SEPTEMBER AT THE MILL
Harvest/Music/and a lot of fun together!
Well, it's here — September. Like clockwork, we're all asking: where did summer go? But the truth is, summer moves fast and hard when you work in agriculture. The lazy days everyone talks about aren't ours — this is our busiest season, and this year tested us more than most. We had extreme early-spring heat, then a freeze that hurt farms across NJ, especially our orchards. Then came the rain — more than usual, and constant enough to set our vegetables back until late in the season.
Grain farming held steady, though. We had a fantastic rye harvest at Ruthie's Farm, and even growers who got caught harvesting wet grain pulled through with aerators after the fact. We bought one here at Marksboro Mills and lent it out to other small growers nearby who needed it to save their crops. Now we're prepping fields for October's winter planting — our Redeemer Wheat, which does spectacularly well here in Marksboro.
Outside the fields, we've had a great time building out the Woodland Stage and its programming
The community is loving our biweekly Community Jams, led by Mingo Lodge. We've also been booking performances: Lily Vakili killed it with her performance of her original music, and her songwriting workshop that followed. Don’t miss the last performance of her residency, a full band performance, on Saturday, September 26th.
LILY VAKILI
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SEPTEMBER 26th
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LAST SHOW
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LILY VAKILI - SEPTEMBER 26th - LAST SHOW -
SILENT BOOKCLUB AT MARKSBORO MILLS!
On Saturday, September 19, from 12–2pm, Sussex County's Silent Book Club and Belvidere Books are hosting a Silent Book Club at Marksboro Mills. Bring a chair, a blanket, whatever you're reading, and settle in at the Woodland Stage for a couple of quiet hours of reading together. It's free, RSVP required — and grabbing a pastry from our pop-up bakery is highly encouraged. Afterward, stick around for live music.
Welcome Jack Romano to Marksboro Mills
A little about Jack:
I heard him one night at one of my favorite small music clubs in NJ, the Great Notch Inn. His range blew me away — blues, country, soul, he had it all. I introduced myself, showed him photos of the stage, explained what Marksboro Mills is all about, and he came out to see us right away. He played one of our Community Jams and was eager to be part of what we're building. Like Lily, he understood the mission right away — the emphasis on community, and that "third space" we're all craving: a place where people can come together, share food, and take in performances that are free or close to it, sustained by donations or simply pitching in.
Jack Romano
September 19th
3PM
Jack Romano September 19th 3PM
You can hear him after the Silent Book Club September 19th at 3PM.
(if it is raining we will be moving the event into the Vintage garage starting at 4PM – Jack will perform at 6PM)
(event is free, generous donations appreciated )
As word has spread about the stage, my message to everyone is the same: this stage is for you.
Story jams, comedy, children's plays, teen concerts — if you've got a performance in mind, we built this with you in mind. We're not a classic "venue," because we're not monetizing this. We built it so people can learn about and be exposed to the work we're doing here: restoring a natural grain economy in New Jersey. We usually grill up cheese sandwiches in our new cook shack, made from our own bread, so people can taste the difference the flour makes — and know they're part of that restoration. And we invite all of you to bring the food and drinks that you want to share with your community. Please reach out hello@marksboromills.com for inquires
BAKING CLASSES
LETS MAKE CROISSANTS!
This month, Emily Downs is teaching a croissant class on September 27th. She spent June in Paris training on the perfect croissant, and came home figuring out how to make it work with our flour. Because our stone mill is set up with sifters, we can produce flour light enough for pastry — and the results taste like nothing you'll find at a typical bakery. By October, we'll be back to a fuller class roster.
And a Thank You…
To you! For continuing to shop our pop-up bakery on Saturday mornings, and for browsing Natalie's Odds & Era's vintage collection in Ruthie's Garage. We were so grateful to have additional vendors here over the summer — Campagna Coffee and Genesis Farm among them. We're deeply honored to be partnering with others doing beautiful work in service of our community.
And shout out to Alex Yanuzzi for the great pics of Lily’s performance and our stage.
HEY FARMER! WANT TO GROW WITH US?
We are always looking to expand our network of farmers to collaborate with.
