WHAT:

Special Dedication Ceremony of the Farmers Markets Stamps

WHO:

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown  
Donita Anderson, Executive Director, North Union Farmers Market
Debbie Snook, Plain Dealer Reporter, covering local food, restaurants, outdoor recreation, history and local travel
Darla Brewer, USPS Manager of Customer Services

WHEN:

1:00 p.m., Saturday, September 6, 2014

WHERE:

Cleveland Garlic Festival
North Union Farmers Market at Shaker Square
13111 Shaker Square, Cleveland, OH 44120

BACKGROUND

Farmers Markets Forever® stamps

Four colorful stamps celebrating America’s bountiful farmers markets will be dedicated during a special ceremony at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 6, 2014, during the sixth annual Cleveland Garlic Festival being held at the North Union Farmers Market at Shaker Square, 1311 Shaker Square, Cleveland OH 44120.

The limited-edition Farmers Markets Forever stamps depict a table loaded with products typically found at farmers markets, including fruits, vegetables and baked goods. The stamp on the far left has among its products various fresh breads such as baguettes and rolls, cinnamon buns, cookies, artisan cheeses, and both brown and white eggs. The produce on the second stamp includes vegetables and fruits: apples, eggplants, watermelons, peppers, grapes, potatoes, broccoli, and gourds. Cut flowers adorn the next stamp, with bouquets of bright flowers next to a bucket of sunflowers and a collection of celosia. The final stamp on the far right features live plants, with various herbs, tomatoes, and flowers like marigolds and nasturtiums. Most items bear handwritten labels that identify the product and its price.

The artist chose and arranged the products so that each stamp has a large focal point; each stamp is complete in itself yet forms a cohesive whole with the entire stamp strip. The stamp art was created using acrylic paint.

Text on the back of the 20-stamp sheet describes the appeal of farmers markets.

Farmers markets are an old idea that’s new again. Markets were once the main way Americans shopped. As towns and cities grew in the 19th century, farms were pushed farther from the population hubs, and new distribution systems and permanent in-town shops increasingly became the middlemen between consumers and farmers. However, In 1976, Congress passed the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act, which enabled the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop programs that resulted in the growth of farmers markets. By 1994, there were around 1,750 farmers markets listed in the USDA’s National Farmers Market Directory. Since that time, the number of markets listed has soared, to well over 8,200.

Considered by many to be the new town square, farmers markets offer, as they did in the past, a gathering place for diverse groups of neighbors to meet and mingle and to share news, recipes, and stories—in short, to create a new sense of community.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps with illustrations by Robin Moline.

The Farmers Markets stamps were issued nationwide on August 7, 2014, as Forever® stamps. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate.

The Farmers Markets stamps special dedication ceremony is free and open to the general public.