Warm weather, blue skies, a shimmering lakefront, food, and fun are helping to bring people together in La Porte. Two summer recurring events—Food Truck Tuesdays and Farmed & Forged Farmer's Markets on Sundays—are positively impacting the community, according to City of La Porte officials and business owners.
Food Truck Tuesdays
After Unity Park was donated to the City of La Porte by Unity Foundation in 2016, park officials were looking for a way to promote their new space as an amazing spot for everyone to sit and enjoy the lake.
“Food trucks were starting to become popular at the time, so we decided to try a handful of Tuesdays during the summer months for lunch,” said Mark Schreiber, City of La Porte park superintendent. “To be able to sit along Pine Lake and enjoy the activity and cool breezes makes for a great lunch break. The park also is easily accessed off U.S. 35/39, so it's a quick trip back to work. Tabitha Aguilar, our administrative assistant, schedules vendors serving a variety of cuisines, from barbeque to tacos to rib-eye steaks. We try to provide a great mix of summertime favorites such as hot dogs, burgers, and fries as well as more eclectic menus.”
Food Truck Tuesdays were such a hit with the community that Schreiber said the city immediately received requests for more dates. What started out originally as five Tuesdays has quickly grown to 15 plus a few evenings as well.
“We had a number of residents who were unable to attend during their lunch, but wanted to have an option to visit the food truck,” Schreiber said. “We started scheduling the same vendor from the afternoon as an evening option, from 4-7 p.m., on the first Tuesday in June, July, and August.”
According to Schreiber, the community's support of the original lunchtime event has been amazing. He said that the parks department feels that having these events once a week has been a great way to promote the park.
“Ultimately, we have seen many folks pick up food from local restaurants and bring it down to the lake to enjoy at other times during the week,” he said. “It has been a real win-win situation for the trucks and local shop owners alike.”
Foodie Tuesdays take place from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. every Tuesday through August 29 at Unity Park. The park is located on the east shore of Pine Lake, just off U.S. 35/39. For more information and the schedule of vendors, visit laporteparkandrec.com/events.
Farmed & Forged Farmers' Markets
On Sundays in downtown La Porte, residents have opportunities to purchase fresh produce and artisan goods and interact with cooking demos at a special farmer's market. Farmed & Forged is an open-air, producers-only market. A producers-only market means that only items produced, grown, or created within a 100-mile radius of the City of La Porte are permitted to be sold.
“Our focus on locally-grown-and-created items allows our guests to shop confidently knowing the items they are purchasing are unique, fresh, and in season, especially with produce, all while keeping their money local,” said Mandy Krickhahn, founder/owner of The Collective. “The Collective is a group of entrepreneurs committed to uplifting small business owners and giving back to the community.”
According to Krickhahn, The Collective has had past experience in La Porte hosting events and artisan markets and so they were asked by Mayor Tom Dermody to help develop a new market experience. Farmed & Forged was established on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST from May 28 through September 24 in downtown La Porte on Monroe Street between Lincolnway and State Street.
“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to create an event that would positively impact the community every week during the market season,” Krickhahn said. “Since day one, we have had more than 50 small businesses and nonprofits participate in La Porte's Farmed & Forged Farmer's Market, with a weekly average of 30 local farmers, artisans, and food/beverage vendors.”
In addition to centering the market around locally produced items, Krickhahn said the focus also is on philanthropy, community connections, and accessibility.
“Staying true to our values as an organization, community, collaboration, and supporting small businesses was a must when developing the market,” Krickhahn said. “Every month, a local nonprofit is invited to set up an information booth where they can collect donations, sell merchandise and raise awareness for their cause. Additionally, market vendors have the option to donate a portion of their sales to the nonprofit beneficiary, which is indicated by signage at their booths. Philanthropy is always at the forefront of what we do, and the Farmed & Forged Market has given us and our vendors an opportunity to support organizations that positively impact our community.”
On the second Sunday of each month, the Farmed & Forged Market features a live cooking demo. Local chefs teach guests how to create a signature dish using items purchased from market vendors. Guests are encouraged to sample the dish and are welcome to grab a free recipe card with a vendor shopping list, so they know where to purchase the ingredients to make the dish at home.
“Not only is this a fun experience for shoppers, but the live cooking demos also showcase the products our vendors bring every week," Krickhahn said. "This builds relationships between local producers and chefs enhancing our community connections.”
When developing the market, Krickhahn said her group wanted to make sure that it was accessible to everyone, regardless of income. As a result, select vendors accept SNAP benefits to purchase fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, breads, cereals, meats, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and seeds/plants that produce food and herbs. Those utilizing SNAP benefits are able to stop by the Farmed & Forged market booth to swipe their EBT card and receive vouchers. The Collective is currently working with the NWI Food Council on a “double up” program that would allow shoppers using SNAP benefits to receive double the vouchers to use at the market.
“We are really proud that we are one of the first area markets to offer a SNAP benefits program, which allows those utilizing the national food assistance program to purchase healthy, locally-produced foods at the market,” Krickhahn said. “The 'double up' program is currently in the works, and we will make an announcement on social media when it launches!”
For more information on the Farmed & Forged Market, follow on Instagram and Facebook at facebook.com/farmedandforged and @farmedandforged or visit thecollectivein.com/fandf. For a listing of weekly vendors, check out social media on the Thursday prior to each market.
