FARMINGTON – Politics will mix with the blues Friday, Nov. 13 when the Western Mountains Alliance (WMA) hosts an annual meeting and fundraiser featuring presentations by five gubernatorial candidates and music by the David Mello Blues Band starting at 6 p.m. at the University of Maine Farmington Olsen Student Center.
A nonprofit community and economic development organization, WMA is located in Farmington and serves the four western Maine counties of Oxford, Piscataquis, Somerset and Franklin. Over the past several years, WMA has worked intensively to support local agriculture in the region. The organization publishes local food directories promoting farm products in all four counties and coordinates the Western Maine Market, an online marketplace for local farm products with distribution locations in the Farmington area and linked to the Progress Center’s online market in the Oxford Hills area.
The Nov. 13 event will open with the WMA Board of Directors Annual Meeting at 5:30 p.m., followed by an evening of “dancing, delicacies and civil discourse” starting at 6 p.m. 2010 gubernatorial candidates Sen. Peter Mills, Les Otten, Sen. Libby Mitchell, Lynne Williams and Steve Rowe will speak on their goals for western Maine. Appetizers throughout the event will feature local cheeses, meats, fruit and produce. WMA members are invited to attend the board’s meeting at 5:30 p.m.
WMA celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2007 and this year is launching an endowment campaign. Proceeds from the event will help build sustainable resources to support WMA’s work in the region. Three baskets featuring local products including Maine wines, USDA certified free-range chickens from Whispering Winds Farm, honey from Stone Corner Farm and more will be raffled at the event. Winners do not have to be present to win. 50/50 cash raffle tickets will also be on sale.
Admittance for the Nov. 13 event is $20 for members, $30 for nonmembers and $10 for students. Tickets for the raffles can also be purchased separately. RSVP by Nov. 10. FMI Call 778-3883 or email tcook@westernmountainsalliance.org
