Along with a record-breaking summer season of Main Street Portsmouth in Bloom (MSPiB) Farmers Markets, the group is ready to start winding down the market for its October 5 closing and it has one thing on people’s minds—the Annual Farm to Table fundraiser, which has quickly become a community favorite event over the years.

The fundraiser is a longstanding tradition for the market, in which organizers work with vendors to decorate, source food, and then prepare a meal for guests using items from the market.

“I absolutely love it. Farm to Table is one of my absolute favorite events that Main Street Portsmouth in Bloom puts on,” Executive Director Emily Uldrich said. “It is such a fun and festive atmosphere. I think it has to do with the local focus of the event and the energy of the live auction.”

For over a decade, Scott Claypool of Sunshine Catering has created fantastic menus featuring farm fresh food from the market, using few ingredients but packing a powerful punch.

“The main course will be chicken and noodles and we are lucky to have Busy Bee Farms as a vendor of the market this year, which offers chicken, beef and pork, to source the meat from,” Uldrich said.

While the event is a fundraiser, Uldrich explained that the guest list is diverse.

“The Farm to Table dinner is a mixed crowd for being one of two major fundraisers to host each year,” Uldrich said. “We will have businesses, especially those local to downtown, buying table sponsorships, but we will also have vendors from our market, as well as the general public. It is a very mixed crowd.”

One of the most popular features of the event is a dessert auction that features items from vendors, local businesses, and community favorite bakers. The event is where most of the profit comes from and some items go for as high as $250 and above, as people take advantage of the creative way to donate funding to the program’s efforts to do good in downtown Portsmouth.

For the first time, the group will be offering Farmers Market Awards at the dinner. According to Uldrich, the awards will be Farmers Market Outstanding Vendor of the Year, as well as New Farmers Market Vendor of the Year.

“I think it is a great reflection of our Farmers Market. I mean, the dinner as a whole is a good reflection of our Farmers Market, but the celebration of agriculture only makes sense to have an award ceremony to recognize these amazing vendors who make the market what it is with their food and products,” Uldrich said. “It will be really rewarding to recognize these people for their efforts in making our market a success.”

With new features in place, a menu of excellent food, and an exciting dessert auction ready to go, Uldrich says that one of MSPiB’s most popular events is going to once again bring the community together.

“This dinner really is a crown jewel in our programming, because we are sourcing local ingredients and recognizing local small business and cottage industry; it is just a really fun way to network and showcase what we have in the region,” Uldrich said.

Individual admission to the dinner is $50 and table sponsorships are $500. Tickets may be purchased by calling Uldrich at 740.464.0203 or visiting the Community Action Organization of Scioto County Welcome Center at 342 Second Street.