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Mayor John Clark has proclaimed the week of August 5, National Farmers Market Week in Kingsport! Kingsport Farmers Market joins markets across the country in celebrating National Farmers Market Week from August 5-11. The Kingsport Farmers Market will be celebrating the week with a social media contest, a Homegrown gardening demo, trivia and prize giveaways, kids activities, Market Jams and the 14th Annual Homegrown Tomato Fest.
The 14th Annual Homegrown Tomato Fest will take place Saturday, August 11, 2018, from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. at the Kingsport Farmers Market. This celebration of the juicy, red fruit features tomato contests, free tomato tastings (including many heirloom varieties), free tomato refreshments, tomato-growing advice, tomato recipes, activities for kids and fun for the whole family.
Gather your finest and/or funkiest tomatoes and enter them in the contests for Best Tasting, Biggest, Prettiest, Ugliest, Most Bizarre and/or Best Dressed Tomato. Make an extra batch of your favorite salsa recipe and compete for bragging rights in the Best Salsa Contest. Admission is free and there are no entry fees. Entry forms may be downloaded from the SAPS website, www.saps.us, or picked up at Downtown Kingsport Association (DKA) or at the event. Entries will be accepted from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. for all contests, and winners will be announced after 10 a.m. Homegrown Tomato Fest is sponsored by the Southern Appalachian Plant Society (SAPS) and Downtown Kingsport Association.
In keeping with the celebration, the Kingsport Farmers Market is inviting everyone who attends the market on Wednesday, August 8 or Saturday, August 11 to participate in the #LoveMyMarket Contest. The challenge is simple, take a photo of yourself, a farmer, shopper, puppy, baby, tomato – anyone or anything! – wearing a temporary “I Heart Farmers Market” tattoo, and post the photo to Instagram or Facebook tagging the Kingsport Farmers Market and using the hashtag #LoveMyMarket. The free, temporary tattoos will be given out at the Kingsport Farmers Market kiosk inside the pavilion on August 8 and 11. Photos must be submitted by August 12 to be entered to win a Kingsport Farmers Market giveaway. The prize includes a farmers market t-shirt, reusable tote bag, coffee mug, hat and 2018 seasonal poster.
Make sure to stop by the market on Wednesday to support your local farmers and to play some trivia games! During the market on Wednesday, August 8, shoppers can spin the farmers market trivia wheel to win various prizes, including farmers market merchandise. On Saturday, August 11, market shoppers can enjoy the Homegrown gardening demo, winter gardening, a Market Jams performance and bring the kids for free, kids activities.
The Kingsport Farmers Market began in 1977, and currently hosts over 110 farmers and crafters selling a wide variety of products. National Farmers Market week is a chance to celebrate these farmers and the benefits of having local produce and goods available to the Kingsport community.
“Farmers markets play a vital role not just in generating real income for farmers, but in forming a healthy, prosperous food systems,” says Jen Cheek, Executive Director of the Farmers Market Coalition. “By providing the opportunity for farmers to connect directly with consumers, markets serve as education centers. Vendors are teaching customers about agriculture and sharing recipes and new foods with their neighbors. Markets are making people and communities stronger and healthier.”
For more information on Homegrown Tomato Fest, contact Dennis Marshall at 423-288-3675 or dmarshall@chartertn.net. For more information on the Kingsport Farmers Market, or to sign up for our monthly newsletter, please visit kingsportfarmersmarket.org.
The Tennessee Naturalist Program (TNP) is an education training course designed to introduce the natural history of Tennessee to interested adults. Graduates join a critical corps of Tennessee Naturalist volunteers providing education, outreach and service dedicated to the appreciation, understanding and beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities.
The purpose of the TNP is to teach Tennesseans about our natural world, inspire the desire to learn more, instill an appreciation of responsible environmental stewardship and channel volunteer efforts toward education of the general public and conservation of Tennessee’s natural resources. To become a Tennessee Naturalist, a person must complete a minimum of 40 hours instruction through a TNP training course and perform a minimum of 40 hours volunteer service.
After training, Tennessee Naturalists may participate in many different types of volunteer activities, such as helping a nature outreach program at a park, museum, nature center or school, assisting the collection of scientific data for a bird census, water quality assessment or rare plant monitoring, and working with trail maintenance or habitat restoration projects.
Tennessee Naturalist Program Schedule
Fridays 4-8 PM
- August 17th: So you want to be a naturalist – Introduction to the program
- August 31st: Forests and trees of Tennessee
- September 7th: The world of invertebrates: Pollinators, predators, pests and parasitoids
- September 14th: Forbs, ferns, fungi and more
- September 21st: Tennessee’s living waters
- September 28th: Hooray for herbs
- October 5th: Feathered friends: The birds of Tennessee
- October 12th: Ecology and geology of TN
- October 13th: (field part)
- October 19th: The furry creatures of TN
- October 20th: (field part)
- October 26th: Nocturnal Naturalist
Attire and footwear should both be appropriate for hiking and outdoor activities. First two hours are held inside, while the last two hours are held outside; with weather depending. Registration will begin July 9th. The cost is $250, which includes all classes and class material, hand lens and field notebook. You can register in person at the nature center or call the nature center at 423-229-9447 to register over the phone.
For more information, call Krystal Haney 423-229-9483 or email haney@kingsporttn.gov.
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