The Weblog
The local foods movement is alive and well in Champaign County! Here are some updates on other projects while we finalize our virtual market:
Local Producers Map:
Our local producers map is ready for publication and you will soon be able to find it on gochampaign.com. Copies will be distributed around the community, in the local telephone book, and other “hangouts”. The guide lists the location and contact information for nearly 50 local producers within our county. The map was a project of the Local Food Council and printed with the help of some local sponsors including the Monument Square District, Champaign Bank, the Community Improvement Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau and others. It is a great start to finding a local source for Champaign County’s finest!
New Kid In Town
There’s talk on the street, it sounds so familiar…
Great expectations, everybody’s watching you…
People you meet they all seem to know you…
Even your old friends treat you like you’re something new…
(The Eagles-New Kid In Town)
Sometimes, this little local market of love seems like it’s been around, forever. Other times, we still feel like the new kid in town.
There is a whole lot of talk about what we do, a whole lot of interest, and a whole lot of love generated by those who really do know us.
I feel like we set out, each week, to prove ourselves. Still a bit of mystery, a bit of illusion…just like the new kid in town. Excitement surrounds the new kid. The new kid sets out to make his mark. The new kid always feels like he has something to show or something to prove.
We totally understand…in our first three years of this market, we are STILL doing all of those things. We have been out there, dazzling, enticing, explaining, showing, doing, pleasing…
We are the new kids who have finally made it into the inner circle. We are the market that everyone has grown to know and to love. We are the little market of love that has grown so big that we no longer feel like the new kids.
We came, we saw, we are conquering. This is our weekend, coming up! It’s our time to let this little market shine!! The spotlight is going to be on all things local, on the people who bring you local, and on the local philosophy that we are about. We don’t just talk about being local. We don’t just use local because it’s trendy or the new catchphrase. We do local as a lifestyle. We do local because it’s all we know. We do local because it let’s us give you the local love.
Local is important. Local is healthy, local is cost effective, local fuels our community both financially and spiritually.
This market shines, is no longer the new kid in town, and is exceeding all expectations because of the local loyalty that you all show us.
Thank you for your part in our climb, in our goal reaching, in our vision planning. We love you for making us strong, each and every week, for making us feel welcome, for making us feel like we are making a difference, and for rocking the new kid into new stratospheres.
I open the market, tonight, with so much local pride, spirit, and love!
We are no longer the new kids…we are here to stay!!
Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam