The Arlandrian: 4MRMarket Report: "Keeping it Fresh" Edition

Furloughed Feds will have scones, cupcakes,
and other breakfast items and treats!

It may be 5 months into the market season, but 4MRMarket continues to bring you new and interesting vendors week in and week out. So you see, "keeping it fresh" is exactly what we're doing.

Both the ever rotating array of crafty artisans AND the produce, fresh beef, pork, cheese, and more are fresh every week at 4MRMarket. Our hard working vendors bring something for everyone! It's worth dropping by each week just to see what new items you'll find.

Furloughed Feds Fine Frippery are back this weekend! Those efficient users of unexpected free time will have all of their great baked goods for you to stock up on this weekend! And for their grand finale, 5% of total sales will be donate to the Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund. Due to sequestration and furloughs, FEEA is processing more loans than ever. The unprecedented need over the past several months has eaten up 90% of their annual emergency loan budget and has unfortunately created a cash flow problem for FEEA, forcing them to curtail loans in order to remain solvent.

New this week! Shutter Love Creations
adds photography to artisan jewelry

4MRMarket will also have new local vendor Shutter Love Creations this Sunday. Local photographer Jaclyn O'Laughlin incorporates her original travel photography into unique pieces of jewelry including earrings, bracelets and necklaces! Mobile boutique Colorful Life will be there again this weekend, as well! They welcome customers to walk aboard the truck stocked with trendy clothing and accessories and even try on the pieces in their dressing room.

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On Stage!

The O Street Band will be onstage from 10 am to noon!

4MRMarket newcomers The O Street Band this Sunday from 10am-noon!

The O Street Band plays a wonderfully eclectic mix of rock, blues, folk, and other assorted musical styles. Their unique sound is a blend of guitar, keyboards, flute and vocal harmonies.

The band covers a wide variety of artists from the 60s to today, including Bonnie Raitt, Sarah McLachlan, the Cranberries, Red Molly, James Brown, Patsy Cline, Darius Rucker and many more!

The members of the O Street Band love to play and it shows in their performances. Audiences love their infectious enthusiasm, top-notch musicianship, and
sense of humor.

As always, the concert is free, but 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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Free Swag and Contests!

We still have INOVA sponsored Buy Fresh, Buy Local bags left over from National Farmers Market Week just a month 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" - will be at the beach this week!! Place your orders online for next week's return.
Tom's Amish Cheese Store (Lancaster, PA) - Artisan Cheese and yogurt, farm-fresh eggs, and Pennsylvania honey.
Furloughed Feds - Home baked goodies (cupcakes, brownies, coffee cakes, caramel candies) and breakfast treats (muffins, biscotti, granola), served (for a reasonable price) to the public, in lieu of serving the public. "Let Them Eat Cake...and other Goodies!!"
St. Elmo's Coffee Pub (Del Ray) - Brewed coffee, tea, and always a few extra goodies!
Raining Cats & Dogs - Gourmet Organic and Gluten Free Pet Treats

The Artisans

Shutter Love Creations (Arlington) - Local photographer Jaclyn O'Laughlin loves to travel and uses pictures that she has taken on trips throughout the United States and different parts of the world for unique pieces of jewelry. You can find original photos in earrings, bracelets and necklaces, and she can also customize products for you if you have a favorite image you want turned into jewelry! Her work can also be found on Etsy.
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.
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)