At 10 a.m. every Saturday morning, farmers’ market managers ring a bell to signal the start of the day. Shoppers, many of whom are there as early as vendors, immediately start buying meat, bread, cheese, honey, raspberries, apricots, potted plants, jewelry and pottery. At large markets, the swell of people pushing and pulling creates a jostling tide that is sometimes frustrating to shoppers who enjoy browsing and socializing with vendors.
Welcome to the mini Morinville Farmers’ Market with its homespun feel and small town vibe that seduces you into staying for a spell and sharing the local friendliness and colour.
It’s an open-air market where every Friday customers and small-scale vendors chat about the different products or catch up on the latest news. It’s a place where children check out the life-size dollhouse, men go for pastry pick-ups and young women admire the jewelry tables.
A summer mainstay, it fulfils consumer demand for healthy products and specialty items. And in addition to increasing vendor profits, it has become a welcome fundraiser for the Morinville Public Library.
Stretching across one full block on Main Street in front of the library, the 20 multi-coloured tents project a laid-back, beachy feel. Fresh fruit, pickled vegetables, antipasto, jams and jellies, toffee, towels, baby clothes, glass paintings, honey, plants and organic wine blend traditional and modern trends.
At one end of the market is Marlene Campbell selling her husband’s wooden birdhouses, bat houses, squirrel feeders, wheelbarrow planters, wishing wells and picnic tables. “I don’t go the big crazy markets. They cost a lot to get in and they’re so busy you need a ton of product,” says the Sandy Lake resident.
At the other end of the market is Mennonite vendor Eva Penner. Her baked goods table is groaning with homemade fruit turnovers, cookies, breads, chocolate bars and meat pies. A man drops by asking for a peach pie, but instead leaves with cinnamon buns and a loaf of bread.
It’s midday and all Penner’s pies are sold out. “I had some this morning, but they go pretty quick. They must all have a sweet tooth like me,” she smiles.
A homemaker by trade, Penner looks forward to the socializing aspect of the market. “I love being with the people. It’s outside. It’s beautiful and it’s a break from housework.”
Next to Penner is Whitney Boras’ jewelry table. The Grade 9 W.D. Cuts student enjoys creating sparkly beaded bracelets and necklaces made from glass, crystal, metals and clay. Under the moniker Jewelz by a Gem, Boras is using the market as an incubator for her ideas. “My mom is an interior designer and she heard about the market from friends. She thought it would be nice to start with something small.”
Morinville residents Cara Quinn and her daughter Carly, 10, instead make it a point to shop at Edgar and Mary Gualato’s Ecuadorian-inspired booth of music and clothing. “They have nice dresses,” says Quinn measuring Carly for a frock.
The Morinville Farmers’ Market operates every Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
