Hopewell Valley Green Market
    
See you in Hopewell Borough in the Spring!

Allow me to take this opportunity to bellow a hearty “THANKS FRIENDS!” to all who helped make the Hopewell Valley Green Market on October 18, 2008 in Pennington so successful.


This was an event conceived and built entirely by neighborhood volunteers, and completely paid for by Hopewell Valley merchants. It drew over two thousand people, cost nothing to enter, and, thanks to the purchase of 15 metric tons of carbon offsets, was completely carbon neutral—or, as we liked to say, “free of admission and emissions-free.”

Thank you to our generous compatriots at Hopewell Valley Community Bank--Jim Hyman, Kari Barrio, Sharon Fink, and Cathy Frank-White--as well as Pennington’s great unsung hero, PQM’s Mike Rothwell. John Jackson worked with the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space to provide us with a much-needed non-profit partnership.

Our first Booth Sponsor, Tracy Martin at Riverstone Custom Cabinetry, deserves special mention as the donation that launched this endeavor. Other Booth Sponsors came to include Viva Gelato, Sumo Sushi, NT Callaway, Pennington Presbyterian Nursery School, Photo Haven, and Emily’s Café. Chaz and Mark Valenza at Za Restaurant gave gift certificates to clean power recruits; Joanne Farrugia of Jazams contributed prizes to eco-contest winners; Becky Medina created a fantastic mural of gratitude (and her pupils at Clockwork Learning Center added handprints).

Local businesses seized the opportunity to reintroduce themselves to residents, to display their earth-friendly wares and to remind us that it’s green to shop locally. From the many merchants that took part, we especially single out the good cheer and festive-mindedness brought to the task by Pennington Hardware, Around the Table, Jack’s Nursery and Landscaping, Har Sinai Temple, Hart’s Cyclery, Agabiti’s Pennington Cobbler, 2nd Time Around, Kerr’s Kornstand, Gravity Hill Farm, and Real Food for Thought.

We were blown away by an astoundingly talented community of volunteers that came to include Tess Grapenthin, the YMCA Teen Leaders, Girl Scouts Troop #70944, Hopewell Valley’s Youth Advisory Board, Timberlane’s Recycling Club, the high school’s Youth Environmental Society, and the Pennington School’s Sustainability Class. Among the local elementary schools, we found inspiration from teachers Debbie Schlette, Kimberly Renick, and Lisa Foster.

The wildly evolving concept of a green festival all splayed out on the Pennington School’s front lawn was steered and steadied from the start by the people of character who run the Pennington School and Pennington Borough. From Head of School Penny Townsend to drama teacher Lisa Houston to science instructor Jeffrey Hall, from Mayor Tony Perischilli to councilmembers Eileen Heinzel and Joe Lawver, from Director of Public Safety William Meytrott to the Superintendent of Public Works Jeffrey Wittkop, we consistently received encouragement, pitch-perfect advice, and a helping hand (often holding a helpful hammer).

Thank you, one and all. The next Hopewell Valley Green Market will be held in Hopewell Borough in the spring. See you then!

Tom Adelman
Chairman, Hopewell Valley Green Market

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