SANGERVILLE — The tradition of farming and the opportunities of the internet are being celebrated by the farmers of the East Sangerville Grange, as they announce the opening of their online farmers’ market — the Maine Highlands Farmers’ Market. When the COVID-19 pandemic required social distancing and people began to limit their in-person shopping trips, the East Sangerville Grange farmers began to problem-solve solutions to make their locally sourced produce and products available to the public in a safe, efficient manner.
Over many weeks, the Grange farmers met regularly on Zoom to discuss the possibilities. It quickly became clear that an internet-based farmers’ market would offer customers the ability to remain safely at home while shopping “at” a variety of farms in an online market. The customers would be able to support local farms, while the farmers would be able to provide much-needed, locally produced items to the public. And thus, with the full support of the East Sangerville Grange members, the online Maine Highlands Farmers’ Market was created.
The market had a successful soft opening on the weekend of July 11-12, with the help of their fellow Grange members as their first customers. Now the online market is opening to the general public at mainehighlandsfarmersmarket.com, where customers can explore the offerings of several local farm vendors. Brooke Isham, from Lomah LLC, one of the participating farms said, “Products will range from fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, to meats, honey, cheeses and soaps. Our farmers will update their individual pages on the Market website as products become available.”
Isham noted, “Shoppers will be able to add items to their cart from one, two or all the market farms in the same way they would buy items at a traditional farmers’ market, but now they can shop from home.”
Customers will be able to browse the various farm pages on the market website during the week. Orders will be allowed from 8 a.m. on Saturday through Sunday at 8 p.m., with payments completed on the website through Paypal. Customers will be able pick up their orders, using their reusable shopping bags, at the American Legion Hall in Dover-Foxcroft on Tuesdays between 4 and 6 p.m.
The farmers of old may not have dreamt of something like the online Maine Highlands Farmers’ Market, but they’d certainly appreciate the effort to provide the community a safe, convenient method of buying food and products from a wide range of local farms. Now the local shopper can visit several local farms from across the region within minutes and buy a variety of items from the comfort of the family couch.
The cemetery tour with local historian Tom Goulette will be held at the Lawn Cemetery on the left side of Route 15 (Elm Street) heading west at 6:30 pm and will include the mystery of the lost cremains.
Thanks to the Red Maple Inn for providing the bounce house and live music and to the town of Guilford for providing the masks and sanitizer.
The Guilford Memorial Library will host a book sale on from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Masks will be required and social distancing will be observed.
Opening night for the Center Theatre’s latest production “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare” (abridged)[revised] is Friday, Nov. 6. The show will be performed live at the Center Theatre, following all state and federal safety guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but will also be streamed live on-line for those that don’t feel comfortable coming to the Theatre in person.
The play, written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, is a hilarious comedy in which three energetic actors perform all of the works of William Shakespeare in only 90 minutes. The production promises to deliver some much needed laughs, according to the Center Theatre’s Executive Director Patrick Myers.
"2020 has left us all needing to laugh a little …or maybe a lot…and enjoy live Theatre,” Myers said, “This show with these talented actors will certainly let you forget about your troubles for awhile.” Myers also said that the Center Theatre is doing everything required to make the live performances safe for actors, patrons, volunteers and staff.
“We specifically chose this production because of the small cast size,” Myers stated, “It made it easier to keep actors safe during rehearsals and performances. We will have a maximum of 50 people in the audience per show, and attendees will be required to wear masks while they are not eating concessions in the auditorium. The Theatre will also be thoroughly cleaning the facility between performances, ensuring outside air is circulated through the auditorium at all times, separating groups in the auditorium to enforce distancing, and other measures to make sure everyone feels safe attending the show.”
However, the performances will also be streamed live on-line for people who want to see the show, but do not want to attend a live in-person event.
The show will be performed from Nov. 6-14 and tickets for the live show or livestream are both available at Center Theatre.org. The Center Theatre is 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to make arts, education and entertainment accessible to our rural communities to engage and inspire.