Why you should go to the winter farmers market on Saturday

Why you should go to the winter farmers market on Saturday (1-4 p.m., greenhouse at the back of Aulick’s TLC):

1. You can buy a variety of yummy, locally-produced foods and support small, entrepreneurial businesses that fold their profits back into the community. (Think: cupcakes, interesting varieties of dry beans, honey, eggs that come from happy chickens that you can meet in person if you wish, etc.)

2. While the weather of late has seemed like spring, the windchill Friday into Saturday is predicted to drop as low as minus 5. The farmer’s market will have a chili cooking demonstration starting at 2 p.m. Minus 5 windchill is chili weather. (But don’t let that forecast LOW temp keep you indoors – the high is supposed to be around 40 degrees.) The Superbowl is imminent, and the chili recipes would be useful for those football/commercial-watching parties.

3. You can help support the proposed project to join the North Platte Valley Museum (where I work) with the Farm And Ranch Museum to create a new museum.

Wait. What? Support a museum collaboration by going to the farmers market?

Yes. The organizers and vendors at the Scottsbluff winter farmers market are very community-oriented people. They have agreed to support a different nonprofit organization at each and every winter market by donating space for the nonprofit to display information and by donating goodies for a raffle basket and giving the raffle proceeds to the nonprofit organization. (How cool is that?)

This Saturday, the North Platte Valley Museum and the Farm And Ranch Museum, which are working towards growing together into a bigger and better “new” museum, are the featured nonprofit organization. At the museums’ table, you can buy a history book produced from material from the museums’ archives (proceeds benefit the museums), view a few items from the museums’ collections, talk to people who are involved with planning the NPVM-FARM collaboration project and sign up to become a member. (Just $40 gets you annual memberships at both museums and helps support these community institutions, which receive no public funds for operating expenses beyond a utility credit from the City of Gering.)

AND, for every dollar you donate in support of these museums and their work to preserve the history of this region and tell the story to the nation and the world (and boost tourism in the area and improve our local economy!), you get a raffle ticket for a goodie-packed gift basket that represents the diversity of entrepreneurial spirit in this rural region.

How cool is that?

See you there!

Copyright 2012 by Katie Bradshaw