New Years Resolution

Happy New Year!

From all of us at the Indy Winter Farmers Market, we hope 2009 will be a year of happiness, passion for local food and inspiring community, and a year full of positive change and growth. We also hope it is among your new year's resolutions to make it to the Indy Winter Farmers Market every week to support the fabulous growers and producers offering great choices for positive change in the ways we think about where our food comes from, how we shop, and what/how we eat. Without a loyal patron base, we have no market, so please continue to support yourself, your community and the local economy by making the Indy Winter Farmers Market a primary stop for your weekly grocery and personal care products. I personally hope you will also add to the resolution list to find out more about Slow Food Indy, attend one of their fantastic events, and maybe even become a member!

Frequent Shopper Challenge:
In case all the great products available at market each week are not quite enough to get you there every week, we are starting a frequent shopper challenge! How do you win the challege?

1. Starting January 10th, we will have Frequent Shopper Cards available for you to pick up at market.
   
2. Get your card punched at the Market Info Table each week that you attend.
3. Attend at least 12 weeks between Jan. 10th - April 18th.
4. Turn in your card on or before April 18th at the Market Info Table (there will be a box).
5. We will draw one winner from the box at the end of market on April 18th.
6. The winner will be notified and will pick up a Market Goods Basket worth $50 featuring items from their favorite vendors on April 24th!

Indy Winter Farmers Market Logo Design Competition:
Now that we have successfully made it through a month and a half "trial opening" and are extending through April, we think it's about time we got a proper logo. This logo will appear on our upcoming proper web site, and in future ads, posters, and other promotional information. Since a big part of our market mission is developing a community - rather than just a place to come and shop - we thought it would be fun to invite YOU to help create our new logo. And thus, we are announcing....

The Indianapolis Winter Farmers Market (a.k.a. Indy Winter Farmers Market or IWFM) Logo Design Competition! Here's what you need to know to submit a design:

1. We will accept logo designs from Saturday, January 3rd through Wednesday, January 14th.
2. Logo designs must be submitted via email to: laura@indywinterfarmersmarket.org. You are welcome to bring a printed copy to market on January 3rd or 10th in addition to your email.
3. The Market Advisory Committee will select 4-6 finalist from all designs submitted.
4. Finalist designs will be posted AT MARKET for the IWFM community to cast their votes on January 17th!
5. The winning design will be posted at market on January 24th.
6. The winning designer will receive a market gift basket valued at $100! As well as recognition on the IWFM official web site (coming soon), in the e-newsletter and on the blog, and unending gratitude from market organizers.
   

Tips:
Finalist market designs will likely be simple yet engaging and eye-catching, as well as easy to reproduce on a variety of promotional materials of varying sizes and medium.

Dive in to the creative energies of the new year and send us your logo design ideas - laura@indywinterfarmersmarket.org.

Market this week:
There will be a few new vendors this week. Namely, Harvest Cafe Coffee will now be attending weekly with fresh brewed coffee, a selection of whole beans, and a coffee grinder for on-site grinding to your brewing needs. Harvest Cafe Coffee empowers patrons to create personalized blends from the beans on offer each week, or ask the Harvest Cafe staff to create a blend based on your taste preferences and brewing needs!

Also new to market this week is Circle City Sweets. Be sure to find Cindy's table of delights and treat yourself to a new indulgence in the first market of 2009. :)

Some Changes:
Sunset Acres, producer of the fabulous raw milk cow cheeses will be attending market on a bi-weekly basis through April. They will be at market this week, but not on January 10th. Once we get the web site up, we will post a calendar to help you keep track.

Capriole, producer of the fabulous goat milk cheeses will also be attending market on alternating weeks, beginning January 10th, not this week.

Last week was a small week for vendors and patrons a like. Most vendors will be back this week, and we hope you will too. Next week we'll be welcoming more new vendors! Stay tuned!

Be well and we look forward to seeing you at market this week!