Rising Tide Community Market is gearing up for its quarterly Member-Owner Appreciation Week from May 16-23, and they invite everyone in the community to attend the week’s events.

The festivities begin on Saturday, May 16, with demonstrations and samples from Maine producers and a plant sale. Dan Hughes of A Wee Bit Farm in Orland will be grilling his Maine-raised meats beginning in late morning. Gracefully Clean Maine-made cleaning products will offer samples from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Tortillería Pachanga is coming up from Portland with samples of their authentic corn tortillas made with Maine-grown corn from noon to 3 p.m.

Also on Saturday, Rebel Hill Farm of Clifton will have their annual sale of organic plants, many of which have medicinal or culinary uses and are native to eastern and central United States. The sale will take place in front of the store, rain or shine, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. FARMS (Focus on Agriculture in Rural Maine Schools) will hold an open house in their Community Kitchen, located upstairs from Rising Tide, during those hours as well.

On Tuesday, May 19, Gracie’s Garden of Standish (winners of the Best Pickle award at the 2014 Boston Fermentation Festival) will offer samples of their sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables from 11 am -1 pm. New Chapter, a Vermont-based whole food vitamins and supplements company, will have a representative at Rising Tide from 2 to 4 p.m. FARMS will hold another Community Kitchen open house midday on Tuesday as well.

Two more supplement companies are sending representatives during the week: NH-based Megafood on Wednesday, May 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Garden of Life on Thursday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Activities on Friday, May 23, include a Ducktrap smoked seafood sampling from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wandering Goat Maine-made goat’s milk soaps from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and locally-made Rosario’s pesto sampling from 4 to 6 p.m. There will also be a book signing and reception celebrating local author, yoga instructor, and herbalist (and Rising Tide employee) Amy Jirsa’s new book Herbal Goddess. Rising Tide’s deli will be making recipes from Amy’s book for the reception.

The week wraps up with more local samples in the store on Saturday, May 23. Damariscotta-based Hootin’ Gluten Free Bakery will offer samples of their gluten-free breads and baked goods from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Songbird Farm from Unity, producers of heirloom Maine-grown grains, will offer their demonstration of  bicycle-powered grain milling that is always a hit at the Common Ground Fair.

Cooperatively-owned Rising Tide Community Market is located at 323 Main Street in Damariscotta. For more information about the week’s events, call 563-5556 or see Rising Tide’s website at www.risingtide.coop.