ENHC Partnership Grant Program Awards and Farm Fresh Event Planned

Another April is upon us, and we all are waiting again for spring to arrive. All over the region youngsters are warming up for another season of youth sports, and families who are attending the games are shivering on the sidelines. Red Sox nation is gearing up for another run at a championship and this year our new addition to the pitching staff from Japan give us all a real reason for optimism. At ENHC we are also preparing for spring and are making plans for two important spring initiatives.

Essex Heritage Partnership Grant Program

Early last month, a record number of applications for the Essex National Heritage Commission Partnership Grant program were received. The applications came from all over the county and the geographic representation of the applicants was as widespread as anytime in the history of the program. There were proposals from almost two-dozen individual communities in the region and there were several applications that represented programs that would impact multiple communities from the southern parts of the region to the Merrimack Valley area. The ENHC program offers opportunities for applications in five separate categories and this year there were numerous applications received in every category.

Additional Funding from the Commonwealth

This year, for the first time, funding for our programs was received from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A portion of that funding will be used in 2007 to enhance the ENHC Partnership Grant program. This will allow the ENHC to fund more projects that would not have been possible without the support of the local legislative delegation. This will be a banner year for the program. The blue ribbon panel that has been gathered to consider the 2007 applications will meet this month to complete their deliberations and the awards will be announced in June.

Farm Fresh Event scheduled for June in Peabody

Last June, the Essex National Heritage Commission celebrated the tenth anniversary of its designation with a wonderful event on the grounds of the Topsfield Fair. That event was one of the highlights of the year and was attended by more “friends” of the ENHC than any other event in the history of the Commission. It was clear to all of us that the gathering of Commission friends had to be repeated in 2007.

On Thursday, June 7, 2007, at the Smith Barn in Peabody the ENHC will be offering Essentially Essex County: Farm Fresh. This event will provide an opportunity for the partners and the friends of the Commission to gather and share good times, and learn how we can all help preserve the agricultural heritage of this region. The focus that evening will be supporting local agricultural resources, and how we can all help preserve this important resource, by buying locally grown food. When we make an effort to buy locally grown food we are doing a lot more than supporting a local farmer. These efforts help to maintain the quality of life in this region, preserve open space, strengthen the economy of the region, and foster a sense of community. Presentations at the event by Mr. Glenn Cook, President of the Essex County Farm Bureau and co-owner of Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury along with Christine Rasmussen of Essex County’s Buy Fresh-Buy Local will present a colorful picture of life in the agriculture business in Essex County.

The proceeds earned from the Farm Fresh event and an auction connected to the event will directly benefit the many agricultural resources in this region, as a contribution will be made to Buy Fresh-Buy Local, a regional organization that represents farmers in Essex County and the Merrimack Valley.

Capture an Essentially Essex County Experience

The event will feature an auction of heritage experiences that will be introduced on May 12, 2007 before the event as an “on line” auction on our homepage. On the night of the event ten distinctive auction items will be sold “live”. Be sure to visit the website for auction and Farm Fresh event information.