We will be handing out sunflower seeds at the Memorial Day Parade. You get to “Grow ‘em and Show ‘em.” More to information about this later.

Tony Lulek, President of the Norfolk County Beekeepers Association

Tony Lulek, presented by the Attleboro Garden Club. Lulek is President of the Norfolk County Beekeepers Association, Director of their Beekeeping School, past president of the Holliston Garden Club and a photographer. He and his wife Diane are organic farmers, gardeners and beekeepers (with 10 hives and over one million bees).

Lulek’s presentation will focus on the vital role honeybees play in nature and of the environmental and manmade stresses they face.  Attendees will learn how they can help honeybees through gardening and landscape maintenance as well as what is involved with being an amateur beekeeper!  Beekeeping equipment will be displayed and explained.

This program is sponsored in part by a grant from the Attleboro Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

The Attleboro Garden Club will hold their Annual Plant Sale on the front lawn of the Attleboro Public Library from 9 am to NOON.

All proceeds benefit civic beautification projects, including the gardens at the Library, Big Read interpretive floral designs, winter holiday decorations in the upstairs Library reading rooms, the children’s garden workshop and cafe table arrangements at the Attleboro Arts Museum Flower Show, plantings at Gilbert Perry Square, trees and plants donated to Capron Park and Capron Park Zoo and educational programs open to the public.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012, from 6:30  until 8:30 pm at the Attleboro Public Library.

The Attleboro Area Sustainability Action Project (AASAP) will present a panel discussion on the solar installation process.

The presentation, moderated by Leo Immonen a member of the Green Reel Collaborative, will explain how homeowners with a sunny site can benefit from financial incentives.Various means of financing a solar photovoltaic installation will be explained. Homeowners who have had solar panels installed will relate their experience. After the presentation is completed, there will be time for you to ask your questions. The panelists will be three homeowners from Attleboro and Wrentham and representatives from two solar installation companies.

Download the PDF Solar Panel Flyer and share it with anyone thinking about solar power, or share this post using the social media links below.

While [Police Chief Kyle] Heagney said he doesn’t believe the market will need a cop to direct traffic and help pedestrians cross North Main Street, where the market sets up in a city-owned parking lot next to the Attleboro Public Library, he plans to monitor traffic on the first day of the event before making a final decision.

Car and pedestrian counts will be done to assess the situation, Heagney said Thursday.

The market is scheduled to run every Saturday morning, except one, from June 2 through Oct. 27.

Even if a police officer is not needed in the summer when the library is closed on Saturdays, that could change in the fall when the library resumes Saturday operations, Heagney said. “When the library reopens it may be an issue,” Heagney said. “If there are issues, we’ll address them at that point.”

>>>> Read the full article

This year we’ll feature a great selection of local farmers and vendors, fun activities for kids and families, and a commitment to continue investing in our community. We hope you stop on by, meet some old friends, make some new friends and work with us all to make Attleboro a great place to be.

The Market will open June 2nd at 8am.  Check our Facebook page and this website for a calendar of events, vendor listings and other details.

Again, thank you to all who showed their support!

Excerpt from the Attleboro-Seekonk Patch

In a major case of “what a difference a week makes,” the City Council on Tuesday voted to lift most of the restrictions it had placed last week on the Attleboro Farmers Market. In response to the decision, market organizers backed off their earlier statement that the weekly event might not take place this year in Attleboro.

>>> Read the full article

Excerpt from The Sun Chronicle

Last week councilors took three hours and 15 votes to ban market parking, and order the market to hire a police officer for public safety every Saturday it is open. On Tuesday night, both requirements were rescinded on reconsideration votes sought by Councilor Jonathan Weydt.

Councilors voted to allow “mixed-use parking at the discretion of the police chief,” who also will decide if the market must hire a police officer to help people cross busy North Main Street.

The votes last week prompted market officials to threaten to leave the city. They said they couldn’t afford to pay a cop.

They promised to open the market, but said the location would depend on what the council did on the reconsideration votes.

After the Tuesday session ended about 11 p.m. market President Heather Porreca praised Weydt’s effort, and said simply: “We’re there,” meaning the market will open as scheduled in June at the North Main Street lot.

>>> Read the full article

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO DOWNLOAD a PDF sign that you can print, trim and bring with you to the City Council Meeting.

Show your support, come to City Hall this Tuesday, April 10!

Please come to City Hall and support the Attleboro Farmers Market, 7 p.m. this Tuesday night. This is not a public hearing. We would like a show of support at the meeting. Bring your own “Voice-Balloon” sign, just right-click on the image to the right and download the PDF file. Print it, trim it and bring to the meeting.

If you cannot attend please call your City Councilor and support the Attleboro Farmers Market, Inc. and watch the Council meeting on Attleboro Local TV Channel 98.

Here’s the agenda for the Special Meeting, copied from the City of Attleboro’s website (Click here for the complete PDF)

AGENDA

SPECIAL MEETING, APRIL 10, 2012
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON THE 74 NORTH MAIN STREET PARKING LOT

Jay DiLisio, Chairperson

FROM THE DOCKET OF APRIL 3, 2012:

To reconsider the vote taken on April 3, 2012 relative to request of the Farmer’s Market for the use of 74 North Main Street Municipal Parking Lot:

Voted on Roll Call—6 yeas—5 nays (DiLisio, Denlea, Conti, Weydt and Heagney voting nay) to approve the request of Eddie & Heather Porreca of the Attleboro Farmers Market to hold the Attleboro Farmer’s Market in the municipal parking lot located at 74 North Main Street on Saturday mornings from June 2, 2012 through September 1, 2012 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Plan A) (while the Attleboro Public Library is closed) with the following conditions:

a. No parking is allowed in the 74 North Main Street parking lot.

b. The Attleboro Farmer’s Market is required to provide and pay for a police officer and or/auxiliary police officer to be on duty to cross patrons while the market is in operation.

c. The Attleboro Farmer’s Market is to be contained in the square as depicted on the plan entitled Plan “A” June 2, 2012 to September 1, 2012 and is to maintain the “fire lane” and not impede on the deeded library spaces. All vendors’ tables/booths are to face toward the inside of the designated square so as not to interfere with the flow of traffic relative to the adjacent auto body shop.

d. The total number of vendors to participate at the market on any given Saturday shall not exceed thirty (30) vendors.

e. The Attleboro Farmer’s Market is responsible for the clean up of the 74 North Main Street parking lot following each Saturday market.

f. There is a mutual understanding between the Attleboro Municipal Council, the Library Board of Trustees and the Attleboro Farmers’ Market that calendar year 2012 will be the last and final year in which the Attleboro Farmers’ Market will utilize the venue of the Attleboro Municipal Parking Lot located at 74 North Main Street.

To reconsider the vote taken on April 3, 2012 relative to request of the Farmer’s Market for the use of 74 North Main Street Municipal Parking Lot: Reconsider the following vote taken on April 3, 2012: Voted on Roll Call 7 yeas—4 nays (Denlea, Conti, Weydt and Heagney) voting nay) to approve the request of Eddie & Heather Porreca of the Attleboro Farmer’s Market to hold the Attleboro Farmer’s Market in the municipal parking lot located at 74 NorthMain Street on Saturday mornings from September 8, 2012 to Saturday, October 27, 2012 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. During the weeks of September 8th through October 27th (when the Library is open) (Amended Plan B) with the following conditions:

a. The Attleboro Farmer’s Market is not allowed to operate on the Saturday of the annual Friends of the Attleboro Public Library Book sale.
b. No parking is allowed for Attleboro Farmer’s Market patrons in the 74 North Main Street Parking lot.
c. The Attleboro Farmer’s Market is required to provide and pay for a police officer and or/auxiliary police officer to be on duty to cross patrons and oversee parking for Library patrons while the market is in operation.
d. The Attleboro Farmer’s Market must be contained in the “L” shape as depicted on Amended Plan B. All vendor’s tables/and or booths must face towards the center of the “L” space so that the entire market is contained within this space.
e. A temporary sign, “Open Today from 8 a.m. to 12 noon” is to be provided by the Attleboro Farmer’s Market and located at the entrance to the Farmer’s Market on North Main Street as depicted on Amended Plan “B”.
f. A temporary sign “Attleboro Library Parking only” is to be erected by the Attleboro Farmer’s Market at the parking lot entrance.
g. The total number of vendors to participate at the market on any given Saturday shall not exceed thirty (30) vendors.
h. The Attleboro Farmer’s Market is responsible for the clean up of the 74 North Main Street parking lot following each Saturday market.
i. There is a mutual understanding between the Attleboro Municipal Council, the Library  Board of Trustees and the Attleboro Farmers’ Market that calendar year 2012 will be the last and final year in which the Attleboro Farmers’ Market will utilize the venue of the  Attleboro Municipal Parking Lot located at 74 North Main Street

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There were a few reason we decided to move forward and open on June 2nd.

• We felt an obligation to confirm plans with our loyal vendors.
• We were encouraged to learn of the reconsideration motion file by City Councilor Jonathan Weydt.
• We thought it was important to keep our message positive for the community.

Furthermore, we’ve advised our vendors that we haven’t yet decided on a location. We’ve been approached by other interested communities who are willing to provide us with less cost prohibitive restrictions.

Our ultimate goal is and always has been to stay in our hometown of Attleboro where we’ve had great success in attracting residents from other local towns that enhance local business in Attleboro by bringing people into the city for our weekly market.

Our immediate decision of our location will be the result of what transpires at the next council meeting.