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Party just beginning.
Dana and Hosea working hard in the kitchen.
Tom Twigg, Wes Blizzard, Tom Marshall admiring Richard Kooyman's artwork.
Our band, Song of the Lakes
A view of the silent auction items.
Our youngest guest!
Guests viewing Melanie's painting.
Richard Kooyman and Melanie Parke who turned Big Blue into a spectacular gallery.
Sharon Blizzard snapping a picture of winner of scooter, Tom Twigg doing a test drive of his new toy.
Auctioneer Tom Marshall.
Don Coe and Chris MacInnes discussing Black Star Wine.
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Learn more about an interesting volunteer who was visiting Benzie county for the first time and offered to help out at our event. Follow her adventures on her blog, listed above. |
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Marc Rosseels, our master of ceremonies did a great job of keeping us informed as to what would happen next.
Chef Hosea preparing shrimp gazpacho.
Katie Howard modeled the necklace donated by Becky Thatcher.
Visiting the greenhouses.
Visiting the Sewing room in the walkout basement of the house.
The view from the hill.
Receiving a Crystal Garden plant.
Kathy Schultz with just a few drink tickets!
Black Star Farms
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If you would like a copy of any of these pictures, please contact Conrad Hopkins Photography. 480 797 7096
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Thank you Benzie County
Grow Benzie is a gift - to the community, for the community, from the community -
Last weekend's Big Event "Ho" Down was a demonstration of the community's generousity toward issues it feels need to be addressed.
Thank you.
The support is too broad to cite individually - hours of work, gifts in kind, dollars, emotional attachment to the cause, simply a kind word.
 Thank you. Not everyone has the same focus of interest - for some it may be the future - healthy children, the environment, the well being of the planet. For others, it is the present -addressing issues of helping people help themselves regain control of their lives. . . but we all hope to give back and make our Benzie a better place to serve our common needs.
Our country was built on community spirit - A barn to raise, a call to service, a response to changing needs. Hopefully in our common vision for Grow Benzie you find a place of comfort for you to give back to others.
Thank you.
We all agree these are the lands and lakes we love.
Thank you
for your support that allows Grow Benzie to serve you.
Growing Healthier Children in Benzie County |
| With tremendous thanks to Dave Query, Hosea Rosenberg, Melanie Parke, and Richard Kooyman whose tireless and selfless efforts created this superb event for Grow Benzie.
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Dear Friends,
I want to thank all of you who support GROW BENZIE and those of you who attended the fundraising event on Saturday, July 24th. It was a privilege to be able to help stage that event and the attendance of TOP CHEF'S Hosea Rosenberg made it that much more memorable. Our goal with the menu was to source as much local product as possible and allow the dinner to showcase the amazing bounty that Benzie and surrounding communities have to offer.
There were many people who donated a large amount of time to make the event go smoothly, and many others who donated product and services in support of the evening. I would like to call attention to all the farmers, vendors, and entirely generous people who gave to make the event a success.
Donors
These folks generously donated at no cost, their products to help make this evening happen.
Stone House Bread, Traverse City - Manager Paul Huffman. This was a huge donation of bread to the event. Please reach for Stone House next time you are shopping in the market or visit their Bakery in Sutton's Bay.
Long time Crystal Laker Steve Savage who owns Ellie's Eco Home Store, Boulder. All of the disposable, compostable dinner and glassware and cutlery. Steve generously offered to furnish all of these disposable products and paid for the shipping to send them out from Boulder.
The Michigan Pork Council. Chef Hosea Rosenberg is on the National Pork Council and arranged for the Michigan Chapter to pay the local pig farmers for all the pork we ate that evening. Chef Jim Barnes, Frankfort - Crystal Catering Company. A huge standing ovation to Jim for allowing us to use his kitchen, equipment, grills, time, wisdom, expertise and craft. He was the last one at the event that night helping us clean and gather equipment well into the early morning while never losing that sideways smile and great energy. Any time you have a catering or special events need, please call Jim at: 231-352-9460.
Mike and Rose Bradley- East Shore Marina, Frankfort. Local Salmon. Hilltop Ice Cream, Benzonia. Chris and Victoria Mekas. Fresh made lavender ice cream. I would have to say that the dinner was really delicious, but that ice cream, with those blueberries and that maple infused honey was so good that I took two and smeared the second one in my hair. Next time you load the family into the car for ice cream, drive to Hill Top and show Mike and Victoria the LOVE. Glacia Icebox Water for generously supplying a huge pallet of individual water containers for both nights of our event and introducing us to 100% recyclable packaging. Learn more about them at www.iceboxwater.com
And a special and forever big thank you to the lovely Dana Faulk for spending the last few days of a precious vacation organizing and making sure the dining room and bars went off without a hitch and to the Mike and Anne Query family for jumping in with the boys elbows deep and doing whatever it took.
Thanks, too, to Brooke Mallory.
Contributors
These local folks with their great local products made it possible through generous discounts, rebates and summertime love for us to use their goods this evening.
Port City Smokehouse, Frankfort. The owner Mike lwell, and Fred, his man in the kitchen were so generous and gave us a 20%discount. The whole crew at Port City is amazing. They supplied fresh smoked cherry sausage, smoked white fish, salmon, shrimp (all right, we stretched outside the region on that one) and they even took in the keg that was delivered and let us store it in the walk-in. These guys went WAY above and beyond to help out GROW BENZIE. I am sure you all have been there but make sure and keep Port City in the top of your mind when sending Christmas and Holiday gifts this year. They have a great website and ship anywhere in the country. www.portcitysmokehouse.com
Goshen Farm, Pennie and Chris Halpin . Delicious pork shoulder.
Artisanal goat milk cheeses: Farmers, Feta and Chevre, Amazing lettuce greens. They are at the Frankfort and Elberta Farmers Markets every week.
Gallagher's Centennial Farm, Traverse City. More delicious pork shoulder. And they have a huge butcher program. They are at Elberta and Frankfort markets every week.
Bakers Green Acres, Marion. Mark Baker.Yet more delicious pork.
Miller Family Farm, Manton. Aaron Miller. Heirloom tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers
Ed Bielat, Ed's Place, Manistee. Basil, lettuces, zucchini. Gave us SO MUCH delicious produce at next to nothing in cost. He is at both the Elberta and Frankfort markets. Stop by and talk to Ed. He'll make you smile the rest of the day.
Crescent City Bakery, Frankfort. Baguettes.
The Market Basket, Beulah. Downstate corn. Gave us a great discount. Go early and often!!!
Black Star Farms, Traverse City. Don and Malu Coe and Coryn Briggs. Black Star provided Don and Mary Lou to pour for us the night of the event and then made an almost $400 donation to the cause of GROW BENZIE!!! Next time you are looking for a bottle of vino, please guide your hands to a bottle of Black Star.
Loving Dove Farm, Arcadia. Radishes (donation) gorgeous flame radishes.
Frankfort Community Kitchen
Additional produce was purchased from the following local farms so that we, while trying to raise money, are also spreading it back through the community:
· Oscana Farm - The very last sweet cherries of the
season.
· Fawncrest Farms-Onekama. Blueberries and
potatoes.
· Brown's Orchards - Honey and maple syrup.
· Five Springs Farm - Pierport. Herbs and edible
flowers.
· Cherry Capital Foods - TC. Fennel and Picnic Hams
(more pork!!!)
· Lutz Farm - Kaleva. Cilantro
· Golden Rule Farm - Kaleva. Heirloom tomatoes.
A very huge and Special Thanks to Cindy Lannin for all of her help sourcing farm goods and always answering her phone.
Thank you to all the volunteers the evening of the event. We couldn't have done it without you"
Thank you all again for your continued support of GROW BENZIE. The goals are lofty and we need your help to succeed. All of the people involved have a true passion for what the mission is all about and are working very hard to see it become a reality. Your support and vocal advocacy will help this Farmstead School and Community Center to become a real asset to the Benzie Region.
Cheers.
Dave Query
Dave Query at the grill with Jim Barnes assisting. |
Save your dates for next year - last full weekend in July -
Jul 29-31, 2011 - this year it was "The Big Event" next year it is "The Happening" .
Get ready.
We are going "rest" the newsletters a little bit and focus on major programs and broadening our base of support.
If you want to be more involved, or know people who do, please get in contact with us via signing up on our website
www.growbenzie.org or email us at growbenzie@gmail.com. There will be a membership drive shortly with multiple levels of membership and there will be a Capital Fund Drive directed at restoring the Greenhouses before Winter, finishing the teaching kitchen, and program support..
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