PORT REPUBLIC, Md. — The 2025 Buy Local Challenge (BLC) kicks off this week. Starting July 17, Marylanders can show their support for local farmers and businesses by eating, drinking, and buying local products.
The Buy Local Challenge was created in 2007 by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) as a regional promotion for Southern Maryland. The event is now promoted statewide in partnership with the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
According to the official BLC website, the week is meant to show consumers the importance of buying local and the ways it supports both the economy and the environment. “Buying local” is one of the fundamentals of SMADC and their mission to support the future of farming. Interested people can take the Buy Local pledge to “enjoy one Maryland-grown product every day during Buy Local Week.”
Buy Local Week’s finale is a celebration event on Monday, July 28, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Tettmiers’ Produce Rolling Acres Farm in Port Republic. This ticketed event features 35-plus vendors offering a taste of Maryland’s farm-raised meats and dairy products, fruits and veggies, flowers, local oysters, baked goods, jams and pickles, honey, farm-made soaps and scents. Visitors can discover creative local arts and crafts, and sip and savor artisanal beverages from Maryland’s wineries, distilleries, and breweries.
Tickets are only $5 and include:
- Live music by Chaptico Songworks Trio
- Carriage rides on the farm from Suttler Post Farm’s magnificent team of Southern Maryland Clydesdales
- Pony rides for kids
- Petting pen
Summer in Southern Maryland means bountiful produce and increased options for locally grown and produced foods. Farmers markets run throughout the spring, summer, and fall. BLC is a fun way for residents to focus on local vendors while supporting their local economy.
To help you complete your challenge, you can check out the SMADC Buy Local Guide and the suggestions listed on the BLC page.
Buying local — and the celebrations that follow — not only help the local economy and the entrepreneurs it depends on, but maintain community connection. Part of buying local is about the experience, and this challenge and event promise to make it one to remember.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com