For Mothers’ Day weekend 2016, there’ll be some changes made at Basilica Hudson. The freestanding Ramp Festival of the past five years has been subsumed into a new Farm & Flea Spring Market: offspring of the successful Thanksgiving weekend Holiday Market that Basilica calls “the Anti-Black Friday big sister goddess.” Organized in collaboration with Hudson River Exchange, the now-semiannual Farm & Flea markets feature a wide range of independent makers, collectors and farmers offering a variety of seasonally appropriate products – this time, including spring and summer-specific apparel and ephemera.
Maker and collector categories include Paper, Ceramics, Leather, Wood, Home & Garden, Kids & Toys, Jewelry, Fiber/Textiles, Apparel, Art & Books, Bath & Body, Wellness, Farm Products, Value Added and Specialty Packaged Food. “Picture spring dresses, vintage garden sets, wild edibles and maybe even a maypole,” says Basilica Hudson director/co-founder Melissa Auf der Maur, “and, of course, all things Mothers’ Day!”
The changeover doesn’t mean that springtime’s pungent culinary gift of the woods will be entirely forgotten, however. Ramp Fest’s founders, Swoon Kitchenbar, will be on hand at the Spring Market, operating a pop-up restaurant, complete with a bar and ramp-infused menu items for all attendees to enjoy.
Also new this year is Basilica Hudson’s use of a juried application process for the Market. With broad knowledge in their field and an awareness of the many talented people in the region, the jury helps maintain and expand the quality and integrity of this event, now in its fourth year. Working with a diverse jury ensures that Basilica Hudson can consider, review and select the highest quality work the region has to offer.
The Farm & Flea Spring Market runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 8. A $5 entry fee covers admission for the entire weekend; children under age 12 get in free of charge. Proceeds from admissions and vendor fees support ongoing operations for the organization and allow Basilica Hudson to continue to develop and present its programs.
The 10,000-square-foot Basilica space is located at 110 South Front Street in Hudson. For more info, visit https://basilicahudson.org or www.facebook.com/