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Activities
'Mater Mania Tomato Festival Returns to the Shore
Cedar Hill Marina & Park ~ August 17, 2008
Provident
Organic Farm, located in the scenic village of Bivalve, and the Lower
Eastern Shore Sustainable Organic Network (LESSON), will present ‘Mater
Mania, the third annual tomato festival, on Sunday August 17, 2008 from
3-6 p.m. at Cedar Hill Marina and Park. The suggested entry donation of
$5 per adult, and all proceeds, will benefit the Medora Harvest Fund.
The event will be held rain or shine.
Culinary delights will
include tomato tastings, a fresh-made salsa bar, and a Tomato Sandwich
Extravaganza, featuring sliced farm‑fresh tomatoes.
A
rainbow of juicy tomatoes, including many heirloom varieties, will
bedeck the tasting table. Come out and choose your favorites among
Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Orange Blossom, Green Zebra, Sun Gold,
Black Prince, Striped German, and Big Beef. Organically grown
tomatoes and other produce will be available for purchase.
Live
jazz, blues and folk music will be provided by local musicians. ‘Mater
Mania will also feature a silent auction, as well as children’s crafts
and other activities.
Located
on the picturesque Nanticoke River, Cedar Hill Marina
(www.CedarHillMarina.com) is Wicomico County’s largest public marina,
with two public boat ramps. Cooling breezes off the river, even in
August, are certain to enhance the variety of activities available,
that also include nature paths, canoeing/kayaking, ball fields, tennis,
basketball and horseshoes.
‘Mater
Mania is meant to be a fun and delicious day,” says event organizer Amy
Liebman. “Come out and ‘catch up’ with old friends! Best of all, it’s
for a good cause.”
Provident Organic Farm is a CSA (Community
Supported Agriculture) operation. CSA members invest in the farm’s
operating expenses in exchange for a weekly “share” of fresh, locally
grown produce, distributed from May through November. With the help of
a crew of volunteers, organic farmer, Jay Martin, oversees the farm,
which serves more than 200 families from Easton to Rehoboth. Besides
his work “down on the farm,” Martin believes in extending the farm’s
influence into the community via various outreach programs.
All proceeds from ‘Mater Mania will benefit the Medora Harvest Fund,
an initiative that provides fresh organic vegetables from Provident
Organic Farm to families in need. The fund honors the memory of a young
woman named Medora Cockey, an organic farming enthusiast who
volunteered at the farm before her sudden death in January 2004 of
autoimmune hepatitis at the age of 23. Medora possessed a passionate
faith in the ideals of organic farming: safe food, the use of renewable
resources, respect for the environment, and involvement in the growing
process. Provident Organic Farm’s partner nonprofit organization, the Lower Eastern Shore Sustainable Organic Network (LESSON), promotes such farming practices and manages the Medora Harvest Fund.
For more information about ‘Mater Mania, contact Katherine Munson at mater_mania@yahoo.com or 410-629-0446.
Directions:
From Route 50, take Nanticoke Rd (Rt 349) about 16 miles to Bivalve.
Cedar Hill Marina & Park is on the right.
3nd Annual 'Mater Mania'
Wow.
Another fabulous tomato festival in Bivalve. 'Mater Mania was
simply perfect this year. Fabulous music by the Folk Heroes,
Blue
Light Special and Watershed Blues, mouth watering tomatoes, scrumptious
sandwiches, and the best salsa on the Eastern Shore! More
than
200 folks attended, and together we grossed just under $3,000--surely
enough for four Medora Harvest Fund shares for next season.
Thanks everyone for making it a great event.
We
do not have words to thank all those who made this day such a
success. First and foremost, a special thank you goes to
Patti
Erickson, who headed up this amazing effort this year. And next there's
Jay Martin, of Provident Organic Farm, who harvested, shared, and
introduced us to all of those amazing 'maters.
Thank you to
all those musicians who made eating 'mater sandwiches that much more
delightful, and who really made this celebration of the tomato a true
festival. Thank you to Marjorie Hill for coordinating the
silent
auction and thanks to all who donated and participated in the
auction. Thank you to Loren Moriarty for being the sandwich
queen
and to Jane Hager for getting all of that salsa to
us.
Thanks to Kelly and Christina for always being there and helping the
crowd taste the awesome selection of tomatoes. Thank you to
all
of the amazing volunteers who helped so much on the day of the event,
by moving chairs and tables to the park, setting up tents, making
sandwiches, dishing out salsa, collecting donations and cleaning
up. And thank you to all who made the day even more
delicious with your amazing salsa.
Most of all, we were so
happy to see our wonderful community, including CSA members, come
together and enjoy the day!
For
those of you missed this great event, please join us next
year.
Even if you couldn't join us, we always welcome your donation to the
Medora Harvest Fund to support as many members as possible so that they
may participate in our CSA. Thank you!
Amy Liebman
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