With one week to go before the Yellowknife Farmers Market begins its season, we’re getting pretty excited about getting to spend our post-work Tuesdays cruising the park for fresh local produce, tasty meals and unique art and crafts. Here’s the EDGE insight on what to look forward to at this year’s spread in Somba K’e Park.
Returning favourites
There are over 50 vendors this year: 25 of them returning from last year, and the rest new. Continuing from last year, there will be two community produce tables: one where you can donate your excess produce (info here); and a table for “budding gardeners” to gain experience setting up a booth, signage, product mix, pricing, packaging and customer relations (more info here).
Changes and improvements
Improved Traffic Flow: remember how crazy congested it could get sometimes at the entrance of the market, with so many food vendors there in one place? That won’t be happening this year. Five vendors have been removed from that area and distributed more evenly throughout the market.
Composting: organizers want to raise awareness about composting and waste reduction this year. They have banned Styrofoam and plastic containers and instead require that all food vendors serve food in compostable or earth-friendly containers. There will be a composting station on site, with compost going directly to the City’s composting facility.
Social Media: the market will be posting maps of vendors’ rotating locations every week on Facebook and Twitter for your convenience.
“Music at the Market”: starting on June 23rd, and running for five weeks (except June 30th) two artists will be performing at the amphitheatre each market Tuesday. Performers will be a healthy mix of well-established artists and newcomers. Artists will be provided advertising each week through the market’s social media pages, as well as given some monetary support through the market and audio support on-site via Pido Productions. If you’re interested in performing this summer, there are still openings, so get your application in!
The Yellowknife Farmer’s Market begins next Tuesday, June 2 at 5:15 p.m.
