This week at the Market: Mary D's Creations

Mary D. Lee of Mary D's Creations handcrafts jewelry, crochet work and some sewn items in her Hyattsville home. What started as a hobby and gifts for family members became a business in 2009, when she learned about craft fairs. This Saturday, visit Ms. Lee for unique earrings, bracelets and necklaces, as well as hand crocheted items including sweater sets for babies and a few sweaters for older children (just in time for our cooler weather!) as well as market bags some hot pads and dishcloth sets. New this week: key chains and wristlets!

Community at the Market: Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek

Be sure to visit Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek this Saturday at Cheverly community Market to learn about your surroundings and local natural delights:

• The latest news about nature in and around Cheverly
• Tips on how to care for the environment right in our own back (and front) yards
• Information about FLBC, the hands-on education and advocacy organization working to restore the health of Lower Beaverdam Creek and the Anacostia River 
• Information about Cheverly's own Green Infrastructure Plan, helping preserve, restore, and sustain our natural environment

It's pumpkin season!

Some fruits and vegetables are icons of their season -- delicate strawberries and asparagus in spring, peaches, watermelon and corn in summer -- we think that fall's iconic vegetable (okay, technically a fruit) is the pumpkin. Think about it: blended pumpkin drinks at the first nip of cool weather, decorated pumpkins in late October, pumpkin pies to celebrate Thanksgiving...

Today, we're celebrating the pumpkin on Pinterest. We have pinned loads of recipes to nourish you breakfast through dinner, savory and sweet. Need to know how to make your own pumpkin puree? Here's a great method.

It's time to get those yard signs out!

We certainly missed sharing this past Saturday morning with all of you -- three weeks seems like a long time without 

​

you! 

​We hope that you enjoyed some market-related activities this weekend, and ​w

e are eager to get back to Cheverly Community Market this Saturday to celebrate the final month of our regular 2013 season...what a great year it's been! We have all of you to thank for making that possible. 

Please show your support and help us spread the word about our final regular season Markets of 2013 by putting your yard signs out tonight. ​We'd love to see hundreds of Market signs on lawns throughout town this week (we've given them out, so we know it's possible!)

A week out and the weather for October 12 looks much more seasonable than it has been this weekend: cloudy, with a high of 73 (and a low the night before of 48). The morning will certainly be chilly and autumnal, perfect for our outdoor Market. There are 26 vendors, community groups and musicians scheduled -- some longtime Cheverly Community Market favorites and a few brand new (to us) -- it's going to be another great mix of the best locally produced goods around. St. Ambrose Men's Club is hosting Oktoberfest from 11am to 5pm just down the hill from the Market -- it's Cheverly's very own version of the biggest festival in the world, and we're looking forward to this very special event. 

​As you shop, m

ake sure to stop by the big green Market tent this Saturday. Meet our board members and share your thoughts on the Market with us (we want to know!)

​ You can also purchase Cheverly Community Market gift certificates in any denomination -- great gifts for your Market friends -- as well as our resuable logo bags (just $2 each or three for $5)!​

Throughout the week, we'll post all sorts of news and highlights on our blog

​ 

 (as well as Facebook and Twitter)

​

, so visit us often (and share your Market blog posts with your customers!) We also highlight seasonal recipes, tips and techniques on Pinterest so that 

​you

 can make the most of 

​you

r market purchases. If you haven't perused our Market photos on flickr lately, we invite you to take a look

​ -- it's fun to see how the Market has grown since 2008!​

Remember, our special Thanksgiving and Holiday Markets application is now available online. The application deadline is October 21, and we'll have a table copy of the complete guidelines (as well as a few hard copies of the application itself) at the big green Market tent this Saturday.

Again, many thanks for being part of Cheverly Community Market -- we're looking forward to a great Market this Saturday, and we love spending our mornings with you!

Fun things to do on a non-Market weekend!

We know -- this three-week break from the Market has us all a little discombobulated. Thankfully, there are plenty of Market-related activities to keep fans of Cheverly Community Market busy this weekend!

image via Wikipedia

First, join the Cheverly American Legion for their very first Screen on the Legion Green tonight! Disney's Tangled starts at 7pm so arrive early to set up your blanket (suggested) or low-backed chairs (at your own discretion given the slope of the hill!) to sit on and enjoy the show. Please, no regular-sized chairs -- we don't think they'll be safe on the slope of the hill. Hotdogs, popcorn, and drinks will be available for cash purchase. Only food and drink purchased on premises is permitted. The bar will be open in the Dugout as well!

A suggested donation of $5-10, depending on the size of your family, will be appreciated and will directly support the Cheverly Legion. Questions should go to:cheverlyauxiliary@gmail.com .

Image via FotoBazaar

Communications Manager Kathryn Andrews is one of 200 photographers showing in the first FotoBazaar, sponsored by FotoWeekDC this weekend. The opening reception -- featuring food and drinks, a DJ, and loads of great photography is tonight, and the show is open 10am-6pm Saturday and Sunday, 51 N Street, NE, in Washington, DC.

image via Shlagel Farms

Shlagel Farms Annual Pumpkin Patch opens this weekend! Shlagel Farms is open 10am-5pm every Saturday and Sunday in October. You may come to purchase mums, corn shocks, straw bales and a wide array of seasonal fall produce, OR, you purchase an admission bracelet for $8.00. This allows you to take an educational wagon ride with the farmer, spend time in the petting zoo and take your young ones through the straw maze and let them play in the corn box. Pumpkins are extra and are priced by the pound and weighed after you come in from your wagon ride. If you purchase an admission ticket you may also make a scare crow for no additional fee. Bring old clothes; (pants and long sleeve shirt),and safety pins to attach top and bottom, and they'll supply the straw and string and show you how to do it. Enjoy a slice of pie, or a milkshake, or one of our other sweet treats from our ice cream trailer. Feel free to enjoy a snack at one of our picnic tables. Hay rides leave from the petting zoo approximately every hour, or more often when there is a large volume of people. The last hayride of the day generally leaves by 4:30. You must take a hayride if you want to pick your pumpkin from the field. Remember your camera as there are many photo opportunities on the farm!

image by Susan Pruden

On Saturday from 9am to 2pm, visit the annual Cheverly Fall Flea Market, sponsored by the Recreation Council, inside the Community Center. There will be plenty of bargains, good food and fresh baked goods for sale. 

We'll be back with a spectacular lineup of vendors and community groups on Saturday, October 12, as well as the St. Ambrose Men's Club Oktoberfest! Until then, enjoy all the delights of fall with your Market friends and family, and don't forget: we're looking for the best local artisans, bakers, and more to participate in our 2013 Thanksgiving and Holiday Markets! The application deadline is October 21, and we can't wait to share these very special events with you.

See you October 12 at Cheverly Community Market!

Do you make something? We're looking for the best locally made wares this holiday season!

Do you make wonderful treats for your friends at the holidays? Do you preserve produce over the summer and give it as very welcome gifts? Do you make jewelry? Pottery? Glass? Soap? Knit hats? Make clothes? Are you a great photographer? Do you make great prints? Has anyone ever said "You should sell this!" to you? Consider selling your wares at two special annual events: our Thanksgiving & Holiday Markets!

Our special seasonal markets are open to local (within a 100-mile radius of Cheverly) craftspeople, artisans, and food producers. We are looking for crafts and handmade items that will be juried by the Market. Arts and crafts must be handcrafted by the vendor, be original and exhibit a high level of quality and design. Download the Special Markets application here. The application deadline is October 21.

Thanksgiving Market Saturday, November 23

Holiday Market Saturday, December 14

Special Event following our October 12 Market!

After you've spent a wonderful morning with us at Cheverly Community Market on October 12, make your way down to Oktoberfest, sponsored by the St. Ambrose Men's Club.

Celebrate Cheverly's own version of the world's biggest festival with traditional Bavarian and folk music, as well as food (including homemade German pretzels, bratwursts, and kraut), and a terrific Biergarten featuring traditional German Oktoberfest and wheat beers (purchase a commemorative stein to celebrate the occasion and receive a free fill-up!) There'll be hot dogs and lots of family fun, so make sure to make your way to Town Park from 11am to 5pm on October 12!