As the Christmas shopping season arrives with Black Friday in the US, I can’t think of anything more ridiculous than camping outside of a store in order to buy stuff. Except for shooting, trampling or pepper-spraying your fellow shoppers in order to get at said stuff, of which there were many reported instances this year.

Volunteering in New Westminster connects you to the community like nothing else. There’s no shortage of causes to choose from, but my organization of choice is the Royal City Farmers Market.

New Westminster may soon have the distinction of having the most large grocery stores per capita in the Lower Mainland. Wal-Mart has applied to open a new grocery supercentre in its Queensborough store. Thrifty Foods has just been announced as an anchor tenant in Sapperton’s coming Brewery District mixed-retail/residential complex next to SkyTrain and Royal Columbian Hospital. A new Safeway is coming to the Plaza 88 development at New Westminster SkyTrain. And of course, the River Market will open this summer as a newly food-focused destination with an as-yet-unnamed anchor grocer.

There’s a million green gifts out there, and an even larger number of gifts pretending to be green but really, with huge carbon footprints and huge consumptive and wasteful histories. Green really is the new black.
We’re selecting a few green goodies you might not necessarily see in your average Green Gift Guide in the mass media- and a few goodies special to New West and Tenth to the Fraser.

Homegrown right here in New Westminster is the Biggest Little Garden in Town project. Originally designed to bring fresh produce to apartment-dwelling …

Local Farmers Market regulars and aficionados will be happy to hear that they won’t have to wait until next spring to get their fix of fresh, local food and community spirit. New Westminster’s Royal City Farmers Market will launch a new monthly Winter Market beginning this December.

It was the best of stores, it was the worst of stores….well, nothing is that simple.
New Westminster residents, like folks all over, develop a preference for grocery stores. Those of us habituated to the 6th Ave. Safeway in the Royal City Center have had our choice expanded as the Save on Foods has recently opened in New Westminster Center, on 6th st. Like anything, our individual choices will be based on a number of factors including location, layout, staff, selection and price. While it is impossible to say one …

Admittedly, I’m a little biased. I was recently appointed as the market manager for the Royal City Farmers’ Market, but I am so excited about the market’s reopening coming up!
The second incarnation of the Royal City Farmers’ Market is about to kick off June 25th with a special “Welcome to Summer Vacation” market, featuring kids’ activities including toys and crafts, a magician, face painting, and a special appearance by Mayor Wayne Wright who will start the market season off with a bang! The market runs June 25 to October 8 …

Cross-posted on disadventure, Jocelyn’s blog about life, travel and more.
Last night I joined @gnb, Hollie, @duckbeaver and two of my co-editors from Tenthtothefraser, Jen Arbo and Will at a “Burger and a beer” fundraiser for the Royal City Farmer’s Market, at the Brooklyn Bar and Grill on Columbia Street in New Westminster.
Chuck Puchmayr’s band was playing, the weather was good, conversation was nice, and we met some great people – like Loren from the Apple Barn Pumpkin Farm, a market vendor who drove all the way out from Abbotsford to …

One of the items in our datebook here at Tenth to the Fraser, is the Royal City Farmers’ Market Second Annual Fundraiser. This year the fundraiser is at the Brooklyn Tap and Grill and will feature the musical guest The Syndicate, featuring Chuck Puchmayr. There is a silent auction with the top prize a weekend getaway for two in Harrison courtesy BCAA Travel on 6th Street. There will be many other excellent items to bid on. 
Tickets are available at the Village Coffee Lounge at 705 12th Street, Vienna Treasures at …

There was a hint of a congratulatory mood at tonight’s Annual General Meeting of the Royal City Farmer’ Market at the New Westminster Public Library.  The meeting was well attended and a number of people renewed their membership or became members with their $10 donation. Tenthtothefraser.ca also became a member in a way as both Briana and myself joined the society.
Andrew Murray, founder, past president and a major spokesperson for the RCFM, reported that over the 16 market days of the 2008 season, more than 11,000 persons attended the market …