Harvest Market Recap- July 2

I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July! Melissa here from Activate Elgin. This past Thursday's market again was a bustle of activity, and the weather was perfect to do some last minute shopping for the holiday weekend. I was not an exception, as I stocked up on some goodies to bring to the lakehouse for an Independence Day feast. I also brought my puppy Layla to meet some new friends and sample some tasty treats!

Layla and I first went to the Pawprint Barkery for some of her favorite treats- peanut butter cookies! (I later found out that my roommate tried snacking on these cookies while I was gone because they look and smell like the real thing!) We then made our way down the rows of vendors and stopped for some focaccia bread, cherries, tomatoes, corn, cheddar cheese, and specialty olive oil. I also grabbed a hot dog and some popcorn to top it off with a quick lunch. After leaving the market, I headed up to Wisconsin to spend some quality time with the family. The focaccia bread was dipped in the olive oil as a snack, and the cherries, tomatoes, and corn accented our 4th of July picnic out on the boat. These items went over BIG, even though I didn't buy the cheese in cheese country!

I was also sure to check out the educational booths while I was at the market. The Elgin Area Historical Museum was teaching people how to make butter- such a great idea if you couldn't wait to get home to munch on some of your goodies from the Breadsmith. The League of Women Voters space was also bustling with people registering to vote, and Ina was hard at work at the DNA booth entering people in the raffle and promoting downtown businesses.

Be sure to check out this coming market day on July 9th- there will be plenty of familiar faces, new foods to try and interesting sights to see :)