The Farmer's Market at Woodlawn Nature Center

Elkhart Farmers Market Vet is still going strong at Woodlawn Harvest Market

2010-07-10T20:55:00.002-04:00

Pat (Left) and "Uncle" Ed McCourt (see enclosed file for picture) are the last active member from the original Elkhart Farmers' Market ion 1990.They started, originally with 8 vendors selling anything from "soup to nuts" (in truth from crafts to fresh produce - but in a wide variety). John Scherk was the man who started the market back then and Ed and Pat were asked to join because they sold herbs.

Since then he has started the Bristol Farm Market, The Goshen Farmers Market, and the Middlebury Farmers Market as well as selling at every Elkhart Farmers Market since the first one back in 1990. In the winter you can visit with them in Braydonton, Florida Farmers Market. You can also see them at the Bonneville Mill Festival, and the spring meeting of the Four Winds Garden Club in May. And, of course, at Woodlawn Harvest Market.

Woodlawn Nature Center Harvest Market is located at Woodlawn Nature Center (604 Woodlawn Avenue, in Elkhart. They are open 1-6 pm on Friday afternoons through October 8th.

Opening Day 2010 for Woodlawn Nature Center Harvest Market

2010-05-28T14:50:00.004-04:00

Today is opening day for the 2010 season. The cake last year was so good that I hadn't even got a picture of this year's cake before somebody swiped a piece. Have a look.

Woodlawn is hosting a vintage quilt exhibit this month as well. So stop by and see the quilts when you come to the market.

Here are some of this year's vendors:

This is Beth Wilmore of Lilly's Pad. A maker of custom soaps, lotions and bath salts.

The is Uncle Ed (seated on the right) and his wife Pat. He is a long time vendor and is the last active member of the original Elkhart Farmers Market.

Planning session for the 2010 farmers market season is May 13.

2010-05-08T16:35:00.004-04:00

The 2010 Farmers Market Season is nearly here. On May 13th, at 7 pm, we will be holding the last planning session for the 2010 season. We will be hosting several special events this year, including:

Flea Market Days,
Discounted and free vendor days,
bake sales from local churches,
Red Cross demonstrations,
and more

We would like anyone interested in setting up at our market this year to try and attend this meeting as we have several things to talk about.

The meeting (as I said above) will be at 7 pm, May 13th, at Woodlawn Nature Center. The address is 604 Woodlawn Ave (midway between Cassopolis and Johnson Streets), in Elklhart.

Hope to see everybody at the market this year.

Upcoming weekend special at Woodlawn Harvest Market

2009-08-19T11:54:00.002-04:00

On Friday September 11 and Saturday September 12, Woodlawn will be having a Flea Market weekend. We will have our usual farmers market on Friday, from 1-6 pm, but we will also have spaces available for people to sell whatever they want (within the limits of the health dept of course). We will also be open Saturday from 9 am until 3 pm. AND... we will have inside spaces available. Outside spaces will be $5.00 for one day and $8.00 for both days. Inside spaces will be $6.00 for one day and $9.00 for both days.

Don't have a table? Don't have a cow, man. Woodlawn has tables available for a $5.00 donation per table per day. Tables are limited so you need to get reservations in ASAP. Setup starts 1 hour before the market each day and early sales are always possible, so bring what you want to get rid of and see what others have that you can't live without.

To reserve your space (and table if needed), call our market master (Bill Griffin) at 269-663-2009 (local call from Elkhart) today.

Se ya'll there!

Last Friday's Market was FUN!!

2009-06-28T22:25:00.005-04:00

The Special Event went quite well.

How well? take a look:

All of these vendors are planning to return to our in the next few weeks. Stop on by and say howdy!

4th of July Weekend Special at WNCHM

2009-06-28T22:08:00.001-04:00

The Special Event went quite well.

In fact, it went so well that we are trying another special for this coming Friday. Hold onto yer hats folks:

July 4th Special

Here's an Independence Day Special to help your small local business. In honor of July 4th, just mention this ad, and get a booth at the Woodlawn Harvest Market for just $4. This is a great opportunity for local gardeners, crafters, and just about anyone, to sell their wares at the Woodlawn Harvest Market.

Here's how it works: In order to qualify as "Harvest Market" sellers, you must offer at least one item that is home-grown, home-made, or a local service.
Additional items that are not "local" items may be sold beside your home-made/grown items.

Acceptable "local" items would include:

- Anything grown locally, including fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, cut herbs, potted herbs, cut flowers, potted flowers or plants, grown or collected mushrooms.

- Anything hand-made locally, including "soft" goods - sewing, knitting, soft sculpture, hand-woven baskets, leather goods; constructed items, including woodworking, sculpting, ceramics, concrete sculptures; art works, including photography, paintings, multimedia, original computer graphics.

-Any local service, such as massage, training or consultation; or promote your local service business, such as landscaping, construction or child-care. Or if you're a performing artist, come and entertain the crowd and set out a bucket for donations. Sell your CD or promote your next live performance.

-You can even sell "processed food" such as baked goods, but you MUST have a permit from the Elkhart County Health Department in order to sell processed items.

You can also bring additional items, such as used books, collectibles, housewares - whatever you have to sell!

Bring your own table and setup, and the space is just $4! Or if you don't have a setup, Woodlawn has tables to rent for just $5 more! (What a deal!) Booth size is 10 ft. x 10 ft. Electricity and water are NOT available, but restroom facilities and drinking fountain are available inside the Woodlawn Museum .

Setup begins at noon on Friday. Market hours are from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm Friday. Call early to reserve your spot: Bill Griffin at 269-663-2009. (Note: this is a local call from Elkhart .) First come, first served, and spaces are limited.

NOT INTERESTED IN SELLING? Be sure to mark this date - Friday, July 3, 1-6 pm. Come and browse the local harvest. You'll find the freshest produce, unique crafts, and the best deals anywhere!

Woodlawn Nature Center is located at 604 Woodlawn Ave. in Elkhart. It is conveniently located between Cassopolis St. and Johnson St. , just a few blocks north of Bristol St. For more information about Woodlawn Nature Center or to find out about other coming events, please visit the Woodlawn website at http://www.woodlawnnaturecenter.com

Woodlawn Harvest Market Special Event Update

2009-06-24T14:03:00.000-04:00

Woodlawn Harvest Market Special Event Update:

This Friday, June 26th, all the vendor spaces at the farmers market will be free, BUT they are filling up fast. We already have 15 people reserving spaces and we only have 20 available all together (we have 6 other possible spaces, but the locations are less than ideal so we are only going to use them as overflow).

Tell all your friends and neighbors, This event looks like it will be HUGE!

Summer Stimulus Special set for June 26

2009-06-17T05:49:00.002-04:00

SUMMER STIMULUS SPECIAL

Woodlawn Nature Center is announcing a special, one-time only event for vendors at the Woodlawn Harvest Market. For one day only, June 26th, all vendor booths are FREE.

Woodlawn Nature Center in Elkhart , IN , realizes that many people in the community are struggling in the current economy. To give back to the community, Woodlawn is offering this special opportunity for local gardeners, crafters, and just about anyone, to sell their wares for free at the Woodlawn Harvest Market.

Here's how it works: In order to qualify as "Harvest Market" sellers, you must offer at least one item that is home-grown, home-made, or a local service.

Additional items that are not "local" items may be sold beside your home-made/grown items.

Acceptable "local" items would include:
- Anything grown locally, including fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, cut herbs, potted herbs, cut flowers, potted flowers or plants, grown or collected mushrooms.
- Anything hand-made locally, including "soft" goods--sewing, knitting, soft sculpture, hand-woven baskets, leather goods; constructed items, including woodworking, sculpting, ceramics, concrete sculptures; art works, including photography, paintings, multimedia, original computer graphics.
-Any local service, such as massage, training or consultation; or promote your local service business, such as landscaping, construction or child-care. Or if you're a performing artist, come and entertain the crowd and set out a bucket for donations. Sell your CD or promote your next live performance.
-You can even sell "processed food" such as baked goods, but you MUST have a permit from the Elkhart County Health Department in order to sell processed items.

You can bring additional items, such as used books, collectibles, house wares--whatever you have to sell!

Bring your own table and setup, and the space is completely FREE! Or if you don't have a setup, Woodlawn has tables to rent for $5! (What a deal!) Booth size is 10 ft. x 10 ft. Electricity and water are NOT available, but restroom facilities and drinking fountain are available inside the Woodlawn Museum .

Setup begins at noon on Friday. Market hours are from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm Friday.

We expect this to be a HUGE event, so call early to reserve your spot. First come, first served, and spaces are limited.

Hurry and reserve your space by calling Bill Griffin at 269-663-2009. (Note: this is a local call from Elkhart .)

NOT INTERESTED IN SELLING? Be sure to mark this date--Friday, June 26th, 1-6 pm. Come and browse the local harvest. You'll find the freshest produce, unique crafts, and the best deals anywhere!

Woodlawn Nature Center is located at 604 Woodlawn Ave. in Elkhart . It is conveniently located between Cassopolis St. and Johnson St . , just a few blocks north of Bristol St. For more information about Woodlawn Nature Center or to find out about other coming events, please visit the Woodlawn website at http://www.woodlawnnaturecenter.com/

Ribbon Cutting

2009-06-02T12:28:00.003-04:00

Last Friday, we had our ribbon cutting ceremony. Those who missed it, missed out.

With the help of Mayor Moore, we ushered in our second year of bringing good things to the people of Elkhart and the surrounding area.

With us this year are (left to right): Sharon Parrish of Day Lake Apiary (aka the honey people), Mayor Moore, Yours Truly (yes you see my ugly mug) Bill Griffin of Griffins Organics, Uncle Ed of Uncle Eds Herbs and more, and Vicci Moore and Ruth Middleton of Woodlawn Nature Center.

Be sure to stop by and check us out.

First Market Day of 2009

2009-05-28T17:14:00.009-04:00

We got off to a bit of a false start, but we recovered quickly. some of our vendors either called off for the first day, or were late in getting there. So, we put off the ribbon cutting ceremony, with Mayor Moore, until this Friday.

Here was what the Griffins Organics table(s) looked like (sorry, I was on the other side of the camera):

Here was Day Lake Apiary:

And here is Vicci, handling a sale for Woodlawn Nature Center (sorry about the tree in the way, but getting pictures of Vicci in action are sometimes hard to do):

This Friday, we are hoping to see Uncle Ed's return and a couple new vendors to our market. We are starting to take off. Hope to see y'all there.

One Last Thing! If you see this sign on the back of a truck:

be sure to follow it to some of the best fresh produce and crafts around. And Smile and wave at the driver (me)!

One last planning meeting. Market opens May 22nd

2009-04-12T19:19:00.003-04:00

With the Woodlawn Nature Center's second annual farmers market due to open May 22nd, we will be holding one more planning meeting in case anyone has any questions or wishes to add any info to what we have already.

The meeting will be on April 23 at 7:30 pm. The reason for the slight time shift is due to a presentation, at Woodlawn Nature Center, on tornadoes. While I do not know the specifics of the presentation, I DO encourage everyone who can to come. AS severe weather has a dramatic effect on our gardens and farms, this might give us a slight edge on what to look for and how to be prepared (and yes folks, I AM an Eagle Scout). The presentation on tornadoes will begin at 6:30 pm at the nature center. I hope to see everyone there.

Upcoming planning meeting for the 2nd annual WNCHM

2009-03-17T16:13:00.002-04:00

Coming to a Woodlawn Nature Center near you (if you live near Elkhart, IN). We will be holding our next planning meeting for the 2nd annual Woodlawn Nature Center Harvest Market. The market will open on Friday May 29, 2009 at 1 pm. If anyone would like more info on participating in the market (we have both crafts, and produce), feel free to come to our planning meeting this March 26th, at 7 pm at the Woodlawn Nautre Center, 604 Woodlawn Ave (behind the Sleepy Hollow Motel on Cassopolis St).

We hope to see you there.

Farmers Market closed. final thoughts for 2008

2008-10-16T00:34:00.002-04:00

Well, The last market day for WNCHM has come and gone. There were a LOT of people who expressed that they hated to see us close for the year. But, the board of directors has already stated they wanted us to come back next year. So we will be coming back.

We already have 4 vendors ready to join us at the start of the season. They are: Uncle Ed's Herbs, Day Lake Apiary, Liz Smith (Wild Edible Plant Instructor), and yours truly (Griffins Organics). And all 4 of us will be taking on the mantle of WIC approved vendors for next year.

A few expected changes for next year:

The hours will be, on Friday afternoons, from 1 pm until 6 pm (we had only one customer after 6 the entire time at the market).

More advertising and publicity.

And perhaps even more vendors as the market progresses.

See y'all in 2009

Bill Griffin,
Griffins Organics

Day Lake Apiary (The Honey People) comes to WNCHM

2008-09-26T23:43:00.003-04:00

Seen here is Sharon, of Day Lake Apiary. Sharon and her husband are a recent addition to the Woodlawn Nature Center Farmers Market. Although they are arriving late in the season (our market end on October 10), they have already promised to return next year. They sell Honey (cold filtered, comb and spun), flavored "Honey Stix" as well as several types of produce. come on out and see what they have.

Market update

2008-09-04T19:36:00.002-04:00

First, my apologies for not updating this blog a bit more often. Things have been a bit busy here.

As for the Farmers Market, according to an observation made by Uncle Ed (of Uncle Ed's herbs and flowers) we have had roughly a 20% increase in foot traffic since the Market started. Since Ed has been working Farmers markets for roughly 20 years, I thing he might know a thing or 2 about them, so I will trust his judgement on this.

A 20% increase from the start of the market, for the very first year, is quite an accomplishment. Ed said it normally takes about 3 years to see that kind of increase. So I think we muct be doing something right.

The market itself has about 6 more weeks to run, so those of you who want to experience the event, you need to stop by soon. Our last market day is October 10. AS always the market runs from 2 to 7 pm.

Let us know what you think.

The WIC program comes to WNCHM

2008-06-29T23:57:00.003-04:00

This past Friday was the first day that some of our WIC participating vendors were able to start accepting WIC vouchers.That made for an interesting market day. Strangely enough, the threat of bad weather (we had the first completely decent day of weather since the market opened actually) seemed to have kept several vendors away. We have some others who showed up at the market (or called) and expressed interest in joining us next Friday. And we welcome them all.

Shown here is probably one of the few times you will actually see a picture of our market master, since his stand was the first to receive WIC approval. More are soon to follow.

More New Faces at the Woodlawn Harvest Market.

2008-06-22T23:30:00.003-04:00

This past Friday brought us even more new faces to the Woodlawn Nature Center Harvest Market. Above is Jeanne Spears. She has been kind enough to grace us with some fine leather craft and plum tree starts while waiting on the produce to start coming in from her Heaton Lake area garden.

Once again, if you have any plants, crafts or excess produce you would to get rid of, come on down. Setup starts each Friday afternoon at 1:00 pm. The market runs 2:00 to 7:00 pm every Friday (rain or shine) through October 10, 2008.

Some of the upcoming produce expected at the Woodlawn Harvest Market include: peas, green beans, okra, lettuce, watermelons, flowers (LOTS of flowers), fresh and potted herbs, squash and much, much more. Come on down and join the fun.

June 13, New Faces at the Woodlawn Harvest Market.

2008-06-17T00:09:00.005-04:00

There were some new faces at the Woodlawn Harvest Market this past Friday. Carol (at the left of the picture) and John Nace of Carols Perennials decided to join our friendly little troop. They offer several hundred different perennial plants from their home in Dowagiac, MI.

If you have any plants, crafts or excess produce you would to get rid of, come on down. Setup starts each Friday afternoon at 1:00 pm. The market runs 2:00 to 7:00 pm every Friday (rain or shine) through October 10, 2008.

2008-06-09T00:01:00.002-04:00

June 7, 2008
The weather got a little bit nasty, but that didn't dampen the spirit of things too much at Woodlawn this past farmers market. We even had nature spying on us.

This little fellow was watching the goings on (first from the ground and then from this vantage point in a nearby tree) for over a half hour.

Now, we still have spaces for anyone who would like to seel off their excess items (be they crafts or garden produce). Just bring them on down and check in the the markeet master ( that's me). Somebody will be there every Friday, until October 10, from 1 pm on.

Some of the upcoming produce expected at the Woodlawn Nature Center Harvest Market include: peas, green beans, okra, watermelons, flowers (LOTS of flowers), fresh and potted herbs, squash and much, much more. Come on down and join the fun.

May 23, 2008 - Opening Day

2008-05-28T22:40:00.007-04:00

A good time was had by all. Sounds a little trite, but it was true. Even though we did not have a lot of vendors on hand (most fresh produce won't be available here for another couple weeks), we DID have a good time.

Mayor Moore was on hand for the ribbon cutting. My assistant missed the cutting, so I don't have a picture. Perhaps Vicci or one of the others present has one they can post.

Amongst those present were:

Uncle Ed. Ed is the last remaining member of the 21 people who signed the paperwork on the ORIGINAL Elkhart Farmers Market, in 1990. He has help start several of the area farmers markets and gardening clubs. Many people know , love and respect Uncle Ed, and we are happy to have him.

Marcie Moore (as far as I know, no relation to the mayor), has been selling at various markets for several years. She used to sell at Shipshewana, but has decided to sell more locally and has joined in with us at WNCHM. She sells handcrafted items, antiques and collectables.

Vicci was here to sell craft items for Woodlawn. She had a couple of beautiful ceramic windchimes and several other decorative items.

Vince (on guitar) and Ryan (on Dejembe - did I spell that right?) provided us with some great sounding music. They are both Seniors at Elkhart Central (soon to be graduates).

Fox 28 covered our grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremonies, bringing us some very welcome publicity. Hey, he was taking pictures of me, so it's only fair I get a picture of him.

In the week since the opening, I have received calls from others wanting to join our merry band. It will be interesting to see how things grow from here. Stop by and check us all out.

Farmer's Market Update

2008-05-08T07:33:00.000-04:00

The Market opens in just over 2 weeks. We have the Mayor of Elkhart coming for a ribbon cutting ceremony, and the Elkhart Truth doing a Preview article on our market this coming week. Everything is REALLY starting to come together.

Keep checking back here for updates, pics and stories as the market season progresses.

Farmer's Market Update

2008-04-15T07:30:00.000-04:00

It's almost time for the Grand Opening of our farmers market on May 23, 2008. We now have the firm commitments of Griffins Organics and Weavers Acres for Fresh Produce (with Lowell Weaver saying he knows of some more vendors who would be interested in attending). We also have Sweet Leaf Organics and Lavender Blue Farms bringing herbs and plants.

Any other growers in the area interested in joining us, we have one more planning session before the start of the market season. That meeting will be on May 1, 2008 at 7 pm at the Woodlawn Nature Center.

It is not necessary to attend the meeting to sell at our market. But it is helpful, as we will be able to publicize your presence at the market (in case you have customers interested in your specific wares). It also helps us plan our our spaces better.

We are also be admitting area crafters to sell their wares (especially in the first few sessions when fresh produce may be at a premium). And we will be looking for street performers to perform music, act out short plays, tell jokes, or provide similar entertainment for the patrons. Bring your talents and make some money from them.

Thus far announcments of our new market have been placed with the following:

WNIT
WVPE
WAUS
Cat Country 99.9, and
B100

More Public Announcements will be forthcoming.

Special Note to our Vendors: If you have a website for your business, please email me and I will link your name in our pages to your website.