EAST LANSING, Mich. — The East Lansing Farmers Market (ELFM) will host Spartan Appreciation Day and the UNITY Project installation on Sunday, Sept. 8 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Valley Court Park, 280 Valley Court.
For Spartan Appreciation Day, the first 150 college students who show their college student identification card at the information booth will receive a FREE, reusable ELFM shopping bag, a $2 complimentary gift certificate to the market and downtown East Lansing business coupons.
The UNITY Project installation is an interactive art project sponsored by the East Lansing Arts Commission that features a larger-than-life structure consisting of 32 posts with identifiers. Participants will be invited to tie colorful pieces of yarn to posts that reflect their identities. The yarn will intertwine with other participants’ yarn to create a web of interconnectedness.
The UNITY Project, which was first hosted at the ELFM last year, was “created to raise consciousness about that labels we give ourselves and others and explore how those labels both support and limit building interconnected, interesting communities.” All ages are encouraged to participate.
In addition to Spartan Appreciation Day and the UNITY Project, live music at the market will include the Dangling Participles from 10 a.m.-noon and Taylor Taylor from noon-2 p.m.
The 2019 season of the ELFM runs June 2-Oct. 27 on Sundays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Valley Court Park.
About the Market
The ELFM draws a crowd of more than 1,000 visitors to Valley Court Park each week to shop for farm-grown Michigan produce and products. As a growers-only market, ELFM vendors are required to grow their own produce and/or make their own products. The ELFM is located in an inviting, open-air park atmosphere, just steps away from the MSU campus and downtown East Lansing.
This year’s vendor lineup includes a great mix of new and returning vendors. The 2019 vendors include: The 517 Coffee Company, Applegarth Honey, Bavarian Inn Cluck Truck, Civil Ferments, Clyde’s Pit, Corrion Farms, The Country Mill, DavePops, Droscha Sugarbush, El Burrito Mexicano, The Fresh Lake Whitefish Company, From Scratch Food Truck, Guiding Light Garlic Farm, Hickory Knoll Farms Creamery, Jenny’s Sweets & Treats, MI Drinks, Mycophile’s Garden, Owosso Organics, Pregitzer Farm Market, Rust Belt Roastery, Sanctuary Pizza, Sapo De Solis, Steffey Farm/Para Para Creamery, Stone Circle Bakehouse, Tomac Pumpkin, Tantay, Trillium Wood Farm, Wernette Beef, Wildflower Eco Farm and Wooden Shoe Herb Farm.
Live musical performances take place at the market each week from 10 a.m.-noon and noon-2 p.m.
SNAP/Bridge Card & Double Up Food Bucks Benefits
The ELFM accepts SNAP/Bridge Cards at the market and allows EBT-eligible customers to stretch their dollars with the Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) program. As a result of a grant from the Fair Food Network, the DUFB program "matches" SNAP/Bridge Card dollars spent at farmers markets. Customers will receive a dollar for dollar match (up to $20) that can be spent on fresh fruits and vegetables grown in Michigan. For example, if a customer spends $20 on their SNAP/Bridge Card, they would receive an extra $20 to spend (limited to $20 per market Sunday).
Community members can learn more about the ELFM at www.cityofeastlansing.com/farmersmarket.