Join the Valley Stewardship Network Food & Farm Initiative and the Viroqua Food Coop in a winter celebration of local food and farmers. Yes, even when the snow flies we are blessed with a wonderful array of locally grown and produced food thanks to our area farmers.
This community celebration will be held on Saturday, February 6th from 3:00-6:00 PM at the Greenman Music Hall in downtown Viroqua. A local, light dinner with dessert will be served at 3:00 PM followed by the Viroqua premier of the critically acclaimed movie FRESH.
We will be serving a winter local foods dinner with wine from Vernon Vineyards, coffee generously donated from Kickapoo Coffee and local beer served by Cafe OZ. Wine and beer will be provided for an additional cost.
Then take your seats as the movie FRESH! “celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are reinventing our food system. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision of our food and our planet’s future.”
Following the movie there will be a FRESH Endeavors presentation. Come listen to local FRESH entrepreneurs and volunteers who are working on new food system projects sure to change the way we as local eaters think about our food system. You will surely be inspired by all the good work taking place here in our region!
*Sue Noble*, Executive Director of the Vernon Economic Development Association, and Jessica Luhning, Grant Writing
Consultant for Earth Vision LLC and Board Member of the Valley Stewardship Network will provide details about their recently funded Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin Grant Project. The project will fund the start-up of a Western Wisconsin Local Food Cooperative. The project is a partnership of the Valley Stewardship Network Food & Farm Initiative, Organic Valley, Western Technical College, Vernon Memorial Hospital, University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, Three Rivers Waldorf School, Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School, Viroqua Area Schools, Keewaydin Organics, Harvest Moon Farms, Harmony Valley Farm, Z & E Farm, Driftless Organics, Westby Co-op Creamer and Premier Meats, Inc. As the project grows more institutional partners and local farmers will be encouraged to participate.
*Jamie Johnson*, President of Heirloom, LLC will present plans for the launch of Edible Madison, a quarterly publication that will celebrate the abundance of local foods in Southern Wisconsin. Edible Madison aims to educate Wisconsin residents and travelers about opportunities to participate in the region’s dynamic local food movement. The publication will be packed with stories about the agri-culture, food and farmers of the region and will establish Southern Wisconsin as a distinct culinary region within the national network of Edible Communities publications.
*Nicole Penick*, Food and Farm Initiative Coordinator, will be sharing the highlights of their pilot project Kickapoo Harvest: Gleaning for Healthy Communities as well as their plans for the 2010 growing season. The Food and Farm Initiative provides a Direct Marketers’ Guide each year for Vernon County and has published a Community Food Assessment covering Vernon County and an economic food assessment covering Vernon, Crawford, Monroe and
Richland Counties.
*Kile Martz* will present about Rhubarb a new retail space and community kitchen in downtown Viroqua. Rhubarb features a baking and canning kitchen that will be geared towards people wanting to start a value added food business. The retail space will feature food, gifts, and artisan works from the Driftless Region including those produced in the kitchen. “Our area is rich in agricultural and artistic heritage, so we decided to bring it all together in a celebration of our area.” Rhubarb is right next to Driftless Fair Traders on the first floor of the Hotel Fortney.
*Bjorn Bergman*, Vernon Area AmeriCorps Farm to School member and *Kathleen Hein* from Crawford Area Farm to School will be speaking about their work in school districts throughout the region. Bjorn will share stories from the
Harvest Challenge event, teaching in the classrooms and his upcoming projects for the 2010 growing season. Kathleen will share her experience in starting the Local Harvest project which showcases a local food item each month on the school lunch menu. Farm to School is a nation wide initiative to bring fresh food from local farms into school lunches while educating children about the benefits of local foods.
*Laura Brown*, Crawford County Community Development Educator, will share the new projects that are supporting local food efforts. These projects include Driftless Wisconsin Grown, a coalition of producers and consumers
working together around food and farm issues, Plant Your Roots a grazing initiative, two new community kitchens in Prairie du Chien and Gays Mills and a new farmer’s market coupon program.
*Please join us and support YOUR local food system!*
Special Event Note: Some FRESH movie scenes may be inappropriate for young children.
