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By jbrown
  The Bike Root, the Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers’ Market and the Arusha Centre present Dirt! The Movie (http://www.dirtthemovie.org/). We’re riding bikes, we’re meeting at a Farmers’ Market, and wow, we’re watching a movie about soil and food production. Could we get anymore ‘local’? Yes, but this evening should suffice. Let us be merry, build strong hamstrings, and learn more about that thin layer of soil with which we depend on….
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A gentle bike ride around the Bow River will begin at 7:30pm, starting at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Centre. (p.s. Be sure to check out the farmers’ market right before!). Join us for that, or just meet us for the movie at 9pm.
Popcorn and beverages will be provided for hungry movie-watchers. The event is free to the public, so bring your friends too!
By maria
 Wow, yesterday’s market was hot, hot, hot! Our sun and salsa farmers’ market drew over 1200 patrons, who tasted over 17 varieties of gourmet salsas, listened to some smoking live latin tunes, and of course, enjoyed our largest number of vendors at market to date!
Celebrity judges Jay Michi, Executive Director of the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association, Ward 7 Alderman Druh Farrell and Kensington BRZ Executive Director Annie MacInnis had their work cut out for them – our vendors really outdid themselves with the salsa! At the end, -Shef of Pure Indulgent Foods took home top honours for the salsa competition, with Honorable Mention to both Route 40 and Sham’s Kitchen. Through this event, our not for profit market was able to help out another two not for profits – over $200 was raised for the Brenda Strafford Centre and Brown Bagging It For Calgary’s Kids.
Gracias especiales to Oliver Miguel and Juan Luis for their lively entertainment, to Ald. Druh Farrell, Executive Director Annie MacInnis, and Executive Director Jay Michi for their salsa tasting acumen, Old Dutch for the tortilla donation, to Reye Leduc for the last minute DJing and impromptu lesson giving, and, definitely, to the handful of unsung volunteers who made yesterday a fantastic market. Check out some photos on Flickr. ¡Hasta la vez próxima!
By maria
 UPDATED!
Tomorrow’s weather forecast calls for Sun – and Salsa!
Hey everyone, get your tastebuds ready – the Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers’ Market is hosting its very own salsa tasting competition this Wednesday! As a ramp up to this weekend’s big Sun and Salsa Festival in Kensington, we are having over 17 of our vendors compete with their very special, somewhat secret, but definitely spectacular salsa recipes. We will have local celebrity judges and live music, featuring Oliver Miguel & Friends and Juan Luis! Buy tortillas at the HSCA booth to raise money for the Brenda Strafford Centre and Brown Bagging It for Calgary’s Kids.
And, of course, the market itself – hello summer and fruity goodness – organic peaches, apricots and Rainier cherries! Come on down for a good cause and a whole lot of fun!
By maria
 Today’s market only – not only do we have our usual bounty of local vendors, new with kettle corn, fresh peas, and cherries, BUT we have a free concert for you. If you haven’t already heard, it’s the first night of Toboggan Peninsula: Calgary’s Littlest Music Festival. This three-night series of concerts sandwiched perfectly between the mega-music festival Sled Island and the Calgary Stampede, promises to be an exciting and engaging bite-sized music festival with something for everyone. Entrance to all three nights of music is free for HSCA Members and all others will only need to pay a suggested $5 donation (Calgary Dollars accepted) and/or a food bank donation.
Here’s a quick peek at tonight’s Line-up:
Wednesday, July 7 – An evening of Latin, Eclectic Folk and Music of the Americas hosted by Mr. Nathan M. Godfrey (Host of CJSW 90.9 FM’s Via Lactea Caboose on Sunday’s at 1pm). Nathan will be performing with a series of special guests.
(This night is for 18 and over and is open to members of the Association and invited guests. To find out more information about how to become a member or how you can get involved with this event visit www.hillhurstsunnyside.org or contact us directly 403-283-0554)
By maria
 This Wednesday, June 30, we are celebrating alternate forms of transportation with our Car Free Market! Walk, bike, skate, ride transit or carpool over to the Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers’ Market for some fun times.
Car Free Market Day Features:
- We pay for your ride home: free transit tickets to shoppers who bring a current transit stub
- Get your bike tuned up for free while you shop (donations welcome)
- We’ll help you haul your groceries from the farmers market to the Sunnyside LRT station or nearby location with free pedicab service
- Be sure to mark how far you’ve travelled to the market from without a car on our large Calgary map
- Calculate your ecological footprint using the personal ecoFootprint calculator and Translink travel calculator online to measure the impact of your travel choices
- Win superb door prizes: sturdy shopping bags, bike stuff, walking stuff, rolling shopping carts
About the Films:
To COSTCO and IKEA Without a Car (5 min: 20 seconds) is the first in a trilogy of three short documentary films exploring different aspects of living without a vehicle by Calgary filmmaker, Peter Tombrowski. This first film follows writer/director Tombrowski on a trip one evening as he gets groceries from Costco and a sewing table from Ikea – without the use of a vehicle. Using imagery and sound, the short film is confined to Antonin Dvorak’s five-minute classical composition, “Slavonic Dance in C” and enticingly scratches the surface of a family’s life without a car. This film is carbon-neutral.
Sacred Pavement (8 min; 30 seconds) is the second in a trilogy of three short documentary films exploring different aspects of living without a vehicle by Calgary filmmaker, Peter Tombrowski. This eight-minute film is an artistic and experimental piece set entirely to Gustav Holst’s “Mars” (from The Planets Suite). Director Tombrowski takes us on a visual and aural journey documenting twenty-four hours in the life of pavement in the city. Tombrowski also explores the lifecycle of a road: from its tarry, hot creation to its overgrown, abandoned ending. Pavement, roads, and parking lots have transformed the look of our earth and we seemingly take them granted. Tombrowski offers a different perspective of pavement, having lived without a vehicle for over a decade and having spent a considerable amount of time walking on sidewalks versus driving on its neighbour, the ostensibly “sacred” pavement. This film is carbon-neutral.
Daily errands such as grocery purchasing can account for a large part of driving expenditures, and we want to show people it can be done without a car.
Many thanks to our sponsors The City of Calgary Community EcoFootprint Program, ConocoPhilips, and friends at Lifesport and Bike Root.
 
By maria
 We finally had a sunny day at the market yesterday, to the delight of vendors and customers alike. It was warm and dry enough to bring out our face painter, bouncy castle, and, our youngest vendors – selling small bouquets of freshly picked dandelions! Our young entrepreneurs graciously donated their earnings back to the community centre later in the day, and treated themselves to some market cookies for a job well done.
Did you know that any youth 14 or under can have a free booth at our Farmers’ Market? Put on your thinking caps and get making, baking, or growing! Check our vendor info here.
This week we welcomed Highwood Valley Ranch and their Ranch-raised Angus beef, as well as Kel-lee’s Greenhouses with their wonderful cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes.
Strap on your runners – next week, we celebrate CAR FREE MARKET (more on that soon!).
By maria
 After another week of Calgary coldness the weather finally cooperated to give us a warm day to kick off the market! Thanks to our wonderful vendors who attended yesterday – many of the produce vendors sold out, which is always great for them. Many many people came out to see the new market and to enjoy the cool tunes of the Steve Pineo Trio and the Sunnyside Garage Band, and of course, the bouncy castle and balloons were a great hit with the under 14 crowd.
While I spent most of my time barraged by a steady stream of children waiting patiently for balloons, I did have time to come up for air every once in a while and chat a bit with people. I had one customer come to me and ask “why isn’t there more veggies and fruit?”, and I had answered, “well, veggies are just starting to come up now, and the fruit will be coming a bit later.” I realized as I talked to her about something which I thought was quite obvious, but what many people must not realize immediately, is that because our market is very much oriented towards supporting local farmers (Alberta first, then BC, with a preference for organics), several of our vendors who have signed on are still waiting for their product to come out of the ground! I suppose anyone frequenting other “farmers” markets around here might have expected an abundance of lush fruits and veggies, but alas (or hurray, depending on your perspective), it is Alberta, and it is tender greens season!
Strange as it may sound, we have actually turned down some produce vendors because they do not fit our new criteria. I have to say that I have personally learned quite a bit about the food I buy through volunteering for this market. Some vendors who I previously thought sold “good, clean, fair” produce, I learned actually spray their crops and use pesticides, chemical growth enhancers, etc.
So, while I eagerly await our delectable strawberries (AB) and organic cherries (BC) patiently, I will go make myself a delightful dandelion salad  Next week we also hope to bring in ready to eat food vendors. If you know of anyone who makes delicious meals, send them our way. Talk to your favourite food vendors around town and tell them you want to see them at Hillhurst Sunnyside!
Enjoy some more pics of opening day here.
By jbrown
The official opening day for the new and improved Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers’ Market begins Wednesday, June 2nd from 3:30 to 7:30 pm.
To celebrate a wonderful growing season and the opportunity for local consumers to meet and interact with local producers, the Steve Pineo Trio will be providing some sweet tunes.
In case you are curious about the variety of quality vendors on-site for the season, the following is a list of the vendors to date which market goers can expect for the first market day!
Blue Mountain Bio-Dynamic Farms
Ravenwood Ranch
Hollyberry Soaps
jennchic cooks
M.A.D. Crafters
en Santé Winery
Michelle’s Market
My Grandma’s House
Noble Gardens
Pure Indulgent Foods
Route 40 Soup Company
Spanish Kitchen/Lou Marie’s
Tall Tree Shop
Thai Manna
Valta Bison Farms
Watermill Bakery
Everything from grass-fed beefs, local veggies, organic BC fruit to eggs, cookies, whole grain breads,handmade crafts and jewelery will be at the Farmers’ Market with more vendors making their debut as the season progresses.
Also, mark your calendars for these special event days:
June 2nd- Opening Day!
June 30th- Car-Free Day
July 21st- Sun ‘n Salsa Festival
August 11th- Kids’ Market
Sept 8th- Seniors’ Market
Sept 29th- Harvest Market
Oct 6th- Closing Market
Cool beans!
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The Bike Root, the Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers’ Market and the Arusha Centre present Dirt! The Movie (http://www.dirtthemovie.org/). We’re riding bikes, we’re meeting at a Farmers’ Market, and wow, we’re watching a movie about soil and food production. Could we get anymore ‘local’? Yes, but this evening should suffice. Let us be merry, build strong hamstrings, and learn more about that thin layer of soil with which we depend on….
