Frost it Forward
CultureMap hatches plan to surprise Austin farmers market shoppers
- Kris Olsen of Milagro Family Farm surprises Cathy Negrel with a dozen of the farm's cult solar-powered eggs.Photo by Shelley Neuman
- Kerrigan Kemp scores a $10 Frost cash card from the CultureMap street team.Photo by Shelley Neuman
- The rain held off long enough for shoppers to enjoy a beautiful Saturday at the farmers market.Photo by Shelley Neuman
- Local musician Sophie Ayer provided the tunes as shoppers lined up in front of the Milagro stand.Photo by Shelley Neuman
- After picking up eggs, Cathy Negrel also scored a $10 Frost cash card.Photo by Shelley Neuman
- Kris Olsen and his family have developed a cult following thanks to the farm's solar-powered eggs.Photo by Shelley Neuman
- Erica Sebree picks up her weekly eggs.Photo by Shelley Neuman
- Margot Rivas and Guillermo Gron took the suprise in stride.Photo by Shelley Neuman
- Okra and squash were as plentiful as the smiles during the Saturday morning surprise.Photo by Shelley Neuman
- Stay tuned as we pop up with another surprise in October.Photo by Shelley Neuman
Early risers got an extra special treat at the SFC Farmers' Market Downtown on September 8. CultureMap and Frost Bank hatched a plan with Milagro Family Farm to surprise the dozens of Saturday morning shoppers lining up early for the farm's famed solar-powered eggs.
When the market opened at 9 am, customers ready to buy their weekly carton learned the first 50 dozen were on the house — and accompanied by a special surprise.
Along with a dozen of Milagro's best, customers were also given a $10 Frost cash card and asked to use the money to pay it forward and do something kind for someone else. The winners were also asked to share their good deeds on social media along with the hashtag #frostitforward to score a pair of tickets to Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Eggs safely tucked into their Frost canvas tote bags, market shoppers spent the rest of the morning strolling through Republic Square Park, sipping chai, eating Tacodeli breakfast tacos, and scoring fresh veggies from local vendors like Johnson's Backyard Garden.
The Saturday farmers market surprise is the latest pop-up in Frost Bank's Opt for Optimism campaign, a movement designed to spread optimism by surprising and delighting Austinites all over town. This event was the fourth in a series running all year long, so just because you didn't hit the farmers market this weekend doesn't mean you missed out on an opportunity to #frostitforward. Follow along on Instagram and Twitter to get clues about our next surprise visit.
To help our fellow Austinites continue to give back and get involved, CultureMap has also launched a curated Austin Charity Guide, a one-stop destination for learning about area nonprofits and charities. Follow along all year as we uncover the sweet and inspiring stories of fellow citizens giving back as part of our Charity Guide special editorial series.