Green Food Blue Grass Festival - Volunteers?

There is a tremendous opportunity to help out and get involved with this great event taking place at the Felt Mansion in Holland on Sunday July 19th!!

And with many benefits! All volunteers for a four hour shift will receive a free t-shirt, free admission into the concert, and an option to be paid minimum wage or waive payment to receive a ticket to a future Felt Mansion event (culinary event or Christmas tour)!

Of course if you feel that any of these benefits are enough payment for your time, please feel free to decline any or all of them and help contribute to the restoration of the Felt Estate and Shore Acres Farm even more! See http://www.feltmansion.org/festival/about.htm for more information.

All volunteers must attend one of the following training sessions (time does not count towards the required 4 hour shift):

- Tuesday July 14th 7:30-8:30pm
- Saturday July 18th 10-11am
- Sunday July 19th 10-11am

All ticket sales volunteers and those serving alcohol will also need to be TIPS certified. TIPS training is at the Felt Mansion on Tuesday July 14th 5:30-7:30pm.

Event Volunteers are needed for the following tasks:

Set-up - including putting up signs and small tents, setting up tables, etc.
Saturday July 18th 11am-3pm
Sunday July 19th 11am-1pm

Parking Attendants - help direct traffic
Sunday July 19th - 1-5pm, 2-6pm, 3-7pm OR 4-8pm

Ticket Sales - sell tickets, check ID's, issue wrist bands
Sunday July 19th - 1-5pm, 2-6pm, 3-7pm OR 4-8pm

General Staff - on the look out for underage drinking, people wandering into the event without a wristband, etc.
Sunday July 19th - 1-5pm, 2-6pm, 3-7pm OR 4-8pm

Beer Tent - New Holland Brewing Company - serve beer!
Sunday July 19th - 1-5pm, 2-6pm, 3-7pm OR 4-8pm

Beer Tent - Miller Lite - serve beer!
Sunday July 19th - 1-5pm, 2-6pm, 3-7pm OR 4-8pm

Wine Tent - Fenn Valley - serve wine!
Sunday July 19th - 1-5pm, 2-6pm, 3-7pm OR 4-8pm

Wine Tent - Corkscrews - serve wine!
Sunday July 19th - 1-5pm, 2-6pm, 3-7pm OR 4-8pm

Please let me know if you are interested in helping out and for which task and shift. Also please indicate which training session you plan to attend.

If interested in volunteering, email tara@westmichigancoop.com.

For more information see http://www.feltmansion.org!

Thanks!

Grand Rapids Water Festival

The Water Festival will take place on Saturday, June 20, at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids.

This festival celebrates the water that surrounds us here in Michigan and includes live music, speakers, workshops, and more. Come check it out!

For more information about the Grand Rapids Water Festival, please click here.

Local First Street Party

Local First's 6th Annual Street Party will take place on Saturday, June 13, beginning at 4:00 p.m. in front of Bistro Bella Vita in Grand Rapids.

Over 12,000 people are expected to attend this celebration of local food, local beer, and local music. Don't miss it!

For more information about the Street Party, and to view the band line-up, please click here.

"Food for Thought" - Local Food in West Michigan

Rapid Growth recently published an article titled, "Food for Thought," about Grand Rapids area restaurants and businesses that buy local food.

The article describes the benefits -- to the restaurants/businesses, local farmers, and the local economy in general -- of purchasing local food. It also notes how buying local food is a movement that is gaining momentum.

Click here to read the article.

Saugatuck Green Food Bluegrass Tickets Go On Sale

The following is a Press Release regarding the Green Food Bluegrass festival. The West Michigan Co-op is a sponsor of this event - many (if not most) of the foods served at the festival will be grown by our WMCo-op farmers.

Friends of the Felt Estate invite you, your friends, and your family to a bluegrass festival at the Felt Mansion on Sunday, July 19. Enjoy locally grown picnic fare as you listen to some of Michigan’s finest bluegrass bands.

The music begins at one o’clock with Full Cord and continues all afternoon with a new group taking the stage at the top of each hour: Who Hit John? at 2:00, Nobody’s Darlin’ at 3:00, Ruth and Max Bloomquist Band at 4:00, and Detour at 5:00. We invite you to stay for the main event at 6:00: the long awaited, much anticipated reunion of bluegrass legends Cabbage Crik. The band members may look a bit different these days, but a performance 30 years in the making is not to be missed! Judging from the sounds of their most recent rehearsal, they have only gotten better with time.

With all this good music and fresh air, you’re sure to have an appetite. Local vendors will be on hand to serve you food proudly grown by the farmers of the West Michigan Co-op. With everything from grilled chicken, bratwurst, pulled pork sandwich, or veggie pita, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

What about your thirst on a hot summer afternoon? New Holland Brewing Company, Saugatuck Brewing Company, Miller and Miller Lite, Fenn Valley Winery, and Corkscrews Winery are there to help you out. The Hudsonville High School Water Polo Team will also be sponsoring a tent stocked with non-alcoholic beverages.

Tickets for the first annual Saugatuck Green Food Bluegrass Festival go on sale Friday, May 1^st. You can buy tickets online (http://www.feltmansion.org/) or by visiting the Saugatuck-Douglas CVB, or the Holland Area CVB. Remember: buying tickets in advance saves you money as does packing your vehicle with four or more people!

All proceeds from the Green Food Bluegrass festival benefit the restoration and the LEED certification process for the Felt Estate. For more details about the event, and to purchase tickets, visit: www.feltmansion.org and click on the Green Food Bluegrass box. See you on Sunday, July 19!