Cariboo Farmers’ Markets BOLSTER LOCAL ECONOMY AND FOOD SECURITY
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here is nothing like entering a farmers’ market. Everyone seems so happy. They meet and mingle, catch up with each other. The air is fresh, the atmosphere is relaxed and joyful. Often, a local band plays. This is the heart of the community, a celebration of food, local craftsmanship, and friendships. With so many farmers and producers selling their wares in the region, it’s so easy to support local. And when you take home that head of broccoli, loaf of bread, or woodcarving, you feel you took part in something special, something meaningful. Barb Scharf, manager of the Williams Lake market, has been busy preparing for this year’s market, which is planned to be business as usual, following various COVID-19 restrictions in recent years. “We’re anticipating it’s going to be a normal farmers’ market year,” Scharf says, adding that with COVID-19, nonfood vendors and musicians weren’t originally allowed at the start of the pandemic. There was one-way foot traffic and restrictions were placed on how many could attend at once. “It’s all status quo this year,” Scharf says. “It’s a full, normal market. We’ll have musicians, everything.” The Williams Lake market kicked off with the 13th annual Seedy Saturday and Earlybird Farmers Market on Saturday, April 30, jointly hosted by the Williams Lake Food Policy Council and the Cariboo Direct Farm Direct Market Association. 24
ISSUE 1 / 2022
BY ERIN HITCHCOCK
It will run Fridays, however, starting May 6 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. between Kiwanis Park and the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Centre, and includes most previous vendors, as well as some new faces. Expect lots of plants, textiles, pottery, baking, wood and metal works, and bath and body products. The well-loved Fennel Cup food truck is no more, but the previous owners will still be vendors, selling Indian food and pottery. Fresh crêpes, bannock, and Mexican food are also planned and can now be enjoyed on site. But it’s not all just about the goodies. “A lot of people come because it’s essentially a social occasion,” says Scharf, who shares the management duties with her husband and daughter. “Shopping is almost a side thing that’s happening. They meet people, you see people chatting, they’re in little groups talking, they’re sitting down having lunch together, they’re just hanging out.” The Williams Lake Farmers Market is under the umbrella of the BC Farmers Market Association, which also includes the South Cariboo, McLeese Lake (Alexandria), and Quesnel, though there are other, independent markets scattered throughout the region, too. Because some of the markets are held on different days from each other, Scharf says many of the vendors hop-scotch between them, offering their products in more than one location. “It fills a really strong need in our communities to have a place to connect with local growers and producers and small business operators, people who make their own WWW.LOCALDIRTMAGAZINE.CA
