Annual Holyoke Farm Festival Promotes Urban Farming

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Holyoke, MA - To celebrate the growing season and the re-opening of La Finca to the public, local nonprofit Nuestras Raices welcomes community members to participate in a fun-filled day on their working urban farm La Finca.

“¡PárateAquí! Festival is our bold statement that the urban growing season is in full swing,” said Hilda Roque, Executive Director for the nonprofit. “It also marks the annual re-opening of our newly renovated farm store at La Finca, where our community farmers sell their fresh produce and flowers.”

This year marks the first year Nuestras Raices Farm spring festival, which features live entertainment, great Latin fare, fresh produce and flowers, locally-produced crafts, and plenty of activities for the kids. La Finca constructed a new playground for the little ones in the off-season. The festival will also include a face-painting booth.

Visitors to the four-hours long festival will enjoy a live performance from Salsa Brava, who specialize in salsa and bolero (bohemian) music. Tasty Latin culinary delights will be served up by food truck Fuentes del Sabor. 

“Our goals with the Festival are to help our community’s farmers sell their locally-grown produce, and to bring awareness to the challenges of our local, regional and national food system,” said Ms. Roque. “Access to healthy food sources for at-risk families is virtually non-existent, and we’re working to change that.”

The nonprofit partners with other organizations to promote a more equitable food system and to increase family access to healthy food, and develop markets for cultural crops. “Urban farming is an opportunity for our local residents to grow fresh, healthy, culturally-appropriate produce. Not just to grow the food, but to learn about farming and enjoy a measure of self-reliance, while supporting their cultural roots,” she said.

Urban farming is seeing an explosive growth in recent years, particularly in under-served communities like Holyoke and Springfield’s Latin residents, and Nuestras Raices is one organization fueling that growth. They offer farm plots and assistance from farming experts, and a season-long training series to teach local residents how to become farmers. Co-sponsored by UMass Amherst Extension, The Trustees of Reservation and the USDA, the training attracts dozens of current and future farmers. Topics in the training program include crop health, climate adaptation and land conservation. Workshops take place from April through October 2022.

VENDORS AT THE FESTIVAL

We are pleased to announce these local vendors will be offering their wares at the festival:

·         D'Coco Soap – 100% Handcrafted & Natural

·         La Arecibeña Torres Family Farm

·         Benito Torres Farmer - Locally grown fresh produce

Follow our FaceBook page for more information on these vendors.

FESTIVAL ADMISSION IS FREE

All attendees to the Festival are eligible for FREE RAFFLE PRIZES from our sponsors. Prizes include a $500 Hotel Card to use at more than 1 million locations worldwide, $100 gift certificate to Whole Foods, a certificate to MD Beauty Salon among others . There is no purchase necessary, but participants must be present during the drawing to claim their prize.

This event would not be possible without the collaboration of the USDA, and support from community members. Full details on our website here: https://nuestras-raices.org/event/parate-aqui-festival-and-market-parate-aqui-festival-y-mercado/

Join us on May 21 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm at La Finca, 24 Jones Ferry Rd, Holyoke, MA.

ABOUT NUESTRAS RAÍCES

Nuestras Raíces is a grassroots urban agriculture organization based in Holyoke, MA. Our mission is to create healthy environments, celebrate “agri-culture,” harness our collective energy, and to advance our vision of a just and sustainable future. For more information, or for interview opportunities, please contact Hilda Raices at (413) 535-1789 x 205.