INDOOR OCTOBER GROWERS AND MAKERS MARKET

Additional Information

Students from three different Central Minnesota schools will be featured artists at the indoor marketplace event on Saturday, October 26, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sprout MN (609 13th Ave NE, Door 8, Little Falls, Minn.) Sprout Growers & Makers Marketplace highlights cultural arts through performances and cooking demonstrations at each monthly market. The October market will highlight talented students in both music and culinary arts. The market will also reveal a new art installation made by a young artist, as well as have free art activities for all ages through a traveling art studio.

THE MARKET
Sprout Growers & Makers Marketplace season includes six monthly markets from October through March. The first of the season is Saturday, October 26th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., which will gather a variety of food producers, artisans, and artists who make their homegrown, handmade products available for community members to purchase. The market takes the form of a mini monthly festival, offering entertainment through performances and cooking demonstrations. The October performance is organized by Todd Peterson, Little Falls High School Band Teacher, and includes a mix of students and teachers in a first-of-its-kind jazz ensemble. The six member jazz combo includes Todd Peterson (Little Falls High School Band Teacher), Joel Pohland (Band Director at Pierz Healy High School), and Carl Mathwig (Pierz Pioneer Elementary Band Teacher), as well as a student from each of their schools. Playing jazz standards from the Big Band and Swing eras, plus Latin and modern jazz, the group will perform three sets during the market from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Following the band performance, there will be a cooking demonstration at 1 p.m. in the Sprout kitchen, with samples available for market attendees. Students from Sauk Rapids-Rice High School’s ProStart Program will demonstrate a butternut squash-apple bruschetta, using ingredients sourced locally from Sprout’s Food Hub. Mary Levinski, the instructor for the program says, “This is a great recipe, we tried it out and the students loved it, even though they typically do not like squash.” Sauk Rapids-Rice High School is one of 50 schools in Minnesota that offers the ProStart Program, a national two year culinary training program that provides real-life experience opportunities, culinary techniques, and management skills to high school students. Market attendees are encouraged to come to the event hungry, to taste the samples, and to dine at the Cabin Fever “pop-up restaurant” that will have lunch, craft brews, and wine available during the market. Local food and art producers interested in participating in the market can become a vendor by visiting www.sproutmn.com/vendors.

THE ART
Another feature of the market is a new art installation by Andreas Nordrum, a young artist from Laporte, Minn. who created a life size Migizi, Ojibwe for “Eagle” out of red willow and cedar wood. The willow was woven to create the tail feathers, and the Migizi’s head has hand carved out of cedar wood. The majestic piece now hangs from the rafters of Sprout’s facility. A second new art installation resides outside of the Sprout facility and is a six foot tall outdoor sculpture by Brad Wegscheid of Wadena, Minn. Carved into the vertical stone sculpture are natural leaf shapes and the words “EAT WELL TO BE WELL”, with a bench style base for sitting.

Those inspired by the art at the market can now create a piece to take home with them. The Creative Cart Studio is a traveling art studio by Maria Ervasti, a K-12 Art Educator at Verndale Public Schools, that will pop-up with free painting activities at the October market. Maria is one of four artists engaged in Sprout’s À la cARTe Initiative that brings art experiences on the road to increase art access in rural Minnesota. The other artists include Lisa Jordan (Brainerd), Tressa Hills (Big Lake), and Heidi Jeub (Little Falls), who will each have their mobile art studio at one of Sprout’s indoor winter markets throughout the season.

MARKETPLACE BACKGROUND
The community is invited to shop the Sprout Growers & Makers Marketplace vendors selling local food and art on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on October 26, November 16, and December 14, and in 2020 on January 25, February 29, March 28, October 31, November 14, December 12. During these markets, through visual and performing art, culinary demonstrations, Sprout showcases community assets and talents of a variety of cultures across the region. In the months of April through September, Sprout hosts cooking classes, educational workshops, MINCED: The Finer Version of Chopped cooking competition on May 8, 2020, and Summer Harvest Dinner on July 31, 2020, utilizing food to tell stories and connect to one another.

Due to a partnership with Hunger Solutions Minnesota, families and individuals eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can also double their dollar at the Sprout Growers & Makers Marketplace and the Sprout Mobile Market. Shoppers with SNAP can swipe their EBT card at the market to receive an additional dollar for every dollar spent up to $10 in “Market Bucks.” SNAP is a federal food assistance program. Benefits are placed on an electronic benefits transfer card (EBT) similar to a debit card. To find out if you qualify for SNAP, call the Minnesota Food HelpLine at 1-888-711-1151 or visit mnfoodhelpline.org for more information.

The activities are funded through a grant awarded to the Region Five Development Commission by ArtPlace America’s National Creative Placemaking Fund.

Interested shoppers, growers, artists, chefs, and educators who want to learn more, visit www.SproutMN.com and follow Sprout MN on Facebook.