For our July 17th market, the Mercer Island Farmers Market has a huge number of fun activities and events going on all day long.

Power Hour

The MI Farmers Market will start off with our monthly “Power Hour.” From 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., there will be free coffee and pastries for our “early bird” customers.

Music

Patrick Daugherty joined Joe Ross to perform at the Mercer Island Farmers Market. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

All market day long, musician and singer Patrick Daugherty will be performing. Patrick should be a familiar face and voice to the market’s customers as he not only entertained us at the market earlier this season, when he joined Joe Ross at the July 3rd market for an impromptu duet (see photo), but also because he has performed at the market since its first year and was a key volunteer, organizing the music at the MI Farmers Market for the 2009 and 2010 market seasons.

MISCA Market Tour

The Mercer Island Sister City Association has organized a chef tour, demonstration and meal to be led and cooked by chefs, food-writers, and cookbook-authors Sharon Kramis and her daughter, Julie Kramis Hearne.

This is a wonderful event with three parts:

1. At 10:30 a.m., the group will meet at the market and, with the Kramises, purchase fresh, local produce all while being given a tour of the Mercer Island Farmers Market and its vendors;
2. After purchasing the ingredients from the MI Farmers Market, the group will head over to Island House, where the Kramises will demonstrate how to make dishes with these ingredients. The Kramises will provide copies of all of the recipes; and
3. After the dishes have been prepared, the group will sit down for a meal and enjoy all of the delicious food together.

This event is limited to 15 participants and there is only one ticket available as of Friday afternoon.  Tickets are $50 per person.  For information and tickets, please contact Sue Sherwood at 206-300-0313.

Flash Family Award

Mayor Jim Pearman (center) awarding the Flash Family Inspiration Award in July 2010. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

At noon at the music booth, Mercer Island’s mayor, Jim Pearman, will be awarding the 2011 Flash Family Inspiration Award to Fran Call. Ms. Call is a former Mercer Island Middle School teacher, who is being honored for her thirteen years of volunteer work at the Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department, where she has created a program leading hikes in Seattle and its suburbs.

Community Service/Non-Profit Booth

Maeve O'Briant, winner of the MIFM's first-ever poster contest, reviewing her winning poster with MIFM board member, Ed Pollan. (Photo by Joel Wachs)

The community service and non-profits at this Sunday’s market will be Youth Theatre Northwest and Mercer Island Visual Arts League (MIVAL). We are so pleased to have them both at the market. Each plays such important roles in creating the vibrant arts community here on Mercer Island. In addition, MIVAL was a wonderful partner for the MI Farmers Market earlier this year for our first-ever poster contest, which they judged.

So be sure to stop by their booths to learn more about their programs and activities.

Vendor News Posted Tomorrow

The Mercer Island Farmers Market is thrilled to announce that after an extremely difficult growing season, Tonnemaker Family Orchards, Royal City, WA and the River Farm Organic Produce, Ellensburg, WA, now have enough produce to be at our market. They will both be at the MI Farmers Market on Sunday, July 17th.

Check back tomorrow here on the Mercer Island Farmers Market blog for more news about our vendors and what fresh produce they will be bringing to market tomorrow.