The Huss Project (1008 8th St.) will be hosting their annual Back-to-School Celebration and community carnival on Saturday, August 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will include vendors from local community organizations, a musical storybook from The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (KSO), as well as free backpacks filled with school supplies for any school-aged child in need. 

The Back-to-School Celebration will take place during a Second Saturday farmer’s market at The Huss Project. “It’ll be just like our normal farmer’s market and a normal Second Saturday as far as having lots of produce,” Market Manager Margaret Wenger said. “This is getting to be the time of year where we have tons and tons of amazing produce like tomatoes, corn, and things like that. On Second Saturday’s we also have art vendors, live music, and the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra will do the musical storybook, as well.”

As part of the Back-to-School Celebration, Wenger said there would be about 500 backpacks filled with school supplies for school-aged children (accompanied by an adult caregiver) who need them. “Children from any school district are eligible to receive backpacks,” she said. “There will also be a community carnival where several area organizations will have a booth set up, they will tell folks what they’re about, and they will have an activity for the kids. It should be a really fun atmosphere.”

Community carnival participants will include: Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, Community Action Shippy Head Start, Covered Bridge Healthcare of St. Joseph County, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (*culture is not optional), Girls Scouts Heart of Michigan, Great Start, Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph County Literacy Council, Three Rivers Area Mentoring, Three Rivers Public Library, and Women of the Moose #2388.

Live music during the farmer’s market on Saturday will be performed by Sierra Skye Baker. According to her artist bio, Baker is a “soulful singer/songwriter with evocative lyricism and a soothing voice who sings in languages such as English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French.” She is a Michigan native, and her musical style reflects her appreciation for many artists of various genres including Joni Mitchel, Tracy Chapman, and India Arie.

Thanks to a grant from the St. Joseph Great Start Collaborative, Second Saturdays at The Huss Project feature musical storybook events for children provided by the KSO. The storybook performance for August 12 will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will feature The Pigeon Has to Go to School by Mo Willems. Other activities for kids at the market include a mud kitchen, swing, sandbox, and basketball court. Children accompanied by a parent or guardian can also explore the Huss Project’s woods trail. 

Fresh food vendors at the market will have edible goods such as homemade breads, scones, muffins, and cookies, and Vel’s BBQ will also be on site serving hungry festival-goers. 

Beca Welty is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice.