Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market Update

Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market Update

First off, our logs show that a number of visitors are coming to the site in search of the vendor application for the new Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market — which, admittedly, is a very encouraging sign. We’ll save you the trouble of looking further. Download it here: http://bit.ly/EGVA2013.

Retro Farmers' Market

There are other signs that we’re gearing up for a strong launch on Friday, July 19. We have a growing list of committed core vendors, and it seems like we’re adding more by the hour. We’ve had interest from quite a few intermittent vendors, too, who will add some week-by-week variety to the mix.

Those vendor names will be announced once all the paperwork is finalized on July 12. (We naturally assume that people are true to their word, but a signature and a check are awfully nice deal-sealers.)

To add a new twist to the traditional farmers’ market, we’ve also been reaching out to area food trucks. These include some Spokane favorites as well as some who are new to the scene. The great space at Knox Presbyterian allows us the opportunity to experiment a bit, and we think that this will offer a great way to showcase Spokane’s growing food truck scene as well as bring a wider range of patrons to the market. (By the way, if you have suggestions about food trucks you’d like to see, e-mail us or leave a comment on this Facebook post.)

Speaking of the space at Knox Presbyterian, please note that the market location has moved from the one we proposed about a month ago. The Adult Education Center on N. Monroe would have offered great visibility, it’s true, but there were a few downsides to the location, not least the red tape in which we quickly became tangled. By working with Knox Presbyterian, we’ve got a dedicated and enthusiastic venue partner, and it puts us in more strategic proximity to the other neighborhood arterials (like Post and Indiana) while only shifting us a single block east of N. Monroe.

In moving closer those arterials, it means that we’ll need proper signage to make the most of them. If you’ve got time, money, or materials (e.g., plywood, hinges, or even a sign shop) to donate, we’d like to hear from you! We’ll be holding a big sandwich-board-making session in the near future, and the more resources and volunteers we have, the better. Ideally, we want two sandwich boards for each arterial.

The last piece in the publicity puzzle will be press releases and flyers. We can handle the press releases, but if you’ve got some time to spare to help us with a bit of flyering, please let us know. We want to make sure that the neighborhood businesses and churches along Indiana, NW Blvd, N. Monroe, and N. Division all know exactly when and where to find the market — and that their employees and congregations are encouraged to stop by on Friday afternoons.

More updates will follow as the market launch date approaches…

Marlene Alford Profiled in InHealth

Marlene Alford Profiled in InHealth

Marlene Alford, Exec. Director of The Women's and Children's Free Restaurant. Photo from InHealth.
Marlene Alford, Exec. Director of The Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant. Photo from InHealth.
Marlene Alford, Executive Director of the Women and Children’s Free Restaurant, is profiled in the most recent issue of InHealth.

It would be hard to overstate Marlene’s dedication to the WCFR or the neighborhood itself. In addition to all the hours she invests in her organization, Marlene has been involved with the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council in the past, particularly with our neighborhood planning efforts.

The WCFR itself is an invaluable resource in Emerson-Garfield — and its positive reach extends far beyond our neighborhood. If you’re looking for fulfilling (and much-needed) volunteer opportunities, please consider donating some time to helping out at the WCFR.

You can grab your (free) copy of InHealth in retailers and waiting rooms all across Spokane, or you can read the profile online here.

Free Social Media Training, June 24

Free Social Media Training, June 24

The City of Spokane’s Office of Neighborhood Services is offering free social media training for neighborhoods (and, by association, neighborhood-centric organizations) on Monday, June 24 from 6 to 7:30pm at Tincan [map].

During the 90-minute session, participants will learn how to set up and maintain accounts with Nextdoor, Twitter, Facebook, and blog sites like Blogger and WordPress. They’ll also learn why social media matters in building stronger neighborhood ties.

BSN Social Media Training, Jun 24

Little ol’ Emerson-Garfield was recently highlighted by the ONS as a neighborhood that is using social media effectively, so a representative from our neighborhood will be there to share firsthand experience with blogging, tweeting, and Facebook-ing.

Even though we’ve received a pat on the back in this area, we’re still encouraging people in Emerson-Garfield to participate — because when it comes to getting the word out about neighborhood events, more routine and more effective communication is never a bad thing. If you’re interested, please RSVP to Boris Borisov via e-mail or at (509) 625-6087.

W. Central Marketplace Opens Today

W. Central Marketplace Opens Today

Don’t forget to brave today’s rain and check out the opening of the West Central Marketplace. You’ll find it at its new location in A.M. Cannon Park [map], located right behind the West Central Community Center. It runs from 3 to 6pm and will be there every Tuesday until the autumn.

Project HOPE

The Marketplace is a Project HOPE initiative, so it’s focused on two things: fresh, local food and youth empowerment. The organization’s aim is to give young adults in the West Central and Emerson-Garfield neighborhoods a positive, community-oriented alternative to the traps that can often lure low-income and disadvantaged youth. Our neighborhoods benefit in a number of ways — reduced crime and affordable access to healthy food, to name two obvious ones.

And here’s another reason to support the West Central Marketplace: The EGNC is partnering with Project HOPE and benefitting from their expertise in establishing a farmers’ market right here in our neighborhood. (The anticipated launch date is July 19. We hope to have more specific details within the next 24 hours.) By working together and supporting one another’s endeavors, we have a chance to improve both of our neighborhoods in important ways.

Telephone Town Hall Tonight, Jun 12

Telephone Town Hall Tonight, Jun 12

Just a reminder: Mayor David Condon is hosting a Telephone Town Hall tonight (June 12) at 6pm to ask the public for input on the 2014 budget and community priorities.

Residents will be contacted using technology that allows the City of Spokane to call thousands of people to ask if they want to participate in the meeting. Citizens can also opt into the meeting by calling (888) 409-5380 between 6 and 7pm tonight.

Mayor Condon will introduce the proposed 2014 Programmatic Budget in August. The line-ttem budget will be delivered weeks in advance of the November deadline.

The Telephone Town Hall is the first of several opportunities for the public to provide input on the 2014 budget. Additional opportunities include:

  • Community presentations by members of the mayor’s cabinet
  • New ways to engage citizens through the City’s website, spokanecity.org and MySpokaneBudget.org, a new budget-focused tool that will launch in August
  • Meetings hosted by neighborhood councils
  • Weekly budget hearings hosted by the City Council in November

As the city enters the 2014 budget process, they are claiming that significant improvements have been realized in affordability, accountability and alignment. Those efforts have supposedly focused on being more efficient in how the city does business, and they have tightened the gap between revenues and expenses to less than half of the $10 million shortfall the city faced last year.