FARMINGTON – The Western Mountains Alliance will announce the first-place winner of its poster contest at a Farmington reception from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9.
The poster-design contest was organized by Western Mountains Alliance representatives Paula Day and Kathleen Beauregard as the first step in their “Eat Smart – Eat Local” campaign to get Maine residents to eat more locally grown foods.
Western Mountains Alliance was recently awarded $182,200 by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to put toward a two-year program aimed at educating farmers, local residents and local institutions about the benefits of using locally grown products both in home kitchens and in institutions like hospitals, schools and restaurants.
According to Day, Maine farmers “produce the best tasting food you’ve ever eaten.” She said chefs all over the East Coast “love to get Maine products” but that the lack of quantity and diversity in local produce markets often forces restaurateurs and others to purchase food from large corporate farming outfits and forgo locally grown produce. This, in turn, has led to the demise of many family-owned-and-operated farms in Maine, said Beauregard.
Western Mountains Alliance is currently trying to bring new life to Maine’s rural communities and to “honor our rural heritage” by helping farmers and local buyers work together to create a “local food system” in which local farmers produce much of the food eaten in households, restaurants and school cafeterias around the state, Beauregard said. This type of cooperation works for all parties involved, she added, saying locally grown produce is usually better-tasting and much healthier for consumers.
Twenty-seven artists submitted pieces for “The Art of Eating Well” poster contest, and the winner will receive $1,000. The winning image will be used as a logo for the “Eat Smart – Eat Local” campaign, Beauregard said.
Day said Western Mountains Alliance representatives were floored by the quality of the artwork submitted. She added that the “Eat Smart – Eat Local” team plans to exhibit about 10 of the best submissions across the state in an effort to gain more publicity for the program.
The artists’ reception will be held in the vacant storefront next to Liquid Sunshine in Farmington, Day said. Locally grown refreshments, including cheese and cider, will be served.
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