Thursday, June 23, 2016

The Farmers' Market Kicks Off This Weekend, 6/25! Don't Miss the Parade!

Every year I look forward to Maynard's summer traditions—going to Erikson's, attending the Maynard Community Band's weekly summer concert in Memorial Park, and the weekly Farmers' Market. All of these have the feel of a block party, only with the Farmers' Market, it's a block party where I get to buy fresh produce and support local agriculture, yummy baked goods, and other interesting things (soap, flavored extracts, jewelry, books, and dog treats for example).

Maynard's Farmers' Market has had a very cool Opening Day event for the last few years. Aimeé Ledwell of SmARTroom has organized a costume parade that kicks off the market in style. People arrive at the market around nine o'clock to make a bit of costume at the costume making station, or they arrive already dressed up. At a little after ten o'clock everyone starts to line up to walk through the downtown (at 10:30) and back to the market. It's a fun family event and a great way to get to know other people in town.

For many years I would do chalk drawings at the Farmers' Market, but my bad back has made that less of an option. Still, sometimes I can't help myself and I'll show up to do a little work from time to time. The market does still provide a bucket of chalk and bubbles for people to use. The kids do a great job with that, unless they're occupied with one of the other great children's events taking place (Story Time, craft projects, hula hoops, etc.)

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the live music! Johnny and Laura of Serendipity Café organize all the great musicians for the market.

The Maynard Farmers' Market is designed in a diamond shape to create a bit of an arena in the center. That way people can socialize, those with children can let them play a little bit while they do their shopping, and those with dogs can let them hang out with their four-pawed peers. Chairs located near the music allow people to rest a little bit while catching some shade.

You can buy a magnet at 6 Bridges Gallery, 77 Main St.
We've got a great thing going on here people! I know many of you will take time to travel this season, but if you're around our beloved hometown, don't miss out on this popular weekly event. It should be no surprise that it was at this very event that I came up with my bumper magnet. Come to the Maynard Farmers' Market and you'll see that Maynard really is like a big neighborhood!

Friday, June 3, 2016

Bears? Moose? What's going on?

Not sure if those fires in Canada are pushing animals waaaaaaaaay southward, but last night I saw a posting that there was a bear spotted on Mockingbird Lane. And did you hear about the moose? I guess Michele Hudak of Vose Hill Road spotted a baby moose in her yard and even grabbed a picture, included here. Thanks Michele!

What in the world is going on?

  Here's a link that I got on Facebook about what to do about bears. I pulled some of the tips to share here:

How to prevent conflicts with bears
To avoid habituating the bears in your area, follow these steps.
• Make trash cans inaccessible. Bring them inside at night or buy a bear-resistant trash can or an enclosure for the container.
• Enclose your compost pile. Open compost piles, especially those that include kitchen scraps, are an irresistible treat in bear country. Burying compost won’t work because bears will easily find and dig it up.
• Recycle wisely. If you store recyclables outside, use enclosed bins. (Persistent bears will break into even ruggedly built bins.)
• Keep your barbecue grill clean and as free of drippings as possible. Move the grill away from your house when you aren’t using it, and clean it regularly with ammonia or bleach.
• Rethink your bird feeders. In the summer, birds can make do with naturally available foods. If you do set up feeders, install them away from your house.