The Gathering: Coming Together Around Local Food

Join us for an interactive gathering that inspires and promotes a deeper understanding of how to engage in the local food system.

We are excited to work with Ag Ventures, North Iowa Corridor and One Vision to host the 2019 Gathering – Coming Together Around Local Food. Come explore all of the exciting activities, including:

The Market Place – Meet local food and farm businesses. Samples and product for sale.
Mini Workshops – Expand your knowledge of buying, using, and growing local food.
Kid’s Edition – Hands-on, educational activities will be available.

Vendors at the Market Place will include:

MARKET PLACE BUSINESS VENDORS
Agri-Cultured, Blossom St. Honey, Eagle Lake Gardens, Frisky Fox Vineyard & Winery, Furleigh Farm, Grand View Beef, Gym-N-Eat Crickets, LLC, Hazel Acres, Hoover Hatchery, Joia Food Farm, Limestone Brewers, Mossycup Farm, North Iowa Fresh, Purple Ribbon Beef, Red Shed Gardens, Reiff’s Farmstead, Simply Nourished, Timbukbru, The Thomas Farmstead, Twisted River Farm, and Wings & Things

MARKET PLACE RESOURCE PARTNER VENDORS
Ag Ventures Alliance, Clear Lake Farmers Market, Healthy Harvest of North Iowa, North Iowa Farmers Market, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Iowa Farmers Union, Iowa Nut Growers, Cerro Gordo County ISU Extension, Trees Forever, Local Foods – ISU Extension and Outreach and Ajay Nair, of ISU Horticulture Research Station.

MINI WORKSHOPS
Expand your knowledge of buying, using, and growing local food by attending one (or more!) of our 20-minute mini-workshop sessions. These sessions will be hosted by various partner organizations and businesses from throughout North Iowa.

Full Schedule is as follows:

9:00-9:20AM – Edible Landscaping w/Cerro Gordo County Dept. of Public Health
9:30-9:50AM – First Church Food Initiatives w/First Congregational Church of Mason City
10:00-10:20AM Cooking with Local Foods w/Chef Joshua Frederick
10:30-10:50AM – How to Buy Local Meat w/County Line Locker
11:00-11:20AM – Micro-greens for the Home Gardener w/Twisted River Farm
11:30-11:50AM – Charles City Edible Arboretum w/JOIA Food Farm
12:00-12:20PM – Healthy Harvest of NI Annual Mtg
12:30-12:50PM – Pie Crust Making Using Local Lard w/Apples on the Avenue
1:00-1:20 PM- A Nutty Demonstration w/Iowa Nut Growers

KIDS EDITION ACTIVITIES

Kids activities will be lead by the North Iowa Beekeepers Club, Central Gardens of North Iowa, and Gardeners of North Iowa.

Let us know you are coming by selecting “attending” on our Facebook event, and then share it with your friends!

Visit our Facebook Event

Sponsored in part by Visit Mason City – http://visitmasoncityiowa.com.

Special thanks to our lead sponsors: Ag Ventures Alliance and Alpha Media. Please enjoy these photos from our 2018 event: