Wednesday, October 31, 2012

A very Happy Halloween to all!

We hope that you weathered Hurricane Sandy well and that your family and home fared well! Our thoughts go out to those who are struggling in the aftermath. We are very grateful that Cheverly survived with only minimal damage.

As we wind down October and get ready to celebrate tricks and treats this evening, we are looking forward to the first of two special seasonal markets...Thanksgiving Market! Join us on November 17, 9am to 1pm, for amazing food, gifts, wine, and more. We have over 45 vendors and community groups with us -- it'll be our biggest Market ever! We'll be highlighting our terrific vendors and community groups over the coming weeks so you can start making your shopping lists now. Don't forget to pre-order oysters, turkeys, pies, and cupcakes -- click on the ordering links to the right for details!

Happy Halloween!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Pre-order Oysters! Make this Thanksgiving a true Maryland experience!


Please note: the pre-order deadline has passed. Thank you for your orders, which will be available at Cheverly Community Market on November 17! Visit Two Oceans for more great seafood while you're at Thanksgiving Market!

We are thrilled to announce that Two Oceans Seafood is bringing us oysters for the holidays! They are cultured oysters raised by waterman friends of the Clarks whose operation is located on the Eastern shore. They have a nicely salty flavor profile without being as intensely salty as the Chincoteagues, for instance. These oysters are delivered whole and will need to be shucked. They do beautifully on the half shell, broiled, or in a stew.

These beautiful oysters are a great deal: just $1.00 each; minimum order is 12 oysters. Beyond that, the sky is the limit. Pre-orders for the November 17 Thanksgiving Market are due by Wednesday, November 7, and can be ordered directly through the Market (we'll take care of ordering through Gaylord) by emailing us. Please include your name, contact information, and the number of oysters you want so that all of the orders can be pre-packaged and ready for pick-up at the time of the market.


We have information on the best ways to shuck oysters, as well as all sorts of wonderful oyster recipes on our Pinterest page, from sublime Oysters Rockefeller to beautiful oyster chowders and Thanksgiving stuffings. Here's Emeril Lagasse's classic Baked Bay Oyster dressing recipe:

Emeril's Chesapeake Bay Baked Oyster Dressing
Yield: 4 to 6 servings (about 5 cups)
(With assistance from CBF's Tommy Leggett, photo right)
Ingredients:
2 dozen shucked oysters, with their liquor
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup water
4 cups cubed white bread
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Method:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Drain the oysters, reserving 1 cup of the liquor. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, and cayenne. Saute‚ for about 5 minutes, or until wilted. Add the bay leaves, garlic, and parsley. Saute‚ for about 1 minute.
In a mixing bowl, combine the bread mixture with the oyster liquor and enough water to moisten.
Add the moistened breadcrumbs to the vegetables in the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the oysters and the Parmesan cheese. Stir to mix well and remove from the heat.
Oil a 9 X 11-inch baking pan and pour in the mixture. Top with more Parmesan and bake for about 1 hour, or until bubbly and golden brown.
Remove the bay leaves and serve hot.
This recipe was originally featured on the A Local Thanksgiving Episode of Emeril Green, Lagasse's original series on Discovery Channel's Planet Green network, courtesy Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Pre-order delectable mini-pies!

You've enjoyed wonderful dark rum cakes, Jamaican patties, and all sorts of amazing treats from Cakes by Ruthann this season...now order 4" pumpkin pies! They're perfect for one person -- or two -- people. It is, after all, the season of sharing!

Mini-pies are just $4 each, so get enough for everyone! Pre-order mini-pies and other items (including fruitcakes, carrot cakes, and more) from Cakes by Ruthann here.

Pre-order: Get gorgeous farm-fresh turkey (or Prime Rib Roast!) for your Thanksgiving table!


This holiday season, we are thrilled to offer select items from our vendors for pre-order. Cheverly Community Market will have turkeys, oysters, and a variety of pies available for pre-order for our Thanksgving Market, and Christmas trees and other goods for our Holiday Market. We are so grateful to our vendors for making these pre-ordered special items available!

photo courtesy of Slice of Heaven Farm

Waltz Family Farm will deliver beautiful turkeys to Thanksgiving Market on November 17! These turkeys are from Groff's Content Farm, in Rocky Ridge, Maryland, and will weigh about 12-20 lbs. each. The price is $4.oo lb. 

Our pre-order deadline is Saturday, November 10. If you would like to have one of these gorgeous birds on your holiday table, pre-order soon, because supply is limited. 

To pre-order, please email Laurie Waltz. We are so grateful to Laurie for taking these orders for Cheverly Community Market!

UPDATE: Laurie also has two gorgeous Prime Rib Roasts, bone-in, available for pre-order. One is almost 6 lbs and the other is 7 3/4 lbs. Great for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years. Intersted? Email Laurie for information!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Just two days left!

Just two days left until the deadline for vendor applications for our annual Thanksgiving and Holiday Markets! If you are a local artisan, craftsperson, a small-batch cook or gardener, this is a great opportunity to sell your wares in Cheverly! Have your friends and family told you that the homemade gifts you give are so lovely that you should think about selling them? Here's a great opportunity! Our special markets are very well-attended and we're looking forward to two spectacular events in November and December!

Thanksgiving Market Saturday, November 17, 9:00am-1:00pm
Holiday Market, Saturday, December 8, 9:00am-1:00pm
 at Cheverly Community Center
Guidelines and applications are available on our website. Questions? Please email us before that deadline passes and you have to wait another year!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Nine Thousand.

Nine thousand photos, that is. As of today, we have exactly 9,000 photos surveying our five years on flickr. Visit last Saturday's Market or a favorite Market from years ago -- it's a great way to see how we've grown!

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thank you all -- friends, volunteers, vendors, customers -- for a wonderful end to our regular season! It seems like we were opening the 2012 season just a few weeks ago, but now we find ourselves preparing for our two annual special Markets, so we know the regular season has come to an end. From the tender asparagus and strawberries to the luscious, juicy peaches and tomatoes of summer to the crisp apples and hearty apples and sweet potatoes of fall, we've enjoyed everything local farming as to offer this year, and hope that you have, too!

Our annual Thanksgiving and Holiday Markets are just around the corner -- plan to join us inside the Community Center on November 17 and December 8, 9:00am to 1:00pm, for an amazing array of food and gifts perfect for your holiday tables! We'll be taking special advance orders for oysters, turkeys, and trees this year -- details will be released very soon. If you a artisan, craftsperson, or a small-scale food purveyor, the deadline for Special Markets applications has been extended to October 26! Get the guidelines and application here.

And don't forget, you can always visit Cheverly Community Market on flickr! We have about 9,000 photos covering our five years here! Looking for new recipes? We will keep adding more to our pinterest page -- especially tips and techniques to get you through those big holiday meals!

See you soon at Cheverly Community Market!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Who's coming to the Market this week? The Big Lineup (October 20 edition.)

My goodness -- we are closing out our regular season with a flourish! The weather is forecast to be partly sunny and a high of 66f for the day, so grab a light sweater, your reusable bags, and bring your friends, family, and neighbors to the Community Center for a wonderful October market. We'll have coffee, pastries, fruit, and more to give you strength to do your shopping!

VENDORS (subject to change)
Benny's Fruit Stand/Rebert Farm
Brick House Bees
Cafe Ambrosia
Cakes by Ruthann
Cherry Glen Goat Cheese/Palmyra Farm Cheese
Cheverly Breadbasket
Classic & Carefree Bake Shoppe
Eve's Cheese
Helen Crosskey
Martha's Jams
Mississippi Earl's Bayou BBQ
New Starts Farm
Shlagel Farms
Simple Pleasures Ice Cream
Studio 617
Two Oceans Seafood
Waltz Family Farm

COMMUNITY GROUPS
Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek
Turkey Trot Registration
Cheverly Garden Club Lawn & Leaf Bags
Cheverly Parents Resource Center

MUSIC & ACTIVITIES
Music by Bob Clayton
Announcement of the Tallest Tree in Cheverly Winner (9:30am)
CPRC Costume Swap (10am to noon)
CPRC Storytime (10:30am on the Community Center Steps)
Cheverly Community Market $25 certificate raffle (get your tickets at the big green Market tent - drawing at 10:30am)
Free mini-pumpkins or apples for the kids (while supplies last) at the big green Market tent!

It's going to be a memorable autumn morning and we can't wait to share it with you! This is our final Market of the regular season, and while we're looking forward to our special Thanksgiving Market on November 17 and Holiday Market on December 8, we are really going to miss these wonderful mornings spent with our friends and neighbors; listening to great local, live music; enjoying delicious fresh food; and finding beautiful treasures. Help us wind down the season and spend some time with the people in your neighborhood!

See you in the morning at Cheverly Community Market!

This Week at the Market: Simple Pleasures Ice Cream

We are so happy to welcome Bowie's Simple Pleasures Ice Cream back to Cheverly this Saturday! Simple Pleasures uses traditional European techniques to make some of the best ice creams, gelatos, and sorbets you'll ever taste...we've even ben known to bend our mom rules and advocate ice cream for breakfast...it is that good. Try a scoop -- or a quart -- and see just how delicious Simple Pleasures Ice Cream is!

This Week at the Market: Cherry Glen Goat Cheese/Palmyra Farm Cheese

We're big fans of Cherry Glen Goat Cheese and Palmyra Farm Cheese. We take it on road trips. When we see it touted as an ingredient in restaurants, we order those dishes. We've been known to make a midnight snack out of a spoon of Chesapeake spread or a slice of Monocacy Ash. We're true fans. This Saturday, visit Will and find out what all the fuss is about. He can guide you to a cheese that's just right for you...or if you feeling adventurous, pick a few that you haven't yet tried and become a fan!


This Week at the Market: Studio 617

Since Holly moved to California, we've missed having the fantastic creations of Baltimore's Studio 617 at Cheverly Community Market. Happily, Bryan will join us this Saturday! He's bringing all sorts of wonderful lawn art -- there are already many examples of these pieces around town. Make sure to stop by and pick up a cat or ghost for Halloween, a gingerbread man or tree for the holidays, or gorgeous large sunflowers and butterflies for any time of year! Stop by and see these -- and many other creations -- this week at Cheverly Community Market.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

This Week at the Market: Mississippi Earl's Bayou BBQ

Oh, how we missed Lance Davis and his gang from Mississippi Earl's Bayou BBQ at our last Market...thank goodness they're back this Saturday. The St. Ambrose Men's Club will be serving up  those sweet, smoky, spicy pork sandwiches we all love, as well as authentic BBQ ribs and chicken legs this time. As you know, the BBQ sells out pretty fast -- it's really good -- so get to Mississippi Earl's Bayou BBQ on the early side -- they start serving at 10am and there's usually a line!

This Week at the Market: Helen Crosskey

Helen Crosskey has been bringing some gorgeous work to us at Cheverly Community Market this year! From lovely children's clothes to extremely creative and detailed women's coats to statement jewelry to RGIII-inspired wares, Helen is a very talented artisan and we're so glad that she's with us for our final Market of the regular season. This is a great opportunity to stock up on gifts before the holiday rush or find something special for yourself!

This Week at the Market Eve's Cheese

Make sure to stop by and visit with Joan Nunn of Eve's Cheese on Saturday morning. Pick up some wonderful colby and cheddar varieties, and pair them with a crusty loaf for a simple wonderful lunch. These cheeses are great for snacking or cooking, and we know you'll find one or two (or five!) to love.

This Week at the Market: New Starts Farm


Visit Tom Baldwin and New Starts Farm this Saturday at Cheverly Community Market for wonderful additions to your seasonal decor. Tom will have pansies, ornamental cabbage/kale and a few other fall items, including ornamental corn and gourds, so this is a great opportunity to transform your home for autumn!

This Week at the Market: Brick House Bees

We are excited to have Brick House Bees back with us this Saturday...we bought honey when they first came to the Market last month, and we've run out! Our little bear has been seen visiting our oatmeal bowls, our greek yogurt, homemade chai, cappuccinos, salad dressings, peanut butter and banana sandwiches...he really got around! Replenish your honey supply this Saturday at Cheverly Community Market!

Time to start raking leaves!

If you've walked around Cheverly recently, surely you've noticed that the leaves are making their annual transition from a luscious green canopy to a multi-hued watercolor ballet falling from the trees as the days grow colder. It's a time of year hat reminds us to prepare our lawns and gardens for a long, cold winter, and that starts with raking up those lovely fallen leaves. This Saturday, Dave & Casey Kneipp of the Cheverly Garden Club will be selling packs 50 clear plastic lawn & leaf bags for just $5 at Cheverly Community Market. Make sure to stop by and stock up, then take advantage of amazing weather this weekend to make a dent in those leaf piles!

This Week at the Market: Martha's Jams

We all have our secret ingredients...they make our special dishes unique and keep our friends and families coming back for more. Sometimes, it's hard to share these secrets. Fortunately for you, we're good at sharing :)

Martha's Jams are a great secret ingredient. Add a bit of the hot peach to your shrimp, pork or tofu glaze, stir a little spiced blueberry into your cocktail, brush pineapple and a little hot sauce on those chicken legs...use a little cherry in those homemade pop-tarts. Whatever you do, we promise we won't tell. And don't forget to stock up on a few extra jars...it's great on toast, too!

This Week at the Market: Shlagel Farms

We're big fans of sweet potatoes in all sorts of preparations -- from simply roasted with a bit of olive oil and rosemary, to mashed with plenty of orange zest and cinnamon, to sweet potato pie, to sweet potatoes and black beans with cilantro and lime in homemade corn tortillas -- sweet potatoes are amazingly versatile vegetables that pack a nutritional wallop. This time of year is great for finding all sorts of new recipes for these old friends -- visit us on Pinterest for a wide range and great inspiration!

This Saturday, visit Shlagel Farms at Cheverly Community Market and stock up on those wondrous sweet potatoes, as well as all of your fall cooking favorites. Eileen will have kale and collard greens, beets, turnips with greens, squash and zucchini, onions, red potatoes, green and red pappers, eggplant, acorn and butternut squash, mums, pumpkins, brown eggs, lima beans, and green beans.

This Week at the Market: Waltz Family Farm

Waltz Family Farm will have some great fresh beef for us at the Market! In addition to their fantastic regular offerings (did you get some of those delicious cheddar-jalapeno hot dogs last Market? Amazing!), Laurie will have a few special items: one whole Briskett, weighs about 9.5 lbs and two Prime Rib Roasts - bone-in, weigh about 6lbs. each.  If you are interested email Laurie directly -- she won't bring these to us Saturday unless requested.

Make sure to visit Laurie early -- the best stuff goes fast! Looking for new ways to cook your Market treasures? We have hundreds of ideas on Pinterest!

This Week at the Market: Classic and Carefree Bake Shoppe

Danielle and Laura -- the cupcake girls as we affectionately call them -- are busy this week making your favorites. Make sure to stop by Classic & Carefree Bake Shoppe this Saturday at Cheverly Community Market and enjoy these wonderful treats!

Classic Cupcakes -- a great weekend for your favorite classics!
  • Classic Vanilla
  • Red Velvet
  • Chocolate
Carefree Items -- gluten- and allergen-free...plus some delicious vegan choices!
  • Pumpkin Spice Bread
  • Paleo Sandwich Bread
  • Carrot Cake Cupcakes
  • Rich Coffee Cupcakes
  • Snickerdoodles (Vegan)
  • Peanut Butter Cookies

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Register at the Market for the Cheverly Turkey Trot!

While you're shopping at Cheverly Community Market this Saturday, make sure to stop by the Turket Trot table and register for the Second Annual Turkey Trot! Whether you run the 5k or walk the 1k, we can't think of a better way to enjoy Thanksgiving morning!


Cheverly Turkey Trot 5K

Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2012, 9:00a.m.

Town Park, 6401 Forest Road, Cheverly, Maryland


5K Registration Fee:  
$20.00 on or before November 10
$25.00 starting November 11


Registration fee includes timing chip and a t-shirt!
Proceeds to benefit the Capital Area Food Bank and the Cheverly Community Market. Donations of non-perishable food items also encouraged.

There will also be a 1K Fun Run/Walk for all ages and abilities and registration for the 1K is free! 

Following the run, gather with your friends and family for a medal ceremony with free food!  Medals will be awarded to the top three men and women who finish the 5K run.

Feeling not quite ready to run a 5K?  The ever-popular Couch-to-5K training club is back by popular demand! All are welcome, regardless of ability. Send an email for more information.

Volunteers needed!  We need volunteers to make this event a success, so please encourage your non-runner friends and family to come volunteer to help out!

"Like" us on Facebook to get the latest updates on the race!
See you on Turkey Day!

Last chance to try your luck this season!


Our raffles for the final four Markets of the regular season have been a huge success -- thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to Andrea Tavares (week one), Ili Horchler (week two), and Deanna Moran (week three). We'll continue this week with the final $25 gift certificate...good luck to everyone who enters!

Tickets ($1 each/6 for $5) will be available at the big green Market tent for a chance to win a certificate good for $25 in products from our vendors at the October 20 Market. Winners will be drawn and announced at 10:30am, so visit us early! This is a great opportunity to take a chance and try some new things or stock up on old favorites!

One certificate awarded per Market, September 8, September 22, October 6, and October 20. Certificates must be used during the regular season and expire at the end of our last regular Market on October 20. Certificates are not redeemable for cash.

This week at the Market: Two Oceans Seafood

Two Oceans Seafood will bring the usual suspects -- and by "usual suspects" we mean amazing, sustainably harvested seafood and fresh chicken -- plus unpasteurized honey, olive oils and vinegars to Cheverly Community Market this Saturday. If the chickens cooperate, they may also have a few eggs, but so far the hens are more interested in eating than in laying so the egg supply is very tight. That's real farming, folks. There's only so much about chickens that you can control.

This season, Two Oceans has expanded their Market offerings -- varietal extra virgin olive oils from mild to robust; olive oils infused with herbs, fruits, or even mushrooms; and specialty oils (including walnut, roasted sesame, roasted almond, and white truffle); and an amazing range of infused vinegars (mission fig dark balsamic, cranberry pear white balsamic, serrano honey vinegar or pinot noir wine vinegar, as well as a board selection of other flavors) are great choices to boost your standard autmun dishes into something truly memorable...and they make great gifts, too!

This Week at the Market: Cakes by Ruthann

One of our favorite things about Cheverly Community Market is the opportunity to try new things and discover new favorites. This season, we've definitely discovered quite a few of them at Cakes by Ruthann...and one of our favorite favorites? Dark Rum Cake. This rich, dense cake is heavy with spice and rum -- absolutely delicious! Pick up some for yourself this Saturday. Andrea will have rum cake as well as Jamaican patties (beef, chicken, callaloo) for you to stock up on until our November and December markets. And back by popular demand will be the authentic Jamaican jerk chicken. We tried it and loved it -- spicy and delicious on a soft roll. Fantastic...especially with a spicy ginger beer to warm you up on a chilly autumn morning!

CPRC Halloween Costume Swap This Saturday!


With Halloween just a few weeks away (maybe you hadn't heard?), join Cheverly Parents Resource Center this weekend at Cheverly Community Market and kick this trade into high gear...trade your kids' (or your own) old costumes and get something new (to you!)
CPRC Co-Chair Sheri Zielinski explains:


Here’s how it works: Drop your old costume(s) off at Sheri Zielinski’s house any time before Saturday, October 20th.  If Sheri isn’t home (2801 Laurel Avenue), please leave your costume on the porch – make sure to leave a note with your name on it and the number of costumes you are leaving. We are accepting costumes of all sizes!

The actual swap: Visit the CPRC table and giant display of costumes at the Community Market this Saturday.  From 10:00 to 11:00am, costumes are available at no cost for those who donated a costume (depending on the number of costumes you donated). From 11:00 to 12:00 costumes are available to anyone for a donation. Donations will go toward CPRC sponsoring a family (or families) at Thanksgiving.
What a great idea...and a great way for those of you with kids who have grown out of trick-or-treating to share those castaway costumes, or for you to trade that adult-size Mario costume for something a little more...current? We can't wait to see the results!

(Do you recognize any of these kids? They've all grown so much!)

This Week at the Market: Benny's Fruit Stand/Rebert Farm

The colors -- and flavors -- of fall are in full force at Rebert Farm. Visit the Reberts this Saturday at Cheverly Community Market and stock up on gorgeous apples -- Red and Golden Delicious, Starks Delicious, Rome, York, Mutsu, Winter Bannana, Sweet Paradise, Jona Gold, Stayman, Cortland,  Ambrosia, Fuji, Ida Red, Granny Smith -- as well as Bosc Pears, fresh pressed cider, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, winter squash and gourds. We've loved watching customers carrying away full bushels of apples -- you obviously know what's good! Looking for inspiration for ways to use your favorite produce from Rebert Farm? Peruse the hundreds of recipes on our Pinterest page. You're sure to please everyone around your table. and don't forget to pick up some fresh pressed cider...it's autumn in a glass!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Community Groups at the Market: Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek

Little acorns, big oaks. Acorns, acorns everywhere! Fall is the time when the new generation of oaks is born.
Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek and the Cheverly Green Infrastructure Committee will continue the Year of the Oak with acorn activities. Come by the FLBC table to learn to identify what trees the acorns come from. Guess how many acorns are in the bowl and win a prize.

Which trees won
 the Cheverly Biggest Tree contest? The Cheverly Green Infrastructure Committee will announce the winners at 9:30 AM at the Community Market.
The next FLBC work party is October 27. 
Join your friendly neighborhood environmental group, Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek, on Saturday, October 27, between 9am and noon for our monthly work party. We will be removing invasive plants (such as wisteria) from the area by Magruder Spring.  We'll also be building a set of steps leading from Cheverly Avenue to the Spring. We'll meet at the entrance to the trail that is on Cheverly Avenue, close to the intersection of Cheverly Avenue and Columbia Park Road -- just one-half block down the street from the Cheverly 7-11 and about a block from the Cheverly Metro. Tools, gloves, snacks, and water will be provided. As always, school community service hours are available. Hope to see you there! For more information, contact Joani Horchler at 301-802-7445 (cell) or horcpool97@aol.com

Join us for CPRC Storytime!

Cheverly Parents Resource Center brings one of our favorite Halloween stories to the Market this week: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, with wonderful illustrations by Megan Lloyd. The story follows a very brave old lady on her way home one spooky night -- she hears and sees all sorts of things but she's very brave!

Storytime takes place this Saturday at 10:00am on the steps of the Community Center. In the meantime, here's a fun craft to get those little clompers and stompers in the mood for this story!

Music at the Market: Folk Musician Bob Clayton


 Please help us welcome Bob Clayton -- a talented  singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter -- back to Cheverly Community Market this Saturday! He’s an old-time folkie with a penchant for playing and singing a wide variety of songs, from traditional American to contemporary compositions, and for writing songs that are musical, literate, and singable. With close to 50 years’ playing experience, Bob is seldom at a loss for a song when the situation calls for it.

Bob is a founding member of the “frontier and western” group Sidekicks, who originally performed a mixture of traditional and contemporary songs from the American West, but has morphed into a group offering a wide variety of songs from other genres. Bob is also a member of the Civil War Comrades, a reenactment musical ensemble that features parlor songs, Minstrel walk-arounds, soldier songs, and popular ditties of the mid-19th Century. Bob brings his banjo and mandolin skills to that band, and often includes numbers from that repertoire in his solo shows.

Bob’s influences include songwriters like Woody Guthrie and Tom Paxton, dedicated traditionalists like Mike Seeger and Tom Paley, old-line folk songsters like Cisco Houston and Jack Elliott, more modern performers like Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch, and, of course, traditional singers too numerous to name. Bob spent more than 10 years (back in “the day”) playing in string bands and among old-timey musicians, learning banjo and fiddle tunes, mandolin and guitar numbers, and hundreds of songs. Starting first on guitar, in the '60s he took up banjo, mandolin, fiddle, Autoharp, dulcimer (Appalachian as well as hammered), Jew’s harp and harmonica. He has a Master of Arts degree in American Studies, concentrating on regional American Banjo styles, and is the author of “The Old-Timey Banjo Book,” an instructional tutor and songbook on American banjo styles. He has been known to sing a song at the drop of a hat (and he’ll supply the hat), and is the writer of perhaps 100 songs in various stages of completion.

It's time for yard signs!

Please help us get the word out about our final regular Market of the 2012 season this Saturday! We have loads of great stuff in store for you -- from your favorite vendors and community groups to special events for the kids, and we don't want anyone to miss out!

Put your yard signs out today, and make sure to invite your neighbors and friends to share a wonderful morning at the Market with you this weekend!

(Don't forget...we have two special Markets -- Thanksgiving and Holiday coming in November and December!)