It’s Thanksgiving Day! House cleaned – check; football schedule synched with dinnertime – check; turkey synched with the football schedule – check; the guests due in an hour – check, check, check. It’s nothing but net…until…you open the cupboard and realize you forgot to buy the rolls, the wine, beer and cider, all the ingredients for that family favorite casserole, the potatoes, the cheese and fruit, and the pies, lordy, the PIES!! YIKES!
Then you wake up and remember that Saturday is Nov. 18th, you still have 5 days ’til Uncle Ted arrives, and the Lansdowne Farmers Market is having its annual Thanksgiving Bonus Bonanza. Almost all of our vendors, with everything you need to fill every pot, table and tummy, will be waiting for you there.
So get there…but first, you might want to make a list, so that you don’t forget the….well, just don’t forget the pies.
By now there’s no need to tell you about the whys and the hows, and especially the whats of the LFM. You’ve just had 6 months of old favorites and new finds to add to your list of gotta haves. And don’t forget that we’ll be back, in abbreviated form, every third Saturday from Dec to April, 10 am to noon to keep you stocked up all winter long with prepared foods and non-perishables.
But just because the Market is going into semi-hibernation doesn’t mean you should. Not with all of the action that’ll be going on along the Avenue and around the town to take you right through the holidays. Keep looking for and reading the LEDC newsletters for reminders, and to link to the calendar of events. Here’s just a preview:
Nov 18: Pre-Thanksgiving Farmers Market…same time (9am – 1pm), same place. See you there!
Nov 23: Thanksgiving Day! We’ll pause here to let you enjoy your family and friends…and the pie. Go on. We’ll wait.
Nov. 24 and 25th: A Bit of the Arts at the 20th Century Club: Forget Black Friday. Forget mall traffic. ABOTA is the perfect spot to get a jump on your holiday shopping, with high-end crafts and original art. Don’t be that person that shops with one click then worries that the gift won’t arrive in time. Support our community and our local craftspeople. Most of the vendors you’ll find at A Bit of the Arts live in or have a connection to Lansdowne, so it’s a perfect tie-in to:
Nov 25: Shop Small in Lansdowne Saturday. After ABOTA, you might want to wander on down to the center of town to grab a bite to eat at one of our growing number of eateries, and stay for the LBPA’s annual tree lighting, complete with a visit from Santa and hot chocolate! 6:30 to 8:00pm.
Dec 2: Holiday Sides Pot Luck at the Landing, which loosely translated means how to get all those tempting spoonfuls of this and bowls full of that out of your fridge and into the universe. We’ll know just what to do with them! Bring a chair; bring a plate, bring a friend.
Dec. 9 & 10: Pop-Up Gift Shop. 32 E. Baltimore Ave…10am to 6pm
Yet another opportunity to make some significant headway on that holiday gift list, with some of our favorite vendors and local artists waiting for you there (and we can even supply the gift wrap!) This event is part of the launch of the corner landmark Noel Schmidt building into the new home of the LEDC and creative entrepreneurial studio space. You’ll want to go just to see what they’ve done to the place.
I think that covers it, at least at this writing. Be sure to keep checking your emails and the LEDC calendar of events for any yet-to-be-announced, or even dreamed-up, events between now and New Year’s.
Before I go…on a more serious note, as we head into this most uniquely American holiday, I ask once again that you remember those in our midst who may not have quite so much to be thankful for, and therefore are supremely grateful for the little that they receive. I’d like to thank all of the good folks who dropped a dollar or two into the Community Cupboard jar during this past season. And remind you that: the jar will be in its usual spot at this final market, but with a special intention:
This November marks 5 years since Lansdowne’s own Tom and Marie Connell of My House Cookies lost their beloved son, Rory. In memory and celebration of his life, they would deeply appreciate all donations during this Thanksgiving market be made in his honor.
Wishing one and all a very special Thanksgiving. I’ll be looking for you around town. Please stop to say hello.
-Terry Baraldi, Feeling Grateful
P.S.: Something to do while digesting that bird: Barry Levinson’s 1990 film, Avalon, with Lou Jacobi and Joan Plowright. I dare you not to relate to at least a half-dozen of the characters in this funny/poignant portrait of a family. And lookie here… it’s free on youtube! You’re welcome!