Everyone loves a good party! You get to enjoy delicious food, sip on drinks, listen to tunes and catch up with friends.
Now, take the elements of a good party and multiply the amount and variety of food and beverages available. Include performances by top local musicians. Expand the guest list to include the entire community. Then add activities for kids and adults, unique shopping opportunities, education, culture and history.
As lovers of a great party themselves, it is this thought process that led Jacquelyn Zeichner and Monika Bernthal to create Made in St. Augustine®. “We wanted to create an all-encompassing local festival that included and appealed to everyone in the area, and supported our local community,” explained Bernthal.
One might say the root of the festival’s founding was a bit self-serving. “We both have kids, which takes a great deal of time, but we still want to try — and enjoy — all of the area’s amazing restaurants. We want to buy locally, and take advantage of local services and opportunities, but don’t necessarily have time to drive all over town, or seek out the small, local handcrafter who may not have a storefront,” says Zeichner. “We want to reveal St. Augustine’s hidden gems, and maximize our support of local businesses, individuals and organizations but this is often logistically challenging.”
PHOTO: MILO DAVIS
In speaking with friends and family, Zeichner and Bernthal learned they are not alone in wanting to discover all that St. Augustine has to offer. They also realized they are in good company, because like them, others they know, also mention places, items and opportunities they hear about but can’t explore because of the responsibilities and routines of daily life.
“Our thought was to promote St. Augustine’s skills, talents and resources, whether these are in the form of small businesses, individuals or an organization, in a consolidated effort and market every facet of our town to its maximum potential,” said Bernthal. “We want to give small businesses a storefront, individuals a marketing platform, organizations a new avenue to spread the word.”
Zeichner and Bernthal set out to build an event that would showcase the best of everything “made” in St. Augustine at one location, in one day. “Let’s celebrate the nation’s oldest city and provide everyone full access to all St. Augustine offers through a fun event,” said Zeichner.
A key part of their vision is to make the festival as interactive as possible.
To that end, Made in St. Augustine’s® festival is built entirely around interactive activities: sampling dishes from local restaurants; watching live cooking demonstrations and a bartenders’ competition; shopping for exclusive and locally-handcrafted items; participating in instructional workshops and make-and-take stations; learning through educational demos; taking part in a variety of activities and games; and enjoying live music by top local performers.
“We know that if we properly engage attendees, we will foster relationships between our vendors and the community. Made in St. Augustine® will increase awareness of local offerings and bolster our local businesses, individuals and organizations,” said Bernthal.
While the concept started as an all-encompassing, one-day festival, it has quickly grown to a brand, a campaign, and a movement, to help build local businesses and ultimately boost the local economy.
As they began to get the word out, to try and involve established entities as well as find, and promote lesser-known local talent and skill, Zeichner and Bernthal made another discovery; St. Augustine’s unbelievably close-knit community. “The number of collaborations in this town is astounding,” explained Zeichner. “There are so many individuals, businesses and groups in the area working together, be it retailers and culinary experts, restaurants and local farmers or craftspeople and community organizations. They pull together to create even more unique, locally-made goods and opportunities.”
Through the Made In St. Augustine® campaign, Zeichner and Bernthal intend to highlight these strategic partnerships and fuel more alliances. “We want to create a unified effort to support all facets of St. Augustine,” said Zeichner.
As for the festival, Bernthal said, “This area boasts such remarkable local businesses, talented and skilled individuals. It presents unparalleled opportunities. Made in St. Augustine’s® will bring them all together in a fun, neat package for everyone to enjoy.”
The inaugural event will be held on Sunday, February 11, 2018 at the Francis Field from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. To learn more, please visit the Made in St. Augustine website here.
- Sample locally-sourced dishes from St. Augustine’s restaurants
- Watch the city’s top chefs and mixologists in action
- Quench your thirst with all types of locally-made beverages
- Learn about opportunities and services available in our own backyard
- Buy unique locally handcrafted wares and products
- Listen to local performers on the festival stage
- Participate in expert-led educational workshops
- Make-and-take your own masterpiece at the Junior Made stations
- Take part in the festival’s games and activities
