HUGHESVILLE, Md. – The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) a division of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland, is seeking farms, wineries and other established agritourism venues in Southern Maryland to apply to be the location host for the for the 2024 & 2025 Buy Local Challenge Event (BLC) Celebrations. The BlC annual event seeks to promote Southern Maryland’s agricultural community and connect consumers with the bounty of the region’s farms and food.
Previous History
The Buy Local Challenge Celebration event was created to compliment Maryland’s Annual Buy Local Challenge Week promotion, which was created by SMADC to encourage consumers to support their local farms and eat locally produced farm foods every day during BLC Week.
The week-long promotion is now a State-wide initiative in partnership with Maryland Department of Agriculture. The Governor kicks off BLC week with an ‘invitation only’ cookout at the Maryland Department of Agriculture for food industry representatives. The BLC Celebration concludes the promotion in Southern Maryland and is open to the public.
Event Description
The BLC Celebration has historically always taken place in the evening on the last Monday of July (capping off the BLC promotion week), from 5:30 p.m. through 8:30 p.m.
The event features a farmers’ market style festival with approximately 50 vendors offering tastings and sales of Maryland grown and produced farm products as well as wineries, breweries, distilleries, local artisans, crafters, and agricultural organizations.
Other attractions include a raffle, food trucks, musical entertainment, carriage rides, and children’s activities/play area. The event has grown in popularity, attracting upwards of 1,100 people (in 2023), including VIPs from the state legislature and local government.
SMADC BLC Event Proposal
It was the intent at the inception of the SMADC BLC Event that all the five Southern Maryland counties have the opportunity to hold it in their county at a participating farm in the first five years of the existence of the event. All five counties have – and now it’s time to open bids again for a location.
Since location plays such a large part in the planning of the event (regarding zoning, permitting, health department etc.) SMADC is bidding out the location in two-year increments to streamline some of the processes.
SMADC is now opening the application process to farms/agricultural venues/agritourism facilities in the five SOMD counties to apply to host two years of the Buy Local Challenge Celebration Event at their location for the 2024 & 2025 season.
Established agritourism venues located in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s counties that have the ability to host large public events and meet the criteria laid out in the application are encouraged to apply to host the BLC Celebration (including all of those that have previously hosted before).
Host applications are due by Friday, May 17th.
For full details and host site selection criteria visit ‘What’s New, News and Announcements’ at www.SMADC.com, or email info@smadc.com.
VIEW THE HOST SITE APPLICATION FORM AND CRITERIA HERE