AmeriCorps NCCC Team Buffalo 1 -- Thank YOU!

A huge THANK YOU to the amazing AmeriCorps NCCC Team Buffalo 1! 

This group of young people (ages 18-24 ) arrived at the Freight Shed early Saturday in the pouring rain and after an introduction to the history of the place and what's happening here, they dug in! 

Painting, cleaning, organizing, cleaning the Virginia model, building shelving, and moving a huge block of white oak, fresh from Higmo's Sawmill. Maine's First Ship and the Bath Freight Shed Alliance could not be more thrilled.

This AmeriCorps team comes from all over the country: Washington, Colorado, Maryland, Texas and more and has formed a really cohesive group. It was great to see how they support each other and are super problem solvers. They seemed truly interested in this place and what we are doing. The cold temperatures and grey skies could not dampen their spirits!

We hope to welcome AmeriCorps back again and if we are really lucky we will have a longer term AmeriCorps member here at the Freight Shed it the future! 

With some fuel, in the form of warm sticky buns Aaron Park baked, this group was a whirlwind!

AmeriCorps NCCC Team Buffalo 1

Jake Clark
Emma Graves
Joshua Hernandez (Team Leader)
Justin Lieby
Meagan Julian
Jimmie Perkins
Kayla Hanson
Sierra Taylor
James Owen Wolfe IV
Alexander Slater
Alex McDonald

NCCC Team Buffalo 1 -- Thank you!!

Thank you for making the Mayfair Yard sale a resounding success!

A huge THANK YOU to Maine's First Ship (MFS) and Gayla Teague, Joanne Luneau and Merry Chapin for their tremendous generosity in running the May Fair Yard Sale! 

They raised close to $800 and shared their enthusiasm for this special place and the MFS/BFSA collaboration with many Freight Shed visitors on Saturday. 

Thanks to all the people who donated great items for the sale - your donations became funds which will go directly into paying down what we owe on our new roof. The Freight Shed also now has a great collection of dishes, mugs and flat ware that came in during the last few winter markets. 

Coming up at the Freight Shed: Spring & Summer Events

Capital to the Coast Exploratory Bike Ride

Sat. 5/15/13: 50 degrees and rainy are not the conditions we want to expose you to this great trail. Keep in touch and KELT will find a date to try this ride again.

 Saturday, May 25th, 2013
Noon - 6PM

38 miles - Bath to Gardiner, Maine

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT), one of our local alliance organizations, is assisting towns from Bath to Gardiner in developing a trail dedicated to active transportation -- the proposed Capital to the Coast Trail. 


The group will start at the Freight Shed on Commercial Street in Bath at noon (fuel up at the Bath Farmer’s Market next door at Waterfront Park) and end in Gardiner in time to join the 5:30 bike parade at their Ride into Summer celebration.

The Bath Freight Shed together with KELT invite you and other local bike/pedestrian advocates to join an exploratory group ride of the proposed Capital to the Coast Trail (38 miles) on Saturday, May 25th, Noon - 6pm.

Purpose:

This self-supported bicycle ride will explore the interim route of two proposed long-distance trails. Participants will enjoy scenic views of the rivers that flow into Merrymeeting Bay, take photos for promotion and help build energy for trail development. Your feedback on the positive and challenging aspects of the route will help us design the best trail possible!

Route:

A group ride on paved roads from Bath to Gardiner with frequent rest & regroup stops. Group pace ~10-12 mph, the route is mostly flat with hills in the final section.

Participants:

For organizers, supporters and those curious about the proposed Androscoggin to the Kennebec Trail (Bath to Brunswick) and Merrymeeting Trail (Topsham to Gardiner). Ride is limited to 25 participants.

Cost:

Free! Anticipate spending ~ $20 on snacks at local businesses to show trail communities that cyclists are an economic boost.

Registration is required by May 17, and we are capping the ride at 25 participants.

Email Alicia Hepburn, KELT Project Director, or call at 207-442-8400 for more details, registration and carpooling information.

Download the KELT Capital to the Coast Exploratory Bike Ride poster here!

The Winter Season at the Freight Shed is a Wrap!

Join us this Saturday, April 27th, as we celebrate a great winter season at the Freight Shed. 

Thanks to the Bath Farmers Market for their faith in this project and to all the customers new and old who made this place such a vibrant fun place to be on Saturday mornings.

Thanks to all the community partners and artists who shared their work with us in the community room and thank you to all the musicians who serenaded us!

Thanks to all the volunteers who spruced up the place, added layers of insulation in various forms, thanks to the board members who work so hard to make this venture viable and something that can be sustained and an extra special thank you to Jay Coffey who saw the sunrise every Saturday for six months to get the space heated up and ready for the day and would be at the Freight Shed at a moments notice to help out!

This weekend we wrap up the season with an exhibit of Keith Spiro's photographs of the Goranson Farm. We are so grateful to the farmers and food producers for all their hard hard work that fuels this community. Keith's photographs connect us with the beauty of the place and the people.

Thanks to all of you who have become members, bought bricks and Kickstarted just a year ago! There will be lots happening this summer and many ways to participate! Please stay posted.

Wiebke

What a Difference a Year Makes! Kickstarter Update #16 · Apr 19, 2013

Greetings Freight Shed Friends!

In two weeks, the Bath Farmers Market will move outside for the "summer" season. Hard to imagine since the temps in the morning still hover around freezing!

Thanks to your generous support the Freight Shed has become a real hub of activity this winter. Not only as home to the Bath Farmers Market but also as a place for beekeepers, artists, 4th grade composters, musicians, boat builders, rag rug makers, 4 H Clubs, neighbors to share their work and ideas. Vendors arrived in smaller vehicles because their set ups could stay in place and the easy access meant they could arrive later. People walked to the market and then spent time on our main street. The downtown businesses noticed the difference. Due to the market so many more people saw the potential of this place holds for the community.

We submitted our 501 (c) 3 application and we are actively seeking charter members and volunteers. Our next steps include repairing the exterior, installing a sprinkler system and kitchen. We plan on doing much of this work with volunteer and student help. The city will be building a side walk in front of the building that will be extra wide and provide plenty of space for bike racks as well a great social space to enjoy the west light. In January we got the City's permission to sell engraved bricks that will be installed in front of the Freight Shed. This will to help us fund the repairs!

Record breaking snow storms and cold temps did not stop our first season from being a huge success. We look forward to a summer with a Full Moon Dinner Series, music, boat building and lots of hands-on building repairs.

Your participation made it happen and we can't thank you enough!

Wiebke

 Check out our Kickstarter Campaign

This Week at the Bath Freight Shed: Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers Maine - April 13, 2013

Check out this Bath Community Television tour of the Bath Landfill, guided by the City of Bath Public Works Deputy Director Lee Leiner.

Join us TODAY at the Bath Farmers Market  - where you can put your veggies in your bag, coffee in your jar, all styrofoam free .

Our guest this week is Peggy Siegle, Director of Development and Communications for Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers Maine. Drop by and learn about the ReStore here in Bath. 

Bath Natural Market
Sponsors of the Mid Summer Benefit Dinner & Concert for the Freight Shed
July 2012

Did you know that all the great picnic tables at the Freight Shed and the storm windows on the north end of the Freight Shed were built by Habitat volunteers?

Joanne Luneau, a Bath Freight Shed Alliance and Maine's First Ship volunteer, will share some great re-purposing projects and lead a hands on rag-rug making project.
Share your favorite re-use idea and help us stop the Bath Landfill Mountain from growing!

See you in the South End Community Room!

Coming up at the Freight Shed

• 

  April 27th: KELT's community blitz day to stencil storm drains in downtown Bath. Learn more about this upcoming event at "No Dumping! Drains to River!"
  
  
  
  
  April 27th: Last day of the Winter Market tribute to our local farmers and food producers - in photographs and paintings of our Bath Farmers Market farms 
  
  
  
• May 4th: Maine's First Ship /Bath Freight Shed Yard Sale

This Week at the Bath Freight Shed: Georgetown Central School 4th Grade - April 6, 2013

Earth Month in the Community Room:

April 6th: Georgetown Central School 4th Grade composting project

April 13th: Creative examples of re-use exhibit and hands on activities. Pictured is a chair being re-used from a (legally obtained!) discarded Wrong Way sign!

April 27th: KELT's community blitz day to stencil storm drains in downtown Bath. Learn more about this upcoming event at "No Dumping! Drains to River!"

April 27th: Last day of the Winter Market tribute to our local farmers and food producers - in photographs and paintings of our Bath Farmers Market farms 

Coming up later this Spring:

• May 4th: Maine's First Ship /Bath Freight Shed Yard Sale

Useful Resources to Green your Lifestyle

Did you know that you can do away with the commercial household cleaning products that contain harsh chemicals with everyday products you you may already have in your kitchen? You knew folks did this but didn't know which product to use for carpet stains? Laundry detergent? Well there's a website you can access through the National Resources Council of Maine, titled "Toxic-free Maine" with a handy-dandy brochure available to help guide you through as you green up your life!

Here's a brief PSA from the WCLZ Green Team Minute on the subject: http://989wclz.com/green-team/safetly-clean-those-muddy-carpets/

Composting

Some of us do it, some don't, but many of us want to but either don't have the space in our yards or the time. Well there's a new service called Garbage to Garden that simplifies it all for you.

Here's a snippet describing Garbage to Garden but please visit their website to learn more.

Stop contributing to landfills and start composting, with Garbage to Garden, where your kitchen scraps are recycled -- your participation helps us to support schools, gardens, and the environment. 

• Recycle your food scraps on garbage day
• Compost all food waste, including meat, dairy, and bones
• Receive a clean bucket each week
• Request deliveries of matured compost at no extra charge
• $11 monthly, and FREE if you can volunteer!

DID YOU KNOW THAT FOOD WASTE IS THE #1 COMPONENT OF MUNICIPAL GARBAGE?

When you compost with Garbage to Garden, you are helping to keep organic waste -- the primary component of trash -- out of landfills and incinerators. You are also reducing atmospheric pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

The waste you recycle with Garbage to Garden is used to renew our soils, and to generate green electricity through anaerobic digestion technology, with no harmful byproducts.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT!

Currently, Garbage to Garden does not provide service to the Bath area but there is a system for petitioning the group to add our city to their routes. Please sign this petition to we can have Garbage to Garden in Bath!