2021 - 39th Annual Herb Fair - Nov. 6

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Dear Potential Herb Faire Vendors:

The 2019 Madison Herb Society Herb Fair will be held on Saturday, November 2, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We hope you will consider joining us for the Herb Society's biggest event of the year! As many of our veteran vendors know, this is event is well attended and a great deal of fun. Olbrich Gardens believes that more than 1,000 attendees were at last year's event. Surveys of last year's vendors report great satisfaction with their sales. For new vendors, we'd like to welcome you and help you get off to a great start, so please feel free to let us know how we may assist you.

We have a total of 16 vendor spots and applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Please send in your application materials and payment promptly to reserve your space since we have several new vendors interested in attending.

This year’s Herb Fair will again focus on herbal education with the theme of “Wisconsin's Wild and Native Herbs”. You may want to tie the theme into your products offerings, handouts etc.

Note that vendors may not offer artificial or non-herbal products at the Fair. We welcome the following types of herbal products: herbal teas and tinctures, herbal body care products, herbal books and artworks, herbal vinegars and preserves, other herbal food products, dried and fresh herbs and plants, décor incorporating herbs and similar items.  If you are uncertain whether a product is appropriate, please inquire.

Please note that Herb Fair vendors must provide a list of all the types of products you plan to sell as part the application. Your list of products will be helpful in our publicity efforts and our handout to Herb Fair visitors.

All vendors must assume responsibility for compliance with applicable food safety laws. Please be aware that Wisconsin has a Cottage Food Law that allows homemade canned goods. Wisconsin’s Cottage Food Law applies only to producers with $5,000 or less in sales per year, and they may only sell at farmers markets and other community events (such as the Herb Faire). All sales must be made in-person and go directly from the producer to the consumer. Home producers are allowed to make jams, jellies, pickled goods, sauces, and any other canned goods that are acidic enough to be safe (needs a pH under 4.6). Here is a link that outlines Wisconsin specifics regarding the cottage food law.

For information about baked goods sale guidelines visit the Madison Health Department. 

Setup will be on Saturday, from 7 a.m.– 8:30 a.m., which will give you one and a half hours. You need to supply your own table or display, but Olbrich has CHAIRS available. Two chairs will be provided to each vendor. Please enter through the side door (west) at Olbrich, not the main front door entrance. All vendors must have setup completed by 8:45 am. Vendors who do not arrive by this time will NOT be allowed to set up. We will not be able to setup on Friday, nor can we access Olbrich Gardens prior to 7 a.m.

Following setup, you are required to move your vehicles to the back parking lot, leaving the closer-in parking places available for Faire attendees and Olbrich visitors.

We are having three speakers throughout the course of the day (in another room) as usual.

Enclosed you will find:

1. Vendor and Membership Application Form
2. Vendor Site Map
3. Tax Information Sheet

Your payment as a vendor covers your membership in the Madison Herb Society, so you don't need to make two payments, but please fill out both applications forms. Thank You.

An electronic press release, including a copy of the Herb Fair poster, will be sent to you once you are accepted for participation in the 2019 Herb Fair, so that you can help publicize the event to your customers.

If you are interested in giving a program or workshop at a future fair or at one of our monthly meetings on your area of specialty, please let us know so that we can consider you for the future.

We hope you will be part of Madison Herb Society's 2019 Herb Fair.

Thank you and welcome,
Sheila Leary
President, Madison Herb Society

Get the Herb Fair Press Kit.

Contact:
Sheila Leary, Madison Herb Society president
smleary@charter.net or 608-444-0926 (cell) 

Download Word version of Herb Fair Press Kit.

HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES can be downloaded from the Herb Fair Press Photos section of the website. 

(https://madisonherbsociety.org/annual-herb-fair#7ad094df-460a-424a-a3f3-7389f0e4c138) 

(If the hyperlink doesn't work, please copy and paste the link.) 

A POSTER can be downloaded from these links:

JPG 2019 Herb Fair Poster

(https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/66907d90-be65-4201-aa29-98b658a53aad/downloads/2019-herbfair-poster.jpg?ver=1569897868450)

PDF 2019 Herb Fair Poster 

(https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/66907d90-be65-4201-aa29-98b658a53aad/downloads/2019-herbfair-poster.pdf?ver=1569897868450)

CALENDAR LISTING

Madison Herb Fair Saturday, November 2, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave., Madison. Speakers, vendors, bake sale, free admission. 2019 theme: “WISCONSIN’S WILD AND NATIVE HERBS.” More information at https://madisonherbsociety.org/annual-herb-fair 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

The thirty-seventh annual Herb Fair in Madison, sponsored by the Madison Herb Society, has as its theme this year “WISCONSIN’S WILD AND NATIVE HERBS.” The Fair takes place Saturday, November 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Avenue in Madison. The Herb Fair features speakers and local vendors offering products from teas and baked goods to body care products and herbal gifts. Admission is free.

INTERVIEWS

To arrange a print or broadcast interview with a representative of the Madison Herb Society, please contact Sheila Leary at smleary@charter.net or 608-444-0926 (cell) 

NEWS STORY

37th Madison Herb Fair Set for November 2

“WISCONSIN’S WILD AND NATIVE HERBS” is the theme of the 37th annual Herb Fair of the Madison Herb Society. It takes place Saturday November 2, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Avenue in Madison. The fair features speakers, information, and an herbal marketplace. Admission is free. 

“There is such an interest in eating local foods, and that includes herbs. Our three speakers will introduce the wild and native herbs of Wisconsin that you can grow or forage and herbal flavors from the Ho-Chunk culinary tradition, as well as how to use herbs to prevent tick bites and aid treatment of Lyme disease,” said Sheila Leary, president of the Madison Herb Society. 

Scheduled talks at the Fair are:

9:30 a.m. Linda Conroy Meet the Wild and Native Herbs of Wisconsin

Join forager and herbalist Linda Conroy of Moonwise Herbs for this inspiring overview of useful plants found in the fields and forests of Wisconsin. She will present medicinal, edible and utilitarian applications, while sharing tips for sustainable foraging.

11:30 a.m. Elena Terry Native Herbs in Ho-Chunk Food Traditions

Chef Elena Terry of Wild Bearies Catering draws on Ho-Chunk food traditions and her culinary training to demonstrate uses of our native herbs, such as juniper berries, sage, wintergreen and sumac.

1:30 p.m. Jean Schneider Medicinal Herbs and Lyme Disease
Herbalist Jean Schneider of Nativa Medica will discuss how to prevent and treat tick bites as well as how to use local herbs as tinctures and teas to recover from an infection. Most of these herbs can be used along with treatments prescribed by your doctor. Handout with medicinal herb information provided.

“The Herb Society’s most popular products at the fair are our bake sale and our catnip toys. We’ll also offer four tea blends, including Lavender-Mint and Victorian Bouquet, savory herb blends, cookbooks, individual herb packets and our popular herbed lemon rice mix. We’re pleased to welcome several new vendors to the fair, including the Willy Street Co-op,” noted Leary.

The Herb Fair marketplace features sixteen regional small businesses and organizations offering such products as herbal teas, baked goods, bath and body care items, dried herbs and blends, products featuring chili peppers and honey, essential oils and tinctures, aromatherapy products and smudges, wreaths and a variety of herbal first aid products, including tick-bite kits. Vendors will also be selling botanically inspired handcrafts, fairy garden items, and holiday ornaments.

The Madison Herb Society is a non-profit membership organization that promotes education about the culture and use of herbs, including their global history and use for culinary, medicinal, horticultural and decorative purposes. Throughout the year, the society sponsors speakers, workshops, field trips, garden tours and themed potluck meals.

Interested visitors are invited to become members of the Madison Herb Society at the Fair. More information about the Fair and the Society is at www.madisonherbsociety.org.

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