Greenbelters Get Social over Ice Cream

The Greenbelt Farmers Market will be closed Sunday due to the storm caused by Hurricane Irene. They'll also be closed next week while the Labor Day Festival is taking place and reopen on Sunday, Sept. 11.

Though, closed this week, last Saturday, under quite different skies, they held a special fundraiser.

It was a hot and hazy day with temperatures hitting above 90 degrees, and the Greenbelt Farmers Market volunteer board dished up some delicious treats at its Farmers Market Ice Cream Social.

The fundraiser, held outside at the Greenbelt Community Church, featured tasty treats from the Farmers Market and local vendors as well as entertainment from the Eleanor Roosevelt High School Dixieland Combo.

Greenbelt Farmers Market supporters sampled ice cream from Bowie-based , fresh peaches from Three Springs Fruit Farm, Italian cookies from Silver Spring’s Woodmoor Pastry Shop, and iced decaf and regular coffee from Baltimore-based Zeke’s Coffee. In addition, the Shlagel family of in Waldorf, Maryland, donated the funds for ten children’s tickets, so more young people could attend the festivities.

Children raced around on the grass, and friends and neighbors chatted as five talented musicians—all juniors and seniors—from Eleanor Roosevelt High School entertained the crowd with Dixieland standards such as “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

The Dixieland Combo musicians, who basically played for ice cream, were Tad Howley and Josh Nichols on trombone; Nick Ey on clarinet; Steven Cable on trumpet; and Philip Kirk on tenor sax.

It truly took a village to put on this benefit. Farmers Market board volunteers Kim Rush Lynch and Jennifer Errick emphasized that most of the food was donated by the farms and businesses and the Community Church lent the benefit organizers the use of chairs, storage space and kitchen facilities.

Though the Farmers Market is a volunteer-run organization, according to its website, it faces a budget shortfall of approximately $1,500.

Rather than raise prices on the its vendors, the Farmers Market Board raises funds to make up the shortfall, in addition to gaining some extra money to improve market advertising and signage and offer expanded chef demonstrations, children’s activities and entertainment. 

If you missed the ice cream social, but would still like to donate, on Sundays, the Farmers Market information table has magnets for $5 donors, T-shirts for $20 donors, fold-away tote bags for $30 donors, and deep gratitude for everyone who supports the market.