Sunday, October 22, saw the first indoor Farmers’ Market at their new winter location in the Creston Room at the Creston & District Community Complex.
The board of the Food Action Coalition governs the Farmers’ Market and was tasked with addressing the steady growth the Farmers’ Market has seen over the last few years. While grateful to Lloyd Morris for renting them a space that allowed the market to remain open until Christmas, space was limited at the Greenhouse and the market was finding itself with a waiting list of vendors every year for the holiday shopping season.
“As a member of the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets, our mandate is to provide a space for vendors who make, bake, or grow fabulous products,” said Jan MacDonald, former president of the Food Action Coalition. “We hate to turn away anyone who meets those criteria.”
Wish list in hand, the hunt began for a space that would fit the growing needs of the market. The top of the list was space to grow. There was also a need to address accessibility and parking, of particular importance for those with mobility issues or small children. The Creston room ticked those items off the wish list nicely. Experience had taught that visibility to traffic on Hwy 3 greatly impacted their ability to let people know the market was happening. The CDCC location is easily advertised by signage on Canyon Street and the beautiful, lit sign is a lovely bonus.
Then came the really difficult part of making the decision to move. With the Creston Room being a valuable, well-used community asset, booking every Saturday from Thanksgiving to Christmas was not an option. Sundays were available from noon until 3 and were felt to be workable to help minimize timing conflicts with Sunday services. The later time also made it possible to allow early morning winter road conditions to improve.
The Farmers’ Market would like to thank all of the patrons of the Farmers’ Market for their continued support of local makers and growers. The steady growth of the Market translates into success for local families, many of whom rely on the market for part or all of their livelihood. We are grateful to you all and look forward to seeing you at the new location on Sundays, noon until 3 pm until December 17.
Submitted by David Mutch
President, Food Action Coalition
