The Raleigh City Farm is celebrating its fifth birthday, along with Earth day, on April 22 with a “BEARTHDAY” celebration that will include a free bazaar from 10 a.m. to noon and a concert fundraiser 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. that night.
The farm at 800 N. Blount St. is a nonprofit urban farm that was developed on a one-acre lot in downtown Raleigh in 2011. Their mission is to help the environment by producing less waste through growing organic fruit, herbs, and vegetables and to also create a healthy environment for those in the Raleigh community.
“The farm is really great for thriving city farmers,” said Rebekah Beck, the farm’s general manager. “We want to create a place where people can farm at a positive and uplifting place. Overall, it’s good for the city and everyone in it.”
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More information about the BEARTHDAY event, and other ways for the community to get involved, can be viewed at RaleighCityFarm.org.
BEARTHDAY EVENTS
- Morning (free, 10 a.m.-noon): Breakfast burritos and coffee will be available while guest tour the one-acre site, and visit a few local vendors and farmers. Entertainment for the little ones will be on hand with nature-inspired crafts and games.
- Evening ($25, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.): Milagro Saints will headline the ticketed concert, with special guest Caroline Mamoulides & Steve Howell of the band Pinto. Beer, wine, and tacos will be available for purchase. Bring dancing shoes!-Kasey Delaney
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Beck welcomes William Peace University students to the event, and says there are many other ways the community can get involved at the farm. They can donate, volunteer, join an event, participate in a workshop, or become a sponsor.
The daytime event will include tours of the farm, food trucks
“Peace students may enjoy coming to the concert,” said Beck. “It would be awesome for the students because they could just walk over from their dorms.”
The farm has tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, and its crops are organic and free of pesticides, as well as hydroponic lettuce.
Urban agriculture is growing in popularity and production nationwide in recent years. The urban farms that have been evaluated by the Community Food Service Security Coalition produced 18.7 million pounds of food and donated 726,000 pounds to the community for food consumption, according to a University of California report.
Studies show that urban farms create pride and attachment in the community they dwell in. They do, in fact, benefit the residents. This, in return, results in less crime and vandalism in the community. Overall, farms positively impact many factors within communities and the environment, the California researchers found.
“It’s really cool to see city-dwellers come together in a place where it is healthy for them and the city,” said Laurel Kelley, a local nurse and farmer. “Organic growth helps create less waste and gardening or farming is so relaxing.”