The Arlandrian: 4MRMarket Report: "Fruit of our Labor Day!" Edition

Grill up something great from
What's For Dinner Now this Labor Day!

An age old tradition on Labor Day is to hang out outdoors and fire up the grill: any manner of meat, veggies, corn, and whatever else floats your boat. But the key is making the most of the last days of summer.

Well, get your outdoor time started Sunday morning at 4MRMarket and get all your goodies for your Monday BBQ!

Enjoy a performance on the 4MRMarket Stage from 10am to Noon with a coffee or tea from St. Elmo's.

When the caffeine kicks in, shop around a bit: What's For Dinner Now can provide the pasture raised beef and naturally farmed pork products. Tom's Amish Cheese Store can top your tasty burgers with deliciously crafted cheese. And C&T Produce can provide all the corn, zucchini, squash, and any other veggies for the grill! Use some Whole Health tea to brew up some refreshing and healthy iced tea and you'll be all set to enjoy Labor Day!

Click for larger image

Also check out the lovely fashions that Ritu has on offer from Ekaa, Hands That Create, one of our periodic vendors that keep the market a little bit different each week! Steffanie will be one hand with her home-made soap from Old Town Suds (fresh from her DIY Del Ray write-up). MemoryCard Photography will bring Emily's landscapes, flowers, and water scenes. Raining Cats & Dogs will have their natural pet treats. And the mobile boutique of Colorful Life will allow customers to walk aboard the truck stocked with trendy clothing and accessories and even try on the pieces in our their dressing room.

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On Stage!

Jong Lee, this Sunday!

4MRMarket veteran Jong Lee this Sunday from 10am-noon!

Jong runs Jive Sound, a bass guitar shop on the Avenue in Arlandria, and his performances earlier this year were so much fun!

Remember, the concert is free, but Jong and all our performers welcome tips and friendly applause for sharing their craft with you on a lovely Sunday morning.

Please see the 4MRMarket FaceBook event page for more information about the show!

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Don't forget the Free Swag!

We still have a bunch of INOVA sponsored Buy Fresh, Buy Local bags left over from National Farmers Market Week just a couple weeks ago! Come by the market and pick yours up this weekend!
Pledge to celebrate at 4MRMarket this summer and the folks at American Farmland Trust will send you a free "No Farms No Food" bumper sticker. Your pledge will help show prospective vendors that there's community support. (Donations to support AFT are optional.)
The Buy Fresh, Buy Local and Win campaign continues this weekend at 4MRMarket!

Bring your “Farm. Fresh. Pledge.” punch card if you already have one. If you didn't get started yet, just ask for one at 4MRMarket and earn one punch for each $10 you spend on Virginia Grown products.Collect all 14 punches for a chance to win a Virginia Grown® / Virginia’s Finest® gift basket valued at $250. 4MRMarket will also award prizes to monthly drawings from all punch cards received. (See the official rules for more details).

You can fill up your bags with a great selection of produce, meat, cheese, teas, health and beauty products, and more.

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4MRMarket Vendors this week:

C &T Produce (White Oak, VA) - A huge selection of locally grown produce from a locally, family-run farm in Stafford, Virginia.
The Stifler Farm aka "What's For Dinner Now" - Farm-raised Black Angus beef, humanely raised on lush pasture fields of the Shenandoah Valley, naturally farmed pork...and now... Uncle Frank's Grilling Sauce!!
Tom's Amish Cheese Store (Lancaster, PA) - Artisan Cheese and yogurt, farm-fresh eggs, and Pennsylvania honey.
St. Elmo's Coffee Pub (Del Ray) - Brewed coffee, tea, and always a few extra goodies!
Old Town Suds - (Alexandria) This maker of eco-friendly soaps, cleaning supplies, bath bombs, and more! Old Town Suds started because Steffanie was allergic to most commercial soaps on the market; then she became really sick and wondered if her health was being made worse by everyday chemicals. Their decadent soaps & nose-pleasing cleaning products are tough on dirt but easy on humans, pets, and the Earth. Look for Port City Beer soap & Legend (Richmond, VA) Beer soap plus the Cup of Joe soap that looks like a latte!
MemoryCard Photography - New to the Alexandria area, Emily previously showed her work in and around the Williamsburg area, but just recently began selling her photos in the Alexandria area. She currently has inventory up at Killer E.S.P. on King Street in Old Town Alexandria. She specializes in nature photography such as landscapes, flowers, and water scenes. Feel free to check out her Etsy page!

See the
mobile boutique!

Charlette Marie Beauty (Centreville, VA) - A naturally effective, eco-friendly, line of handmade bath and body skin care goodies. Her products are made with bio-dynamic, natural botanical active ingredients.
Ekaa, Hands That Create, (Columbia, Maryland) Hand-crafted Home and Fashion accessories.
Raining Cats & Dogs - Gourmet Organic and Gluten Free Pet Treats
Colorful Life (McLean, VA) - Food trucks may not be permitted yet in Alexandria, but this roving truck selling contemporary Women's apparel will bring the goods to market! Like any boutique, the customer can walk aboard the truck stocked with trendy clothing and accessories and even try on the pieces in our dressing room.
Others pending!

See below all the ways to help and participate in the market!

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The supercool 4MRMarket t-shirt

BUY. Proceeds of our 4MRMarket T-shirts go to support the expansion and revitalization of 4MR Park. They cost $12 and come in 4 colors. See us model a few at the market. You can pre-pay online via Pay-Pal (send money to 4MRM@arlandria.org).

DONATE. Help 4MRMarket help 4MRPark. Tax-deductible donations can be made to support us in our efforts to revitalize Four Mile Run Park. Donate to the City's Living Landscape Fund to fund tree and other amenities at 4MRExpand More information here.

HELP. If you'd like to volunteer with the 4MRMarket, come talk to us any Sunday. You'll be able to volunteer to help process SNAP/EBT and Credit / Debit Card sales, help us keep our books, help set up or tear down for the market, or help us find musicians to play the market. You can also find a Market Manager to ask to help, or email us at 4MRMarket@arlandria.org for more info.

READ. Keep up to date on all the goings on by following 4MRMarket on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or via our website and blog.

SPREAD THE WORD. Please tell folks about us. And tell folks about some of the great things we're doing. For instance, all SNAP/EBT participants can take advantage of the Inova-sponsored "Double Dollar" program again this year that doubles the first $10 SNAP participants spend at the market. 4MRMarket is the first farmers’ market in Northern Virginia (and still the only) to accept SNAP. And C&T Produce now accepts SFMNP vouchers!

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Buy Fresh Buy Local 4MRMarket products.

The Four Mile Run Farmers and Artisans Market (Alexandria, Virginia 22305) brings fresh, nutritious food to people of all income levels, provide an opportunity for local artisans and producers of goods to bring their wares to market, strive to reflect the diversity of the community, and improve the quality of life for Arlandria residents and visitors. It is part of an overall vision to expand and improve Four Mile Run park and the surrounding neighborhood.

4MRMarket is open every Sunday from 8am until 1pm from April 14th until November in Four Mile Run Park at 4109 Mt Vernon Avenue, Alexandria.

(click here for directions)