articles about the latest news in the neighborhood.

CONGRATULATIONS to Beth Prindable of Little Dipper Chocolate for a great review in St. Louis Magazine.  Read Ann Lemons Pollack’s blog about her delicious chocolate dipped baguette at this link: http://www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Relish/October-2011/

WELCOME Students from the Lift for Life program in the Business Class at the Charter School in Soulard.  They’ll join Joan Kiburz in the Making It Booth selling iBones for dogs, including the famous Rally Squirrel look-a-like, and more! 

BOO-TIFUL BOUNTY FRESH FROM THE FARM

Recent Warm Weather’s Produced a Bumper Crop of Fall Vegetables--Summer Vegetables are still abundant and Fall crops have been harvested.  

MEAT, POULTRY, CHEESE AND EGGS FROM MISSOURI FARMS

DINE AT THE MARKET -Yummm! TAKE SOME HOME TOO!

We’re a stop along the road to anywhere! www.claytonfarmersmarket.com