Discover the Mississippi River Hills

County to County. Pride in what we do

 

Corks n Forks - Express: December 2011

 

2011 Culinary Events

The MRHA members held three culinary events in the 2011 season: Summer Breeze hosted by Sainte Genevieve Winery; A Saxon Lutheran’s Journey at Saxon Lutheran Memorial; and Farm Fantastic! at Breezy Ridge Alpacas.    There was an abundance of generosity again this year. The Barrens Winery, Cave Winery, Hemman Winey, and Tower Rock Winery gave a bottle for each bottle MRHA purchased; Chaumette Winery gave a full case of wine; Ste. Genevieve gave all the wine for the food pairing at Summer Breeze; County Line Farms provided all vegetables free of charge; Bob Eckenfels and Ben Meier gave discounts for the meat products; Stonie’s gave sausage trays; Baetje Farms gave over $100 in cheeses and bought several tickets to Farm Fantastic! which they gave to staff and customers; Show Me Fresh Farm gave lettuce and herbs; Wind Rush Farms gave herbs; Highland Blue Berry Farm gave blueberries; Saxon Lutheran Memorial gathered venison, coffee cakes, and other products.   Our volunteers outdid themselves – as always! Jason Evans, chef instructor at L’Ecloe Culinaire, prepared the Summer Breeze meal; Lynda Lorenz and her volunteers prepared Saxon Lutheran’s Journey; and Chef Adam Lambay prepared Farm Fantastic! I'm afraid I will miss someone if I list the board, other MRHA members, and their families who worked hard to pull off each dinner. Whether it was setting up, serving, cleaning up, or lapping up leftovers, none of this would have been possible without your help. Thank you!   Bus Tours

Last Spring folders and regional maps were mailed to various bus lines, banks, and other travel clubs introducing MRHA and the resources in the region.  What was meant to be information only has become a fund raising opportunity for the MRHA.   Upon receiving the folder, The First State Community Bank public relations coordinator, covering branches from Farmington into Arnold, contacted the MRHA coordinator and scheduled a food & farm tour. The event took place on October 18, with 26 passengers.  MRHA coordinator, Lisa Palmer, was on the bus and heard many positive comments from the guests. The bank paid the MRHa a small stipend for setting up the route and providing all contacts and directions.   Thank you to all the locations that hosted the tour: Eckenfels Farms, County Line Farm, Baetje Farms, Stonie's Sausage Shop, and The Barrens Winery. As items were purchased at each location, the passengers returned home with lots of wonderful regional products AND their own MRHA map!   Such a great time was had, that a guest rider took the information back to her bank in St. Louis and we now have a tour scheduled for mid-April, 2012, that could include up to three buses. The hosts of this event are Eckenfels Farms, County Line Farm, Breezy Ridge Alpacas, Stonie's, and The Barrens.   MRHA has also been in contact with another bank in the region and a travel company from St. Louis regarding other possible tours in 2012.   Video Taping

Brian Maurer, assistant to Sharon Gulick, director of the ExCEED program on MU's Columbia campus, is an independent film producer! Sharon approved Brian’s expenses to travel into the MRHA region to video tape locations. Our plans include several video versions to be used for tourism, membership recruitment, and to show funding sources. The videos will range from 30 second clips good for use on the website to 2-3 minute videos for many other purposes. This was the first of several trips Brian will be making for this project. Additional trips will include member testimonials. We are working with a local musician, Abbie Fieser, for background music to use with the videos. Other Member Promotional Opportunities

A Southeast Missouri reporter contacted MRHA looking for non-traditional farming contacts.  MRHA referred her to Connie Blechle of Breezy Ridge Alpacas, LLC, to see the alpacas, and Mark & Christal of Gihring Family Farm for their work with maple syrup. After the interviews, both members were mentioned on the facebook page for Flourish, a magazine for Southeast Missouri women. MRHA is being represented by coordinator, Lisa Palmer, on the Missouri Farmer's Market Association's (MFMA) Annual Conference steering committee.  The MFMA annual conference will be hosted by the DeSoto Farmer's Market on January 28, 2012. A new river park is being built by the US Corp of Engineers at the confluence of the Kaskaskia and Mississippi Rivers in Illinois.  MRHA has been invited to work with the department in creating a motor tour that will include both sides of the Mississippi River. MRHA is in discussions with Becky Englehart, a travel blogger and freelance writer from the Cape Girardeau area.  Ms. Englehart is interested in working together to help promote the arts and tourism in the Southeast Missouri area.  You can check out her blog at www.adventuresamongus.com. Membership Renewals

Membership renewals will be mailed the first week of January 2012.  Membership dues are due by March 1, 2012, and expire February 28, 2013.  For a list of membership benefits, please download the PDF file under the "Join MRHA" tab on the top menu bar.

Do you have any suggestions, questions, or comments?  Contact MRHA at:   Mississippi River Hills Association Lisa J. Palmer, Coordinator 255 Market Street Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670 573-883-2500 coordinator@mississippiriverhills.org

 

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