Research Campus launches market for National Food Day

KANNAPOLIS — The N.C. Research Campus will launch a year-round indoor farmers’ market next month in conjunction with National Food Day.

The biotech complex in downtown Kannapolis, founded by Dole Food chairman David Murdock, will host a series of events Oct. 20 through Nov. 14 to celebrate National Food Day, observed on Oct. 24. Events include:

• Indoor farmers’ market

On Oct. 20, the Research Campus will partner with the Piedmont Farmers Market to open a year-round, indoor market in downtown Kannapolis at 120 West Ave., the former Cannon Towel store.

Local farmers will be ready to sell their fresh vegetables at 3 p.m. The market will close at 4:45 p.m. and re-open from 5 to 8 p.m. for the Harvest Gala to raise money for the market. Tickets are $25 per person and include door prizes, live auction, hors d’oeuvres, live entertainment and a goody bag.

Beer and North Carolina wines will be available for purchase. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at piedmont-farmersmarket.com . Regular hours for the year-round market are Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m.

• Food Day Lunch at 46

On Oct. 24, Restaurant Forty-Six in downtown Kannapolis will serve a special menu of locally grown foods between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 pm.

• Learn and Live film series

Also on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m., the Learn and Live film series kicks off. The free series is geared to promote a community conversation about health and nutrition.

The first movie will be “Forks Over Knives.” The feature-length documentary follows the journeys of researchers Dr. T. Collin Campbell of Cornell University and Dr. Caldwell Esselystn of the Cleveland Clinic as they examine the claim that “most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods.”

Nov. 14 at 7 p.m., the film series continues with “Food Stamped,” a documentary following the efforts of a couple to eat a healthy and well-balanced diet on a food stamp budget.

Both movies will be shown in the events room of the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory building at the Research Campus. Each movie will include a panel discussion. Additional movies are being scheduled for 2012.

Sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Food Day is designed to motivate Americans to “push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.”

On Food Day, thousands of events will be held across the country to encourage people to incorporate healthier food choices into their diet. Research Campus partner Dole Foods, one of the world’s largest producers of fruits and vegetables, is supporting Food Day with stickers on 100 million bananas.

Other events from Georgia to California will further reinforce the power of foods to prevent disease and the importance of sustainable, local farming.

“Food Day is a reminder that people have the power to make choices that give them a healthier life and, by choosing to buy from local farmers, strengthen their regional economy,” Research Campus Marketing Director Phyllis Beaver said in a press release. “This day is so aligned with what the N.C. Research Campus is about that we are hosting several events to engage our community and increase their commitment to healthy living.”

For more information about Food Day, visit www.foodday.org .