MONTAGUE — Music, food and local wares will be plentiful around town on Saturday as Montague hosts two outdoor markets.
Hello Summer Outdoor Marketplace, organized by the business networking organization Aventurine Collective, will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 27 Center St. The second annual Unity Festival and Maker’s Market will then take place from 2 to 10 p.m.
Aventurine Collective describes Hello Summer as “a day dedicated to fostering connections in our community that provide foundations of growth and care for the whole family” in a posting on the organization’s website. The marketplace will feature “a curated array of woman, non-binary, trans and BIPOC-owned small businesses, creators, practitioners and tradespeople” for locals to deal with. BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and people of color.
“It is important to create a space for this in this area because our voices, our art, our services, our practices are integral in shaping a society that values connection, collaboration and diversity,” Aventurine Collective co-founders Julia Demillones Moore and Molly Osowski wrote in an email.
Trades that will be represented include pottery, textile making and botanicals. Attendees can have a massage, participate in classes and workshops, listen to music, enjoy the adjacent Sawmill River, and buy food from Jamaican food caterer Jamaican Jewelz and Filipino food caterer Ginger Love Cafe.
“Locals should attend Hello Summer Outdoor Market in Montague to experience a unique and fun day, enjoy fresh air and a beautiful outdoor setting, to shop local from small businesses, to eat delicious food, and to maybe learn or try something new,” the co-founders’ email reads.
There is a $10 entrance fee to the marketplace. Presale tickets, which are available for purchase online, include two raffle tickets for baskets of goods from attending vendors worth more than $100. These tickets, as well as a full list of vendors, classes and workshops, can be found at aventurinecollective.com/market.
While a press release from Montague arts and culture programmer and festival organizer RiverCulture denoted this year’s Unity Festival and Maker’s Market as the second annual, this year’s event looks to be larger and more formal than what was held last year. While the 2021 festival was unnamed and consisted of food and a small motorcycle show at Nova Motorcycles, this year’s event more holistically involves the local business community and its character.
“Turners Falls has sort of started this brand with LOOT and Buckingham Rabbits and Swanson’s Fabrics,” Nova Motorcycles co-owner and event organizer Peter Chilton said. “There’s sort of a focus on things that have a sort of history and a past.”
According to the release, the event will include vendors “selling handmade, upcycled, vintage and one-of-a-kind items” to create an environment geared toward “people who find joy in repurposing, recycling, rebuilding and reimaging.”
“The way I see Montague is that it was a place that was really born out of history,” Chilton said, citing a “legacy of people there that want to make their own stuff.”
Starting at 2 p.m. in front of Nova Motorcycles, vendors will share their wares. Each artisan has also been asked to give a short demonstration of their work for attendees.
“There’s a little education part to this,” Chilton said.
Also beginning at 2 p.m., DJ Overtime will offer a two-hour set. Drummer and singer Molly ES will then perform at 5 p.m., followed by rock band Jimmy Just Quit at 7 p.m. Food and drinks will be available from the Santo Taco food truck, Nice. Snack Parlor, Ginger Love Cafe and Pioneer Valley Brewery.
A rain date is set for Sunday. The Unity Festival and Maker’s Market is supported by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.