After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Aquidneck Community Table is hosting its Summer Bounty friend-raiser event June 21 at Stoneacre Garden.
“Our wonderful Summer Bounty party has been on hold for two years due to COVID, so we are excited to work with our winter farmers’ market partner, Stoneacre Garden, to host the second annual Summer Bounty on the Summer Solstice, June 21, 2022 from 6-9 p.m.,” said ACT Executive Director Bevan Linsley. “Guests will sip, sample and celebrate the local food and beverage artisans in our community while raising funds to support the programming of Aquidneck Community Table.”
Guests will enjoy Stoneacre Garden’s beautiful outdoor patio in Brick Market Place Newport. They will relish treats from local food businesses including All Things Lavender, Bellevue Boards, Beth Bakes, Fishers Island Lemonade, Granny Squibb’s Iced Tea, Greenvale Vineyards, Le Bec Sucré, Lovewell Farms, Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co, Newport Sea Salt, Rhode Island Spirits, Rhody Wild Sea Gardens, and Stoneacre Garden. Lois Vaughan Jazz Trio will serenade the festivities, as guests enter to win raffle prizes including food baskets, gift certificates to local restaurants, and local food products.
The event is sponsored by A1 Roofing, Aquidneck Farms, The de Ramel Foundation, Gustave White Sotheby’s International Realty, J2 Construct, Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co., Newport Hospital/Lifespan, and Robin Hollow Farm.
Aquidneck Community Table has been growing a healthy, local, accessible food system on Aquidneck Island since 2016, when the Growers’ Market, Sustainable Aquidneck and Island Commons consolidated into one united agency to connect, enhance and educate about our island food system.
It now offers diverse programming, including:
• weekly, year-round Aquidneck Growers’ Markets
• seven community gardens across Newport
• the Pell Elementary School garden education program
• the Food Explorers program at the growers’ markets, which introduces children to a different featured fruit or vegetable each week
• the Root Riders program, where mentors work with 10 students to bike around North End community gardens then learn to plant, maintain and harvest vegetables to give back to the community. They also host their own farmers’ market stand at the Miantonomi Market at Newport’s Miantonomi Park July 11 – August 29
The Aquidneck Growers Market celebrated its 25th Birthday in 2019, and the first Summer Bounty event was held at Newport Vineyards, the home of the growers’ market for 25 years! More than 200 guests mingled with 20 vendors to raise $68,000 for ACT, and organizers are looking forward to celebrating again June 21.
“We are looking forward to resuming Aquidneck Community Table’s Summer Bounty party. We celebrate eating locally, honoring agricultural and commercial fishing traditions in Rhode Island,” said ACT board of trustees chairwoman Susan Wells. “A heartfelt thank you to our vendors, growers, sponsors and guests. And a special thank you to Stoneacre Garden for hosting Summer Bounty as well as our very successful winter market.”
Learn more and buy tickets to the Summer Bounty event at AquidneckCommunityTable.org, or follow @AquidneckCommunityTable on social media.