Atkins Field at Cooper Brook

06/04/2026

🌮 Granite Street Historic District Taco Gathering
Join us for a Granite Street Historic District taco gathering and neighborhood conversation.

Wednesday, June 10, 5:30-7:30pm
Parker Ladd Community Room
Jeudevine Memorial Library

The project team from SLR International will be sharing and discussing possible flood mitigation ideas for the neighborhood as part of the ongoing Granite Street Historic District planning work. This will be an informal opportunity to hear concepts, ask questions, talk with neighbors, and continue the conversations that have been growing over the past several months.

Enjoy a free meal of Caja Taqueria tacos with your neighbors.

The presentation will explore ideas, opportunities, and next steps for flood resiliency in the Granite St District neighborhood.

Please consider bringing a dessert to share.

Questions? Contact the Town Manager’s Office at 472-6120

Brought to you by CAE, the Town of Hardwick, and the residents of the Hardwick Granite Street Historic District.

Atkins Field is 15 acres of field, forest, wetland, and gardens, maintained for public use by CAE. This gathering place features a pavilion, community orchard, trails, bicycle pump track, historic granite industry relics, and open space for recreation. It is the home of the Hardwick Farmers Market and hosts a variety of community events.
15 acres of fields, forests, & gardens for community gathering.



Photo: The bridge over Cooper Brook, rebuilt in 2023 | Bethany M. Dunbar

06/03/2026

🍅 Join us THIS FRIDAY, June 5th at the Hardwick Farmers Market!

📸 CAE Photo Booth: take a photo with carrots, cows, acorns, mixers, and more! We’ll have information about CAE’s programs, stickers and swag, and a free photobooth. Take photos with our beautiful “magic carrot” illustration and hold elements from the photos. From clouds and birds to mixers and shovels, bring a fun scene to life.

🌱 Seed Planting Activities for Kids: Reeve Basom, CAE's Place-Based Education Coordinator, will be offering two different seed planting activities for kids. The first is planting Abenaki Rose Corn in the community garden as part of our Three Sisters Garden. There will also be an opportunity for kiddos to pick their own seeds & plant them in small pots to bring home & watch grow!

Visit the Hardwick Farmers Market every Friday from May 22nd - October 9th, rain or shine. 3:00pm-6:00pm at Atkins Field in Hardwick (140 Granite Street).

The Hardwick Farmers Market (HFM) and the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) collaborate to support local agriculture. As individual organizations we support farmers, the community, and local economy; by partnering together we maximize and multiply positive impacts to uplift the entire local food system.



Photo 1: A visitor talks to CAE staff at the Hardwick Farmers Market | Kent Shaw
Photo 2: A kids activity at the Hardwick Farmers Market with CAE's Place-Based Education Coordinator | Kelly Bogel Stokes

06/02/2026

🔨 Atkins Field Hoop House Repairs

Our facilities team has been hard at work this spring replacing the lumber on the Atkins Field hoop house and making some much needed repairs.

Special thanks to Josh and Michael for their hard work!

05/12/2026

☀️ Monday Meals at Atkins are back this summer, June 8th - August 10th! 🍔

The Center for an Agricultural Economy is once again hosting free community meals at Atkins Field every Monday, 5 - 6:30pm, June 8th through August 10th. Please join us and feel free to bring something to share. CAE staff will grill hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers.

Monday Community Meals
Atkins Field
100 Granite Street, Hardwick
Mondays, June 8th - August 10th, 5 - 6:30pm

Big thanks to McKenzie Country Classics and Jasper Hill Farm for donating!

Jasper Hill Farm
McKenzie Deli

Community Connections are collaborations and services designed and led with partners and neighbors. These programs help build collective, local resilience through community organizing, shared learning, and food justice.
Shared learning, food justice, & love.



Photo: A beautiful buffet line is in front of community members enjoying a Monday Meal at Atkins Field during summer 2025 | Reeve Basom

05/08/2026

🏞️On May 1 the Town of Hardwick organized a cleanup of Cooper Brook in collaboration with the Hazen Union Hatchery Club and CAE. Thank you to everyone who showed up to help, including members of the Hazen Union Hatchery Club, Atkins Field neighbors, community members, CAE staff, and friends from partner organizations (NEK Trout Unlimited, Caledonia County NRCD, and Vermont Fish and Wildlife) .

🛻The goal was to remove a large number of discarded tires and other debris that accumulated in the brook over time. During high water events, these materials can move downstream toward the Lamoille River, so getting them out of the channel helps protect the watershed. The cleanup event was a huge success. According to event organizer, Kristen Leahy: “In just over five hours, 47 people pulled 175 tires, and half a dumpster of additional debris, out of Cooper Brook. That’s debris that won’t trap sediment, redirect flows, or move downstream during the next high water event.”

🏘️Thank you to the Greensboro Association for sponsoring the cleanup, staff from CAE for supporting logistics and coordinating lunch, Hardwick area Neighbor to Neighbor for lending the emergency response trailer, and Kristen Leahy and the town of Hardwick for organizing the event and providing 🍕pizza. Thank you also to the Hazen Hatchery Club for inspiring and co-planning this event, and to Hazen students in the Recipe for Human Connection class for making macaroni and cheese, salad, and fresh scones for lunch🍝.

Atkins Field is 15 acres of field, forest, wetland, and gardens, maintained for public use by CAE. This gathering place features a pavilion, a community orchard, trails, a bicycle pump track, historic granite industry relics, and open space for recreation. It is the home of the Hardwick Farmers Market and hosts a variety of community events.



Photo 1: CAE staff members Devin (left), Catherine (center), and Josh (right), remove tires from Atkins Field.
Photo 2: The Hardwick Area Neighbor to Neighbor emergency response trailer provided wheelbarrows, shovels, and other equipment.
Photo 3: Trillium along the banks of the Cooper Brook.
Photo 4: Hazen student and member of the Hazen Union Hatchery Club, James, stacked and organized tires in the dumpster.
Photo 5: A lunch feast made by students in Hazen's Recipe for Human Connection class featured macaroni and cheese and ramp and cheddar scones.
Photo 6: CAE staff members Josh (left), Michael (center), and Hayley (right) pose for a photo while cleaning the area around the granite shed.
Photos by Lylee Rauch-Kacenski

04/24/2026

🐟 Community Clean-Up of Cooper Brook - You're Invited!

Volunteers are needed to help clean up Cooper Brook!
Join the town of Hardwick, Hazen Union Hatchery Club, and CAE to remove tires and trash from Cooper Brook.

Friday, May 1 from 8:30 am - 2:00 pm (you don’t need to stay the whole time).

Wear boots or waders and clothes that you are ready to get dirty. Enjoy good company and lunch! (Pizza and more!)
Meet at the Atkins Field Parking Lot. (140 Granite Street)
Questions? Contact the Town Manager’s Office at 472-6120

Atkins Field is 15 acres of field, forest, wetland, and gardens, maintained for public use by CAE. This gathering place features a pavilion, community orchard, trails, bicycle pump track, historic granite industry relics, and open space for recreation. It is the home of the Hardwick Farmers Market and hosts a variety of community events.

04/10/2026

💦 Flood Resilience Planning at Atkins Field

The State of Vermont recently published a story on its Climate Action Webpage (https://loom.ly/_UPvao8) highlighting Hardwick’s approach to flood emergency management following the 2023 and 2024 flood events. As part of this community centered approach to emergency management, CAE has partnered with the Town on flood resilience efforts to learn how Atkins Field can be adapted to protect residential and commercial structures in the Granite Street Historic District.

The town hired SLR consulting to develop a Grant Street District Flood Resiliency Plan, and they will be holding a community meeting May 20th, 5:30-7:30pm at the Jeudevine Memorial Library to provide information on options and gather resident input on the project. The town is also establishing a High Water Mark on shed at Atkins Field, and an early warning siren to provide earlier warning during a fast moving flood event.

Atkins Field is 15 acres of field, forest, wetland, and gardens, maintained for public use by CAE. This gathering place features a pavilion, community orchard, trails, bicycle pump track, historic granite industry relics, and open space for recreation. It is the home of the Hardwick Farmers Market and hosts a variety of community events.



Photo: Cooper Brook with ice | Bethany M. Dunbar

04/09/2026

We're getting excited for market season!!! Read more about opening market below, AND see details for a call for Hardwick Farmers Market vendors for this season.

❓DID YOU KNOW❓

The Farmers Market is still accepting vendor applications for the 2026 season! 🎉

We are especially seeking the following products to supplement our line up: Agricultural & value added foods including dairy (milk & cheese) jams, pickles, honey, sauces, body care products and artisan goods (esp. pottery!)

Applications can be submitted on the 'join us' page of our website hardwickfarmersmarket.org) or by sending an email to [email protected] 👍

As always, we so appreciate the community's ongoing support! THANK YOU! ❤️

We hope you'll join us on opening market day on Friday May 22nd from 3:00pm-6:00pm at Atkins Field. 🌱

We look forward to gathering with you again soon! 😊

03/08/2026

🍎 Hardwick Farmers Market: Winter Market ❄️

The Hardwick Farmers Market, in partnership with the Center for an Agricultural Economy & Hazen Union High School, has ONE MORE Hardwick Community Market this winter:

March 15th
Sunday | 10am - 1pm

🏀 All three markets will be happening in the Hazen Union High School gymnasium.
🚗 Plenty of parking.
💲 Attendance is FREE!
🥕 We hope you'll join us in coming out to support your local growers, producers, artisans, and youth/students!
💆‍♀️ There will also be some great opportunities to support yourself in our 'winter wellness' area with a chair massage, reiki session, aromatherapy etc.

🎶 Free live music (by Vecchio Stile on 3/15).
🧔 Lots of new & familiar faces.
🥨 Tons of yummy local food.
🥪 Prepared/lunch options.
🎨 Fun kids activities.
👉 FREE $10 value meal & grocery voucher for the first 100 customers to arrive.

🎉 These are going to be really fun community events with something for everyone!

Visit the Hardwick Farmers' Market, VT Facebook event for more information & to stay up to date with additional details!

🙌 We hope you'll join us!

Hardwick Farmers' Market, VT
The Center for an Agricultural Economy
Hazen Union School

The Hardwick Farmers Market (HFM) and the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) collaborate to support local agriculture. As individual organizations we support farmers, the community, and local economy; by partnering together we maximize and multiply positive impacts to uplift the entire local food system.

The Center for an Agricultural Economy supports rural communities and working landscapes by building a more interconnected local food system.



Photo: 2025 HFM Winter Market | Hayley Williams

02/08/2026

🍎 Hardwick Farmers Market: Winter Markets ❄️

The Hardwick Farmers Market, in partnership with the Center for an Agricultural Economy & Hazen Union High School will be offering TWO MORE 2026 Hardwick Community Markets in 2026:

February 15th
March 15th
Sundays | 10am - 1pm

🏀 All three markets will be happening in the Hazen Union High School gymnasium.
🚗 Plenty of parking.
💲 Attendance is FREE!
🥕 We hope you'll join us in coming out to support your local growers, producers, artisans, and youth/students!
💆‍♀️ There will also be some great opportunities to support yourself in our 'winter wellness' area with a chair massage, reiki session, aromatherapy etc.

🎶 Free live music (by Barry Hayes on 2/15).
🧔 Lots of new & familiar faces.
🥨 Tons of yummy local food.
🥪 Prepared/lunch options.
🎨 Fun kids activities.
👉 FREE $10 value meal & grocery voucher for the first 100 customers to arrive.

🎉 These are going to be really fun community events with something for everyone!

Visit the Hardwick Farmers' Market, VT Facebook event for more information & to stay up to date with additional details!

🙌 We hope you'll join us!

Hardwick Farmers' Market, VT
The Center for an Agricultural Economy
Hazen Union School

The Hardwick Farmers Market (HFM) and the Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) collaborate to support local agriculture. As individual organizations we support farmers, the community, and local economy; by partnering together we maximize and multiply positive impacts to uplift the entire local food system.

The Center for an Agricultural Economy supports rural communities and working landscapes by building a more interconnected local food system.



Photo: 2025 HFM Winter Market | Hayley Williams