With the assistance of Peggy Friday from The Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, we were able to successfully request the portion of 10th Avenue that is situated directly in front of our shop be blocked off. This change will allow a safer environment for those attending and also provide more space for additional vendors.
We also have worked together with the City of Rochelle to ask for picnic tables from the Park District. We are looking forward to our first market on June 28th as the Rochelle Golden K will be providing Italian Beef Sandwiches and Chili Dogs. You can also expect to see Ann Rice and crew from Three Angels whipping up their famous crepes! The picnic tables will certainly come in handy for those that would like to take a break from all the activities and sample some local fare.
We have also received the approval from the City of Rochelle to allow a wine tasting at the market. We have been in touch with several local wineries and are hopeful that we can acquire a wine and cheese distributor. Wine would be available for purchase by the bottle with an emphasis on wines from the area as well as wines that pair well with summer grilling.
While planning for the Outdoor Market, Sara and I discussed how important it is to involve the children in our community. To allow them a positive learning experience, each market will host a live demonstration. The demonstration will be free of charge and will be held at 12 noon under the shade tree in front of the house located on the corner of 10th Avenue and 8th St. Our first demonstration will be Dan Fitzpatrick, a local Beekeeper. Other anticipated demonstrations are summer bike safety & story telling. We are super excited to announce on June 28th, the Vince Carney Theater will be mingling with our guest dressed as Wizard of Oz Characters and also selling tickets for their upcoming play.
As always, if you have ideas on how we can improve the Outdoor Market or possible contacts for the live demonstrations or potential vendor information, please don't hesitate to reach out to Sara or myself. Please keep in mind those selling food must be licensed. We can be reached at 815.562.4159 or by email at thecypresshouse@hotmail.com. Since the markets are new last year there is a bit of a learning curve for us all and we welcome feedback.
The Cypress House will once again provide a produce booth. The produce is picked the night before the Outdoor Market. Some of the produce is grown at a small farm near Stillman Valley. Other produce comes from the local gardens here in Rochelle and we have another farm that we work with in Maple Park. All of the seasonal berries are hand picked by us from Granny's Berries right here in Rochelle. Last year the kale was extremely popular and the watermelon were amazing! We try our very best to keep the prices fair but keep in mind we are actually driving to the locations, spending several hours picking the produce and then cleaning the bounty. Its labor intense for us, not to mention the grower.
If you attended our market last year you may have picked up a small mason jar bouquet. Delighted to say that we will be arranging the bouquets again this year. Most of the bouquets are $20 and under and a great way to take a piece of nature home with you or pass along to a friend as a gift. Although we don't use local flowers, we do try to incorporate flowers that are in season. The posies are filled with interesting stems in variety of color schemes. We discovered the local bees LOVE our bouquets....
One final note before I move on to other vendors... We have decided to host a fundraiser this year, in hopes to raise money for our tiring 90 year old greenhouse. The greenhouse is located on the south side of our property. We would like to be able to install a new roof, add ventilation fans and build indoor seating for our espresso bar. Unfortunately, due to the age of the building, we haven't been able to work on the greenhouse. We felt it was necessary to replace the over 5000 square feet of tired roofs first. Not fun! At any rate, we will be selling Woody's Famous Caramel and Cheese Popcorn to try to help raise the funds to refurbish the only commercial greenhouse in town. What a lovely thought ... to be able to fully utilize the greenhouse to grow vegetables for the market and provide a cozy place to sip a latte on a blustery wintry day.
Cupcakes . Pottery . Vintage Items . Crepes . Strawberries . Herbal Salves & Lotions
LOCAL Produce . Haitian Jewelry . LOCAL Honey . Jams . Salsa
Natural Cleaning Products . Dry Rubs and Dips . BBQ Sauce . Hand-Made Items
Bird Food & Products . Body Scrubs & Products . Woody's Popcorn . Baked Treats
Organic Herbal-Based Products . Teas
Other Highlights:
Golden K serving lunch : Italian Beef Sandwiches & Chili Dogs
Wizard of Oz cast from VCCTLive Demonstration at Noon : Beekeeper, Dan Fitzpatrick
June 28 . July 26 . August 23 . September 27 . October 25
9-2p Rain or Shine
The Cypress House
718 10th Ave, Rochelle
We hope that you come out an experience our LOCAL Outdoor Markets this summer. There's nothing better than taking home fresh garden produce and creating a seasonal, healthy flavorful meal or discovering a hand made piece of pottery that fits perfectly in your kitchen windowsill. So take a break from the weekly stresses of life and bring the family out to discover Rochelle's Local Bounty!
