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 The market also offers a wide variety of other
features including homemade breads, options for buying farm fresh
eggs, as well as locally grown meats, and some specialty products
made locally such as barbecue sauces and rubs by Nuthatch Hill.
There are also dining options from Bean Sprouts restaurant,
educational fun and games for kids through the Power of Produce
programs, Zumba for young and old alike, and periodic health checks
through the “Know your numbers” project.
On Saturday, the day began with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by
the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce. Chamber Director Cathy
Wilhite was joined at the ribbon by members of the chamber staff,
Chamber Ambassadors, city of Lincoln officials, and representatives
from the hospital as well as the organizers and managers of the ALMH
Market.
Wilhite began by welcoming all the guests and shoppers to the first
day of the ALMH Farmer’s Market. Wilhite noted, “What a great day
for the opening of the market. How blessed are we to have this
fantastic venue in our community?” Wilhite then turned to ALMH
Administrator Dolan Dalpoas for opening remarks.
Dalpoas said he was excited for year two of the market. He said,
“Year one was a phenomenal success with over 12,000 people visiting
the market.” He gave additional numbers in reference to the visits
to ALMH programs, exercise classes, and the Power of Produce
programs. He finished saying, “We are here to try and improve health
in a new and innovative way. And offer one small step to change and
inspire the culture of health in Lincoln and Logan County.”
Lincoln Mayor Seth Goodman was asked to speak, and said he would
keep it short and sweet. “What a great addition this is to the
community, and what an awesome way to showcase the talents within
the community.”
Wilhite was joined at the ribbon cut by the market ladies who
oversee the entire event weekly on behalf of ALMH. The scissors were
given to Nicole Cox who did the honors of snipping the ribbon on
behalf of the market managers.
When the opening bell rang, shoppers flooded the
doorway. They were greeted by market volunteers handing out a map of
the vendor locations as well as a schedule of special attractions to
be offered each week, now through the end of July.
In less than a minutes shoppers started coming back out the door,
carrying what was soon proven to be the hot item of the day, hanging
baskets offered by Ioerger Farms. The beautiful baskets were
targeted as a premier gift to give on Mothers’ Day and the inventory
at Ioerger sold down quickly.
This season, all of the vendors from last year are returning, plus a
few new ones.
Vendors for this year include (listed alphabetically):
Altman’s Family Farms
Bean Sprouts/By the Bean
Crump Family Gardens
Humane Society of Logan County
Ioerger Farms
Irish Indulgences
Knead Bread
Local Roots
Nuthatch Hill BBQ
Pasta Alley
PrairiErth Farms
Roasted by Ethan
Samantha Danosky
Westside Bee Boyz
Witzig Farms Meats
Yours Truly
There is also an offering of interactive child and family programs
through the Power of Produce program. This includes a learning
center as well as a toddler play area.
On opening day, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital nurses were on
hand for the “Know your numbers program. Located in the building
next door, ALMH staff and volunteers encouraged visitors to have a
quick check of their blood sugar and cholesterol levels, along with
getting their Body Mass Index figure and blood pressure.
Lincoln Mayor
Seth Good braces for the needles stick Saturday morning as he signs
up to have his ‘numbers’ recorded.
The free testing will be available again on June 10th, and July 8th.
Participants were given a tri-fold wallet sized card with the
Saturday test results recorded. They were encouraged to keep the
card, and return next month for another check to see if they have
improved or maintained healthy numbers.
At the Power of Produce, kids had the opportunity to make a cool
summer time tee-shirt that also came with a promise – “I eat local.”
Volunteers guided the kids in cutting up the shirts, turning them
into tank-tops, then creating a knotted fringe along the bottom hem.
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Throughout the season the POP Club will offer different activities
including a “Guess the ingredients” game and a “Two bite Challenge.”
Later in the morning, at the small pavilion across from the ALMH
Farmers Market, Janell Woolard of Reps Gym led a free Zumba class.
The combined aim of the market is to support a healthy life-style,
which includes regular fitness. As high energy music played, Woolard
had everybody smiling and moving with this intensely aerobic form of
exercise.
Zumba will be offered each week throughout the season.
The Rock the bike will return again this year with the self-peddled
juice mixer for guests to exercise their way to a delicious
smoothie. Each week, there will be a different flavor offering made
available to the peddlers.
For opening week, the Zoo Lady Face Painting was offered to kids
free of charge. The Zoo lady will also return at regular intervals
throughout the season.
A fun feature this week came from Altman’s Family Farms as
youngsters had the chance to see and pet baby chickens.
Later in the day, Eric Smith of Bean Sprouts would offer a cooking
demonstration. Cooking demonstrations will be a regular part of the
market this year with different guest chefs offering instruction on
how to make the most of the produce bought at the market.
A big attraction on Saturday was breakfast by Bean Sprouts.
Restaurant managers Luke Welchel and Eric Smith along with staff
were kept busy filling orders for delightful breakfast sandwiches
with fried potatoes on the side. Guests such as Michael Schmidt of
Central Illinois AG, and his son; and Lincoln Alderman Rick Hoefle
with Brad Luckhart of Nuthatch Hill enjoyed the food in a special
café area set up in the Lincoln Stage building. Just a few feet from
the ‘Know your numbers’ booth, Hoefle joked, “Don’t get your
cholesterol checked after eating this!” He along with the other
three guests found eating commented that the food was absolutely the
best.
Talking about the fact that Bean Sprouts utilizes many
“farm-to-fork” products, Luckhart noted that the eatery is
purchasing meats from him, showing the dedication not only to
farm-to-table, but also to doing business locally.
Throughout the morning, folks came and went at the market, in large
numbers. Some of the more popular booths were at times
should-to-shoulder with shoppers, while kids enjoyed the POP Club,
and some folks sat down to eat or enjoy a great cup of coffee. There
were folks who enjoyed visiting with friends and the vendors, and
those who were there to snatch up good produce and yummy baked
goods. All in all, opening day was surely as good as anyone could
have hoped for, and signified the coming of another great season for
the ALMH Farmers Market.
The ALMH Market will run weekly on Saturday mornings through
October. Hours for the market are 8 a.m. to noon each week.
[Nila Smith]
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