Preview Party sets the stage for Floyd Potters Market this weekend
Shop the 16 Hands Potters Market during a Preview Party at the EcoVillage Event Center on Friday, May 1. The Preview Party benefits Blue Mountain School and local potters participating in the market this weekend.
This Friday (May 1) the Floyd EcoVillage Event Center transforms into something new and special. From 6-9 p.m., Blue Mountain School will host the Floyd Potters Market Preview Party — an exclusive gathering of local pottery, extraordinary food, and community, all under one roof. Admission is free.
The Preview Party is exactly what it sounds like: a chance to experience the full magic of the Potters Market before the weekend opens. A talented gathering of local and regional artists and potters will have their work on display and available for purchase — and Preview Party guests get first access to the full collection. The piece you've been hoping for, the one that ends up on your mantle or your kitchen shelf for the next 20 years, might be waiting for you Friday night.
The first 50 guests to RSVP will receive a handmade cup from local potter Andrea Denniston — something beautiful to take home, collected right at the door.
Owner Lori Kuszmaul and her talented, professional floral designers would love to create something special for you.
Visit out store for readily available fresh flower arrangements, silk arrangements, plants, chimes and other fun & unique gifts.
We are located a half block from the stoplight. We are right around the corner.
Of course, no preview party is complete without something remarkable to eat. Blue
Mountain School has assembled a locally sourced small plates dinner, available for
$25 at the door, helmed by two talented chefs who know this community well. Emma Wyman and Brian Feldpausch — both from Blue Mountain School families, both with years of experience working with food — dreamed up a menu with a playful twist: grown-up versions of kids' favorite foods, made entirely from local ingredients.
About the Menu
Start with the "Cutie Patootie" — mixed baby Asian greens with pickled radish, mandarin orange, and sesame.
The "Pig in a Blanket" features slow-roasted, locally raised pork shoulder wrapped in a wheat-free buckwheat and oat flour pancake, finished with a sweet and spicy maple and fermented pepper sauce.
The "Midnight Snack" reimagines potato chip nachos with herbed crème fraîche, crumbled queso fresco, and ferments from Gnomestead Hollow.
The "Cheese Burger" is a locally raised beef smash burger slider with pickled beets, dill-ricotta cheese, local microgreens, and honey mustard aioli on a toasted sourdough brioche bun.
And rounding out the savory plates, the "PB&J" — open face dark rye toast with pistachio butter and caramelized fig and onion jam.
When it's time for something sweet, Red Rooster Bakery has you covered. Bakers Katy Reany — a Blue Mountain School alumna — and Caitlin Woolrich have crafted a dessert menu to match the season: a Rhubarb Custard Tartlet with rosy rhubarb and vanilla bean custard set in a buttery graham shell, golden Champagne Petits finished with a light champagne glacé, and Honey Poached Pears — tender pears poached in honey over a velvet Belgian yogurt, gently infused with warm cardamom.
This menu was made possible by the generous support of Patchwork Family
Farm, Riverstone Organic Farm, Weathertop Farm, Slaughter's Grocery, Flour to the People, Fermented Fire, Gnomestead Hollow Farm and Forage, Route 11, Harvest Moon Food Store, Big Indian Farm, Plant Matters, and Red Rooster Coffee.
Here at the Bread Basket we are here for all your baked goods for the Holiday season: Pies, Sweet Bread, Cakes, Cookies and Sourdough Bread, Trays of Meat & Cheese, Cookies, and Sandwiches are prepared fresh made-to-order for each party. Bring this Ad in for a free loaf of bread for each 2 lb of deli products you buy. Call 540-745-5382 to place specials and orders-to-go.
While you're eating, exploring, and doing a little shopping, two other offerings will be waiting for you. The bar will be stocked and staffed all evening — purchase a glass of wine or a cold beer and settle in.
And then there's the Flower Bar, which might just be the most delightful idea of the whole evening. Here's how it works: find a vase among the potters' work that speaks to you, buy it, and then bring it straight to the Flower Bar — where freshly cut seasonal bouquets from Patchwork Family Farm and Red Fern Farm are available for purchase, arranged specifically to fit the vessel you just chose. A new vase, filled with flowers, ready to go home with you. It doesn't get much better than that.
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Throughout the evening, the silent auction will be in full swin, and it is worth
lingering over. Blue Mountain School's classrooms are named for precious stones and gems, rising through the colors of the rainbow from the youngest children to the oldest: Opal, Amethyst, Sapphire, Jade, Amber, Copper, and Ruby — children ages 2.5 to 13, each finding their place in the spectrum.
There are seven auction baskets, one for each class, and every single one is unique — no two baskets share the same items. Each is filled with a one-of-a-kind collection of locally made goods: original local works of art, handcrafted jewelry, locally designed t-shirts, stationery, quilts, tasty treats, locally produced syrups and honey, local herb blends, and more.
Bid on a basket because the contents call to you. Bid because you have a child in that class. Bid because you've always had a soft spot for amethysts. Whatever draws you in, every dollar goes directly to Blue Mountain School. Friday night guests have first crack at opening bids, and the auction runs through the full weekend of the Potters Market.
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Blue Mountain School will also be running a fully staffed Kids Corner for the evening, so parents can drop off your little ones and enjoy the Preview Party without distraction. A suggested donation supports the program, and the children will be in great hands.
The Kids Corner will also be open throughout the weekend, as will the Flower Bar — so if you can't make Friday night, there's still plenty to look forward to.
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The event is free to attend at 188 EcoVillage Trail. As you arrive, you'll find a welcome table where you can check in, pick up your handmade cup if you're among the first 50 to RSVP, and go ahead and purchase your dinner, drink, and dessert tickets. Cash and PayPal are both accepted at the party.
From there, the evening is yours: the pottery, the food, the bar, the flower bar, the
auction. You're not obligated to spend a dime on anything beyond what draws you in — but everything you do spend goes directly toward supporting the potters and Blue Mountain School, and it all adds up to a genuinely wonderful night.
