T HE PAPER
June 13, 2012
Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
Wabash Farmers Market continues growth with 2012 season by Brent Swan For the past several years, the Wabash Farmers Market has seen an increase in the amount of vendors and the number of visitors that frequent the weekly event. Jill Ross, Wabash County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau T o u r i s m Coordinator said 2012 is shaping up to be no exception. “Coming into this year, we had lost a couple of vendors from prior years due to various reasons,” Ross said. “But at the first market we had
this year, we picked up two new additions the day of the event. As of June 6, we have 27 vendors at the Farmers Market.” The Farmers Market, a Wabash Marketplace Inc. project, features booths that offer anything from small crafts to organic produce. “We are still going to be open every Saturday throughout the summer,” Ross said. “This year, we have changed the hours to 8 a.m. to noon.” Also new to this year’s market is the
ban on early sales. “One of the problems we have had in years past was that when the market officially opened at 9 a.m., some of the booths had sold out of their produce,” Ross explained. “This year, no sales are allowed until we set off the bullhorn at 8 a.m.” With this year’s drought-like conditions, Ross said that some producers might be forced to rely more heavily on purchased produce. “We do not stop our vendors from buying from the co-
Blessings in a Backpack to hold fundraising carnival June 24 at the YMCA by Karlee Marshall Blessings in a Backpack, a newly formed, not for profit organization directed towards kids who qualify for the free or reduced lunch program at school, will now provide local children with a backpack full of food to take home over the weekend every Friday during the school year. The program will be starting the first Friday of the 2012 – 2013 school year, This year, the organization will be targeting three local elementary schools in the county; O.J. Neighbors, Metro North, and S o u t h w o o d Elementary. “What this program entails, is that for $80, we can send one child home with a backpack full of food for the weekend, for the entire 38-week school year,” Jenny Wilson, Blessings in a Backpack coordinator said. “Since we are just getting started,
we are in the fundraising portion of the program now so that we can be prepared for the coming school year.” On June 24, from 5 to 8 p.m., there will be a fundraising carnival located at the Wabash County YMCA. A silent auction will be held, as well as a freewill donation hog roast, along with various carnival games and prizes. “This is a charity that not only benefits local grocers, but also benefits local kids and their families,” Wilson stated. A few of the items that are being auctioned off are tickets to a Cubs and Reds game, donated by Mutual Bank, tickets to a Tincaps game, donated by Feldermans, a tree, donated by Hoffman Nursery, and a Keurig Coffee Maker, donated by EcoWater. Blessings in a Backpack is asking for help from the com-
munity to meet their goal of reaching all of the kids possible for this program. “601 kids qualify for this program, and it would be amazing to reach all of them, although I’m not sure that’s feasible right now,” Wilson explained. “I’d like to at least reach 400, but we can’t reach any without the help and support of the community. Right now we are at about 235 kids.” Blessings in a Backpack would like to thank the YMCA, Bechtolds Grocery, Bachelor Creek and Wabash Friends Churches, Mutual Bank, Feldermans, Hoffman Nursery, EcoWater, and anyone who has kindly donated to help the program so far, If anyone would like to donate to Blessings in a Backpack, please make checks out to Blessings in a Backpack c/o Jenny Wilson, 499 S. 475 W. Lot 2, Wabash. 6*
ops or sustainable farms from outside the area, we just want to know where they come from,” Ross said. “We do, however, require that every vendor note where they got their goods from. “If a vendor is selling a pineapple, I can assume it didn’t come from Wabash,” Ross continued. “But, I still want to know where it came from. Personally, I prefer places that leave no carbon footprint, so I want to make sure that is what I get when I shop for myself; and everyone that comes to our market deserves to know where the produce they are buying is coming from.” This year, as in years past, the Farmers Market will be hosted on Miami Street on four dates: July 7, Aug. 18, Sept. 15, and Oct. 20. “Customers really like the Miami Street setup as it has a really good flow to it,” Ross explained. “The vendors this year can choose to use either the Miami Street location or the parking lot east of the Honeywell on those dates if they so choose.” In the future, Ross is contemplating the possibility of adding a sidewalk chalk contest for the kids that attend the market. “The market is a great atmosphere overall and a lot of fun to be around,” Ross said. “We want to ensure that is a feeling shared by anyone attending.”
THE WABASH FARMERS MARKET has seen a steady increase in numbers over the past several years. Each Saturday, it is estimated that over 200 people attend the event (photos on right). (photos by Jill Ross)
Index Classifieds ......................27-31
Weekly Reports................13-15
D&E ................................11-12
Sports ..................................24
Another addition to this year’s market is the creation of a M a rk e t p l a c e Member Spotlight. The spotlight will allow a Wabash M a rk e t p l a c e Business a booth at that week’s Farmers Market so they can reach out those attending. “Part of this being a Wabash Marketplace program is encouraging continued pedestrian traffic in our historic downtown,” Wabash County CVB Executive Director Christine Flohr said. “With the completion of the City StreetScape project, and this partnership with the City Of Wabash, the Farmers Market is a prime example that you can do anything downtown.” Ample parking is available in the areas around the Farmers Market each Saturday, including handicapped parking which is accessible along Market Street in front of the Honeywell Center. To find out more information about the market, or to become a vendor, contact Ross at the CVB at 260-563-7171. The Wabash Farmers Market can also be found on Facebook and Twitter. “We require vendors to sign on for either a full season or half season if they would like to be included,” Ross said. “It works out to be $5 per week, which we feel is a reasonable rate for anyone interested.”
Mark Bowman, 91 Robert Fawley Sr., 63 Ethel Grandstaff, 93
In Memoriam
Vol. 35, No. 13
Richard Hosier, 75 Russell Kaufman, 97 Hazel Rowe, 78
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
Rex Wuerthner, 75