Haystacks, wheelbarrows and colorful leaves decorated the Boston Public Market on October 17th in celebration of the 7th Annual Harvest Party. Vendors dotted the venue selling everything from ice cream to custom scented candles. Attendees danced to live music, took photos next to giant pumpkins, and sampled a variety of food and drink options.
“This is truly a team effort,” said Chelsea Dolinar, chief marketing and engagement officer for the Boston Public Market Association. “We have a great team and a great group of vendors.”
The party featured vendor Laurel Greenfield Art, a retail painting studio by Laurel Greenfield that sells “colorful modern home-made art.”
“It was a great opportunity to reach new people,” Greenfield said. “Especially downtown, you can connect with locals as well as people visiting from other cities.”
“I love that all of the owners of each business are really committed. These are all truly local businesses,” Greenfield said.
Extensive partnerships with markets and sponsors will also bring new faces to the Harvest Party Bash.
“It just brings the community together,” said Emily McGrail, youth education program manager for the Red Sox Foundation, one of the event’s sponsors.
Harvest Bash showcases the vibrant Greater Boston community with live music by local band Fuller and Friends. Dancing and laughter could be heard from every corner of the market as people sampled everything the market had to offer. There was a long line outside 100 Hanover Street even before the doors opened at 7 p.m. A few people gathered to get a glimpse of the excitement.
In addition to its popularity, Boston Public Market also serves a great cause.
“Boston Public Market is an incredible organization that promotes healthy food and food products in our neighborhoods,” said Yves Boujoly, Red Sox Foundation Education Coordinator.
Tickets to the Boston Public Market Harvest Bash will be donated directly to the Market’s Community Engagement Fund, which provides free food education programs to children. A silent auction was also conducted to increase revenue for the fund.
However, the Community Engagement Fund is just one way Boston Public Market contributes to the community. The market also has other efforts to reach more members of the community.
“Our mission is to unite the community around food,” Dolinar said. “We also do things like the Citizen Powered Entrepreneurship Forum, which gives BIPOC and women-owned businesses the opportunity to enter the market for free.”
The event also serves as a way to raise awareness about the existence of public markets as an alternative to supermarkets and big-box stores.
“What’s really important is to bring people to the market, help them fall in love with the market, fall in love with our vendors, and hopefully get them to come back to shop,” Driner said. he said.
Boston Public Market is a relatively new market. It opened in July 2015 after an effort by the Boston Public Market Foundation that began in 2001. While Harvest Bash is an important event for Boston Public Market, it only serves as a reminder of service and community building. Presented at Boston Public Market, an annual event for the Boston community.
