Five Years Old, Five Years Young
“Yes, it really has been five years already!” is a phrase I’ve heard repeated around the Co-op a lot these past few months in response to inquiries about our five year anniversary. At this young age, maybe ‘birthday’ is a more fitting term than anniversary! But yes, five years… Five years of working with local farmers and food producers; five years of providing steady jobs; five years of offering good, local food; five years of networking and cooperating for the benefit of the community. Thank you to everyone for coming together under the banner of cooperation and accomplishing so much in a the past five years!
We celebrated our five year milestone on Saturday, October 8th with music, games, food, cake, and community. Kathryn Casternovia and Jef Ramsey, the musical duo Blades of Grass, played a sweet selection of bluegrass, providing a relaxed ambiance and entertainment for anyone who wasn’t too distracted by all the great food samples or delicious cake!
Vendors enticed attendees with samples: grilled skewers of Smart Chicken, crumbles of Cheesorizo vegetarian cheese sausage, a selection of Rogue Creamery cheeses, gluten free desserts from Silly Zak’s, hummus from Ton Ton’s Artisan Affections, ferments from Pickled Planet, salsa from Melissa’s Tasty Vegan Creations, Revive Kombucha, Rosa’s Hibiscus Teas, Sappo Hill soaps, and wines from Quady North and La Riojana. And then there was cake (because every celebration needs cake!): gluten-free carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a rich, vegan chocolate cake.
In an attempt to keep everyone out of a cake coma, we offered a variety of family-friendly activities, and folks of all ages took part. We tossed tomatoes and bean bags, bowled pumpkins, raced eggs precariously balanced on spoons, and posed for the camera for the Co-op photo op!
Thank you again to everyone who has helped to shape and guide the co-op throughout the past five years. We are five years old, and five years young – for our future is bright and there is so much more we hope to achieve!
“At the age of five, reasoning and wisdom begin to take shape.” - P.P. Ghosh
