PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Fridays are Farmers’ Market day in downtown Presque Isle. This year, Aroostook County Action Program (ACAP) has teamed up with the City of Presque Isle to celebrate National Fresh Veggies Day on Friday, June 16.
Jenna Stephenson, a community education specialist from ACAP, will be at the Farmer’s Market Pavilion along Riverside Drive that day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to pass out “Maine Produce in Season” handouts, to discuss why fruits and vegetables are important to everyone’s overall health, to give tips on easy ways to add fruits and vegetables to your plate daily, to provide free food tastings, and to distribute handouts for creating a grocery game plan for shopping for fruits and vegetables.
Kim Smith, public information officer for the City of Presque Isle, said, “This year is the fourth year of the city’s downtown public market. The Union of Concerned Scientists reports buying local produce means it travels more quickly from the farm to the plate and is, therefore, of better quality. One of the goals of the market is to provide increased access to healthy food in a green space and promote healthy lifestyles with organized activities.
“Partnering with ACAP to offer this educational activity is a perfect way to accomplish this goal and encourage healthy eating habits with our residents,” Smith said.
Aroostook County has the second highest rates in Maine for overweight (38.5 percent) and obese (26 percent) residents — higher than the state and the US. Maine’s Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan recommends increasing the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables — an activity supported by farmers’ markets — as an action step to fight obesity.
The city’s Farmers’ Market is open every Friday, June through October, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on ACAP, visit www.acap-me.or and for more information on the Public Market, please contact Ken Arndt at 760-2727 or visit the website at www.presqueislemaine.gov/public-market.
