Route 1 Farmers Market & Bazaar

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Market Openings: Saturdays 8am to 2pm

Through September 27

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Gateway Community Development Corporation (CDC) presents the Route 1 Farmers Market and Bazaar starting Friday, June 6 and operating through Saturday, September 27, 2014. Regional farmers, vendors and artists are participating in a creative placemaking effort to improve the quality of life for the residential, business and artist communities by activating space through a community revitalization project centered on the arts.

The former B&J auto lot at 4100 Rhode Island Avenue, in Brentwood, MD, will be the venue for art installations, art education and environmental workshops, chef demos and music. On site, the property will have a mobile beer garden lab, sunflower field, hops and chard garden, rain collection installations, murals and other public art. The market will provide access to fresh produce, family activities for all ages, and handmade products from regional crafters and artists.

Located in the Prince George’s County Gateway Arts District, the Brentwood site is currently owned by the Redevelopment Authority of Prince George’s County (RDA) and slated for development by Landex Companies. “The Redevelopment Authority is pleased to support this effort that truly demonstrates how creative place making enhances community development efforts” states RDA Executive Director, Howard Ways.

“June is a great month for Brentwood” says Brentwood Mayor Jim Cooksey, “Not only are we celebrating Brentwood Day on Saturday, June 7th but we are also kicking off a farmers market that will certainly create place and will bring attention to the heart of the Gateway Arts District.”

Creative place making is where public, private, not-for-profit, and community stakeholders partner to transform the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, tribe, city, or region around arts and cultural activities. “The Route 1 Farmers Market and Bazaar is a great vehicle to showcase our artists, to bring to our community fresh produce, to provide area families with a local destination to enjoy free art education, chef demos and environmental workshops” says Gateway Executive Director Carole Bernard. “Following the national trend of creative place making, we are excited to model this trend in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.”

Market Activities:

• The Twilight Market: First Fridays of the month, 4pm-8pm. This evening market serves as a destination spot for singles, girls’ night/friends’ night/parent night/partner night outings. Crepes, wine sampling and music will be showcased.

Operating Hours:

• Every Saturday, 8am-2pm

Participating Farmers:

• Valencia’s Produce
• Great Backyard Garden
• Commonweal Farm

Chef Demos:

• Local chefs Kathy McNeely
• Stephanie Parker

Music by local bands and musicians:

• Wytold
• Eddy Beat
• Reginald Jazz
• Big Bright

Participating Artists & Projects:

• Sunflower harvesting with Mike Turner
• Homebrewing beer with Catalog Brewing with Patrick McDonough and Kenny George
• Rain water collection with local artist J.J. McCracken
• Flower bombs and topiary art installation with Becky Borlan
• Town Spirit workshop with local artist Ellyn Weiss
• Collaborative art making with Susan Kleps
• Teen Camp “Going Public!” mural project with local organization Art Works Now

The Route 1 Farmers Market and Bazaar is generously supported by: Prince George’s County Redevlopment Authority, Landex Companies, Art Lives Here, Community Forklift, and The Maryland–National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Information about the market can be found at: www.rt1farmersmarket.com. Two grand openings are scheduled for Friday, June 6 2014 at 4:00pm and on Saturday, June 7 at 9:00am.

Background: Gateway Community Development Corporation (CDC) is spearheading this project as part of the Art Lives Here initiative, a visibility campaign funded by ArtPlace America to Joe’s Movement Emporium. The campaign supports artists and area businesses through audience development, strategic branding, and programming in the towns of Brentwood and North Brentwood and the cities of Mount Rainier and Hyattsville in the Gateway Arts District.

About Gateway CDC: Gateway Community Development Corporation drives economic revitalization along the U.S. Route 1 Corridor through business and neighborhood development initiatives, including promotion of the arts as a community-building strategy. Gateway CDC works within the communities of Brentwood, North Brentwood, and Mount Rainier, Maryland, and in collaboration with multiple partners to ensure the success of the entire Gateway Arts District. Gateway CDC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in North Brentwood, Prince George’s County, Maryland.

For more information about Gateway CDC, visit www.gatewaycdc.org.

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