From Your Rutherford County Tourism Development Authority

Serving Rutherford's Accommodations,
Attractions, Restaurants, Event Organizers,
Business Owners and Government Entities

Save the Date! Your Next Alliance Meeting: December 15th

Free for the Taking: November Happenings

November Happenings (a handy one-sheet guide of all that’sgoing on in Rutherford County) is available for you to give to your guests by clicking here or by going to TDAAlliance.com.  If you are not able to print or make copies, e-mail Jackie at jackie@rutherfordtourism.com and she will help you!

If you want to submit events for the calendar, please do so by the 15th of every month. Please send to crystal@rutherfordtourism.com.

Link to Your Website: Hometown Holidays

Link your website to Hometown Holidays for our biggest holiday events.  Coming soon will be Hometown Holidays coupons and packages. Please e-mail any coupons or packages you would like to offer for this holiday season to Crystal at crystal@rutherfordtourism.com.

In the News: Rutherford County Internet-Based Virtual Farmers Market Wins $100,000 Prize

Tim Will has won the Purpose Prize and $100,000 for social innovators over 60 who do good things in their "encore" careers. Will is executive director of Foothills Connect
Business and Technology Center in Rutherford County, an
e-N.C. Business & Technology Telecenter, and he spearheaded the development of FarmersFreshMarket.org, a virtual farmers market selling fresh produce to Charlotte restaurants and to other outlets. The prize was awarded last Sunday in California by Civic Ventures, a San Francisco research group. Farmers Fresh Market, believed to be the only one of its kind in North Carolina, is an Internet-based sustainable food system linking growers, chefs and local distributors into a community of partners. Will has also won $50,000 in computer equipment from Hewlett-Packard for the program.

Will is to be recognized on Thursday during the N.C. Rural Partners Forum in Raleigh for innovation in rural economic development and sustainable agriculture. The success of the program has resulted in interest from several locations across the state in replicating the program and “growing farmers” as entrepreneurs while providing fresh food and contributing to the growing emphasis of green endeavors.

The Farmers Fresh Market serves producers in Rutherford, Polk and surrounding counties who serve buyers from the Charlotte areas. Some 87 farmers or producers market their produce through the program. Farmers Fresh Market's registered buyer partners access the Web site and place their orders online. Foothills Connect then consolidates the orders and arranges for “just in time delivery.” Usually, the produce is not picked before it is ordered and is delivered within 18 hours of picking. The market's goal is to provide the best, freshest, most flavorful, naturally grown produce to chefs and produce buyers in the local area. The Division of Tourism and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area are partners in the Farmers Fresh Market program and Tourism Development Officer Frankie McWhorter has been a resource to the program since its inception. For more information, visit www.farmersfreshmarket.org or http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/1020170.html.