NORWAY — The annual Light the Garden fundraiser party and silent auction is scheduled for 6-9 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at the Alan Day Community Garden, 26 Whitman St.

The party will include appetizers, beer from Norway Brewing Company, wine, and a selection of silent auction items. Garden lights, flowers and food is Norway’s traditional way of celebrating another year at the community garden. The party will feature music by The Cobblestones.

The garden is a volunteer-driven gathering place that provides affordable, local food access, with the vision “Our community thrives because all people are valued and nourished through meaningful connections and healthy, affordable food,” according to a news release from Rocky Crockett, garden executive director.

It provides free and subsidized local food, hosts SNAP-Ed cooking classes, and accepts SNAP EBT during its farmers’ market.

This summer the farmers’ market will be held from 5-8 p.m. Fridays, July 7 to Aug. 25, and will feature live music, wood-fired pizza by donation, a food truck, variety of vendors, and a Power of Produce kids club and activity tent.

The garden’s Youth Leadership Program, in collaboration with School Administrative District 17’s Roberts Farm Experiential Learning, is a day camp that teaches children how to grow, harvest and cook healthy meals, as well as the importance of community resilience. It provides science-based learning opportunities along with leadership opportunities. Returning youth leaders can apply for paid internship positions at the garden.

Over the past year, a new kitchen was built at the community garden, to host more SNAP-Ed cooking workshops and to provide a year-round learning classroom for local schools and youth groups. The kitchen will be open to the community for those who want to develop value-added products and process vegetables.

The kitchen also will be the home of Foothills Foodworks, to continue to provide meals with locally sourced foods throughout Oxford County. Foodworks offers free meals at the garden throughout the summer, available to anyone who eats. For more information about the meal schedule, call the garden at 207-346-0708.

The Light the Garden party is an opportunity to support all of these programs and the mission of improving community health, access to nutritious foods, youth education and leadership, and building the local food system.

The sliding scale entrance fee is $50-$20 for the evening. Parking is provided at the Grange Hall, behind Fare Share Coop, or Longley Square parking lot.

 

 

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