On Feb. 6, FizzEd hosted a fundraiser for Full Moon Farm in celebration of diversity and anti-racism.
Full Moon Farm is a nonprofit that grows organic vegetables for food banks, including Hospitality House and FARM Cafe. They work with volunteers and App State interns, teaching several ecotherapy and life skills workshops. Additionally, they prioritize being an inclusive space.
“Being in this little pocket where we get to be a beacon of light for that possibility, welcoming all people, creating safe spaces for people, making sure that there’s always a ground rule of respect and appreciation,” Farm Manager Caling Pond said.
The fundraiser was a response to last December, when Full Moon Farm’s staff found their trailer vandalized with slashed tires and a sign containing a racist message posted on it.
“We immediately called the police to file a report. That’s when we found that the tires were slashed, so we removed the sign and alerted all of our neighbors,” Executive Director Kara Dodson said.
Since the incident, the farm has been working with a detective. They moved their horses, whom Dodson called “the most vulnerable of anyone on the farm,” to another farm. They have put up cameras and have plans for a new fence to increase safety during workshops.
Amy Forrester, co-owner and operator of FizzEd, heard about the incident on Facebook.
“Amy from FizzEd reached out to us. It was her idea and she has led every part of it, which has been amazing,” Dodson said.
Forrester says she was moved to action after seeing the event.
“I was horrified at the overtly racist and bigoted tone of the vandalism,” Forrester said, adding, “My friend Tommy Lee, who is on the board, suggested that we work together on a fundraiser since we do First Fridays.”
A percentage of the restaurant’s sales will go to Full Moon Farm, in addition to donations from local businesses FizzEd received before Friday.
FizzEd received help from the Watauga Arts Council to represent local artists of color in a vendor market. Attagirl Boutique and Dez Ross were present, as well as organizations such as Q’Pasa Appalachia.
“I think this event makes it possible to be more direct. We want to support Black and brown people in our community, and it doesn’t have to be weird,” Dodson said.
From 7-10 p.m., volunteer musicians sang a mixture of original songs and covers, including “The Times They Are A-Changin’” by Bob Dylan and “Real Love Baby” by Father John Misty. From 10 p.m. to midnight, they hosted DJs Sir Dezzie, Mercenary and Spin Diezel.
The farm’s board was present at the event. At 7 p.m., Dodson gave a speech, wearing green eyeliner and a sticker on her jacket with QR codes to Full Moon’s Venmo and Paypal.
Board member Tommy Lee had the sticker on his fedora. He ran a vendor table with colorful prints he made under the name Sir Tom Foolery.
Around the corner, Full Moon Farm sold Goodwill t-shirts with their logo, designed by Lee, printed on them.
FizzEd employee and App State graduate Noah Bullard spoke on the high turnout of customers.
“Other than it being so busy we can’t really walk around as much, it’s been phenomenal.”
Board member Emery Matthews described feeling “bittersweet” for how this event will benefit the future of the farm.
“People are seeing us, people are getting to know about what we do, and wow, most people in the room are maybe here for us right now,” Matthews said. “Which is amazing and we feel a lot of joy and gratitude for that, but it’s countered with the reason behind it.”
