And the Winners are.....

The Ontario Premier recently handed out awards of excellence to businesses across the province shinning in the area of Agri-Food Inovation. Not only did Elgin County have three businesses take home awards, but all three are also vendors at our market. Congratulations to Dick & Renee Saarloos of Berry Hill Fruit Farm, Ray Coddington & Sandy Lyle of Farmgate Markets Inc, and to Judi and Carl Lindsay of Nature's Perfection Shiitake Mushrooms. Well done!

School's out shortly, Canada Day arrives and the dog-days of summer begin. (although we have had a few dog-days already to be sure). Erie Gardens is having a Crazy Canuck sale this weekend at the market - stop by their booth to find amazing deals on bedding plants and baskets.

We have a few vendors on vacation this weekend: Karen's Kushions, Moonstone Aromatherapy, and Surely Homemade are all away. And a few new vendors you may have noticed last week: Ashley of Copper Leaf Skin Care, Andy Ivan with strawberries from Union, and this week another new vendor bringing sweet cherries. Ralph has been talking to me since last season and is so excited to be a vendor at our market. I think he was in the orchard picking the cherries himself when he called me to say he would be there this Saturday.

Last week we held a Father's Day contest asking kids to tell us why their Dad is the best DAD in the whole world. The winner's will be contacted by phone to pick up their prizes at the market. Here are a few responses we received:

"Because he makes us special breakfast sometimes and he takes us the the Horton Market (We LOVE ging to the market!)" Maxym & Ryann about their dad Stefan

"We go fishing. He is strong with big muscles and he needs them to carry me upstairs when I fall asleep on the couch. He swims with me and plays X-box. He is my best friend." Cooper S

"Because he loves me and takes care of me and he is very funny and kind." Laura about dad Charles

The other winner to mention is Brian Rogers who won the customer appreciation basket last week. I love how this works - I get to call the lucky draw every week and have so much fun handing over the basket to the unsuspecting winner. The vendors are incredibly generous in contributing to the basket every week. As it happened with Brian, I have been chatting with him and his wife Pamela almost every Saturday, but did not know their names. This week's winner is Joy Wendling. Remember to fill out your ballot each week - the table is set up in the back foyer near the washrooms. Good Luck!

We have some fun events planned for the remainder of the season - we are aiming for one 'big event' each month. Canada Celebration, Horton Market Birthday Bash, Canning Demos, and IPM events still to come - check the back foyer of the building for upcoming dates.

Happy Summer and look forward to seeing you at the market!

Cheers,

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager

St. Thomas Horton Farmers' Market

2 Manitoba St, St. Thomas, ON

519.777.9529

hortonmarket@hotmail.com

http://www.hortonfarmersmarket.blogspot.com/

Happy Father's Day at the Market...

We had a muggy, hot day last saturday. Our indoor ventilation system was working at full steam (sadly, it is not air conditioning like some thought); we did feel the occasional cool breeze through the building but everyone had to stand still, only to inhale while waiting, then collectively sigh when it had passed, happy to comment on how nice that was. I can honestly say that I was undecided about whether conditions were better indoors or outdoors. And still, we had a great day!

You will be happy to hear that we are giving away chocolate covered strawberries again this Saturday. If you missed these delectable treats last year, please be sure to track one of us down this Saturday. The Promotions committee in partnership with Renee Sarloos of Berry Hill Fruit Farms (also a director of the Board of Management) has put together this tasty little treat - our way of saying Thankyou. Last I heard, 200 strawberries are being dipped in dark chocolate. People asked me last year if they could buy them from me and I think I might have accidentially given a few people more than one. Be sure to Enjoy!

We are also having a little Father's Day contest at the face painting table in the outdoor cafe of the North Pavilion. Help your kids fill out a ballot telling everyone why their Dad is so great. We have a few donated prizes from our vendors and we will draw the name of a lucky Dad every hour.

Remember I mentioned earlier that I would highlight guest vendors' posts? I put this offer out to all our vendors to send me information about their business, their passions, and their path to arriving as a vendor at the Horton Farmers' Market. Following is some interesting information about Annie Adams who has a flair for display at her booth inside the building.

Annie Adams has had a passion for sewing since she was a young child. She remembers wanting to sew just like her Mother and how she would hover and putter around her Mother’s side until she was allowed to sew on her own. Annie raised and sewed for her seven children and now enjoys creating items for her sixteen grandchildren, and two great grandchildren! Although she still enjoys altering the occasional wedding dress, she now prefers to sew less fussy items. She also keeps busy doing volunteer repairs and alterations for the nursing home where her husband resides, as well as for the hospital.

Annie sews for infants, children, adults, seniors, and pets. Here is just a small list of items she can whip up for you....

Aprons, Bibs, Bonnets, Burpie Pads, Receiving Blankets, Infants Fitted Sheet Sets, Book Covers,
Chair Caddy’s, Girl’s Dresses, Girl’s Baby dolls, Children’s Shorts, Boxers, Pyjamas, Children’s Paint Shirts, Beach Bags, Travel Bags, Shoe Bags, Children’s Totes, Pencil Cases, Granny Nightgowns, Seniors “gentlemen’s” bibs, Surgical Caps, Dog scarves, Cat Nip toys, Clothes Pin Bags, Heating Pads, Pot Holders, Placemats, Napkins, Kitchen Hand Towels, Children’s hand Towels, Table Runners, Tea Cozies, Toaster Covers, Ironing Board Covers, Pillow Cases, Wine Bottle “Tuxedos”, Pin cushions.... if it can be sewn, she can sew it!

(Annie seen here to the left with another avid sewer - my Mom)

Retiring from Fabric Land after eighteen years Annie moved from Sudbury to St. Thomas in 2009 due to her husband’s illness and to be with her family. Annie is thrilled to a part of the Horton Farmers' Market where she is able to share her passion for sewing with others. She looks forward to the energy and friendship the market brings each Saturday morning.

If you have a passion for sewing, are interested in learning to sew, or looking for a specific item as a gift or for yourself, Annie welcomes you to stop by her friendly booth for a chat. She takes orders of all sizes!

And lastly from me, Empire Valley Farms will not be at the market this weekend. They are having their 25 year farming anniversary at their home business. You can tour their greenhouses and vegetable fields this weekend both Sat. & Sun, 1-4pm. They are located at 27983 Talbot Line, just west of Wallacetown. If you get a chance to say Hi to them at their home base.

What I love about the market (besides the breakfast sandwich, the uplifting connections made, and the unending gifts it bestows on our community), is that it is so comforting to know that you can trace your food source from farm to fork in one easy visit.

See you at the market,

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager

Horton Farmers' Market

2 Manitoba St., St. Thomas, ON

hortonmarket@hotmail.com

http://www.hortonfarmersmarket.blogspot.com/

Flowers at the Market....

We had a steady, rhythmic day at the market this past weekend. The weather cooperated and the rain held off. We all speculated on the flow of traffic, whether folks had visited the St. Anne's festival, and what type of day it would turn out to be for the vendors and the customers. One of the ways I gage the day is by the number of breakfast sandwichs sold - 124 this past weekend. That number seems to be right around our new average for the 2010 season!

We have a few new craft vendors at the market. You may have already met Karen from Karen's Kushions - she handcrafts uniquely decorator throw cushions for any room in your home. She is located in the North Pavilion across from Kosic's Greenhouse tomatoes. This week we will have a new vendor: Uniquely Salvaged. Tineke De Jong is an aunt of Amber from Frisa Farm Eggs. She will be bringing outdoor garden decorations made from salvaged items such as old doors and window frames. She will also be in the North Pavilion.

Some vendors are winding down their 2010 market season already as they are gearing up for home-based business. Hertiage Line Herbs are finished at the market for another season but you can visit them at there home-based business at 53443 Heritage Line, Aylmer Ontario. Josie Allosery, located in the South Pavilion with her bedding plants will be finishing soon as well.

We have a new FREE booklet located on the back display shelf - The 2010 Visitor's Guide to Experience Elgin County and St. Thomas. This extensive booklet is published by the County of Elgin and includes many of our market vendors, activities, and festivals happening in Elgin County. Be sure to pick up your free copy and take in all that our amazing county offers.

Thank you to Ray from Farmgate who donated the new flags, flag posts, and installed them on the front of the market building and pavilions. We are proudly displaying the flags of Canada, Ontario, and the City of St. Thomas. They also quickly catch the eye when looking down Manitoba Street from Talbot. A market customer suggested the idea and Ray quickly took the lead on making that happen.

We are looking for music at the market. If you know of anyone who would like to come and entertain a full crowd on a Saturday morning - unplugged and impromtu is best. The musicians are welcome to busk and play in different areas during the morning if they like. Please pass on my contact info to anyone who might be interested.

Congratulations to June Harris who won the customer appreciation draw. The ballots are in the back foyer. We've moved some of the cafe outdoors now at the front so be sure to suggest meeting at the market for your morning coffee and breakfast sandwich!


Be seeing you at the market!

(P.S. - Thankyou to my Aunt Patti for the amazing photos every week. She has been sending them to the St. Thomas Weekly News for publishing as well - good times at the Market!)


Tricia Herbert
Market Manager
St. Thomas Horton Farmers' Market
2 Manitoba St., St. Thomas, ON
519-777-9529
hortonmarket@hotmail.com
http://www.hortonfarmersmarket.blogspot.com/

Good Things Grow in Ontario.....

Strawberries are happening this weekend at the market. Look for the return of Berry Hill Fruit Farms with loads of fresh strawberries. We have a few more vendors returning within the next few weekends including Kim McCarvell of Green Leaf Pastry, DeBackere Farms, and RGrow Farms.

According to the Foodland Ontario Fruits and Vegetables Availability Guide, the following produce is available in June: Green Beans, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cherries, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Onions, Peas, Radicchio, Rhubarb, Rutabaga, Spinach, Sprouts, Strawberries, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes (Greenhouse). Foodland Ontario also makes the disclaimer, on behalf of all farmers and market managers I am sure, that availability dates may change by several weeks with respect to rare varieties and/or weather conditions. My favourite farm fresh dish at this time of year is a simple spinach salad with a light oil dressing. I build on the salad as the bounty expands; this week I will be adding fresh strawberries to the mix.

Remember that customer survey so many of you kindly completed? The results are in and you can view the report by hopping over here. We had a high response rate with many positive results and comments about the market. Many of the suggestions for improvement were implemented over this past off-season including the new ventilation system. Did you notice the difference this past weekend inside the building?

I was not at the market but the weather was beautiful - I was told the temperature inside the building upon first arrival was 85 degrees. Within an hour, the fan circulated the hot air outside and brought the temperature down to a comfortable 72 degrees. There was much discussion and debate last year about how to effectively cool that building without air conditioning and this conclusion seems to be doing very well.

Congratulations last week to Ann Marie Cheung who won the customer appreciation draw and this week to Darlene Unwin. Vendors contribute to the goodie basket each week to provide an amazing prize for the winners. The vendor's and the market's way of saying Thank You. The ballots and the entry box for the draw are in the back foyer of the building by the washrooms - remember to fill out a ballot each week.

Did you take home any apple fritters last week? The folks from the Dutch Bakery had to return to their kitchen twice to restock their market table. We had another record day for vendor sales. This mailing list goes out to 500+ customers (of which we do not share/sell the list with any one else) and I know that it reaches even more as several of you pass it on to your contacts. If you are receiving this via that channel and would like to sign up - send me an email and I will make it happen. Many thanks for spreading the word.

See you at the market!

Cheers,

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager

St. Thomas Horton Farmers' Market

2 Manitoba St., St. Thomas, ON

519-777-9529

http://www.hortonfarmersmarket.blogspot.com/

hortonmarket@hotmail.com

Signs of Summer.....

I’m sitting on my back porch as I type this. The kids are playing tic-tac-toe with chalk on the floor of the playhouse. The birds are dinning on their 6 o’clock meal, attempting to drown out the background noise of the city traffic. Certainly sounds and feels like summer even though my weather prediction was a bit off for last weekend at the market; we saw rain for most of the morning. We tried to will the rain away and by 9am and I thought we had succeeded when the skies broke for a brief period, but then the clouds rolled back in and stayed for the rest of the morning. (The early bird got the strawberries and it wasn't me - I didn't see them until this picture!)

And yet another busy day at the market- there is much discussion about the droves of people out to the market when the weather is unpleasant. It was the first time however that I received more than one request to ‘do something about the parking lot’. I suspect it had a little to do with the rain also but a few customers’ vehicles were trapped in the parking lot longer than they would have preferred. I am putting in a request to the Board of Management (which goes to City Council as the property is owned by the City of St. Thomas) to provide a resolution but in the meantime, please be courteous to other customers and don’t block any vehicles in. We ended up putting a pylon on top of the vehicles that needed to be moved in hopes of catching someone’s attention sooner rather than later. (Sorry S.L. :-() (Colourful picture of Spicer's doughnuts)

I also had a request from the last newsletter to include the address details of the market for those customers visiting from out of town. The newsletter is emailed as a direct update from the blog which includes all contact details at the bottom of the blog page but I realize not everyone hops over to the blog. I will be including that information at the end of the newsletter from now on. Also, a few have mentioned that their pictures/wording sometimes skews on the receiving end of this - I send this out through Google Groups using their strict guidelines for launching an email direct from the blog. I suspect that it could be on the receiver's server setup side of things??? I send a copy of this newsletter to 3 separate email addresses that I own (different web servers) and they all come through properly spaced. Keep me posted...
(Market fan Micah to the right enjoying the famous Horton Breakfast Sandwich combo)

We had 34 vendors at the market this past weekend of Queen Victoria’s birthday (to learn more about her, I highly recommend the movie Young Victoria – she was quite an amazing woman!). All of these things are positive signs of growth and expansion which is the energy of summer. Please continue to share your suggestions, thoughts, and ideas – there are many people who care greatly about this market, and it shows.

We have a few new vendors joining us this week – Jake and Anya from The Dutch Bakery of St. Thomas will be bringing apple fritters by the dozens – they will be inside. And Barb’s Brickle from Port Stanely will be there with traveling cart et al. The coffee guys (Jay and Greg) are adding tea to their venue for the tea drinkers in the crowd (Many Thanks). Danielle from Delightlyfully tea will not be returning to the market this season due to family commitments on her farm.

This weekend will be a first for me - I won’t be at the market! I am away the whole weekend for a meditation retreat so my Mom (Sandy to the right with Ray) and my Aunt (Patti to the far left sitting with Jim & Kathy Lumely) have agreed to hold down the fort while I’m gone. I’m pretty sure I acquired my gift for gab from these two ladies so they will fit right in. Say Hi if you see them and please feel free to have an extra breakfast sandwich for me.

Stay Cool,

Tricia Herbert
Market Manager

St. Thomas Horton Farmers Market
2 Manitoba Street, St. Thomas, ON

(1/2 block North of Giant Tiger on Talbot Street)
http://www.hortonfarmersmarket.blogspot.com/
519-777-9529

May Two Four Plant Sale....

I think we all have an internal time-clock that says it's not really planting time, pool opening time, picnic season, until May two four has arrived. As the weekend draws near, the temperature and the gas prices increase. I try not to get ahead of myself when predicting the weather but yesterday was lovely, today even warmer, so Saturday.......

The Horticulture Society is having the annual plant sale at the market this weekend. The fundraiser for Africa through the folks from Word & Deed are also back this weekend. I go through a list of hosta's with Peter from S-W Gardens every Saturday - hosta's being my favourite plant as they are low maintenance, can be split to fill in space, and are perenials. Then there are the beautiful hanging baskets at both Empire Valley and Erie Gardens. I'm not a big fan of gardening (there; I said it outloud - is that such a crime?), but I love plants and flowers at my house. Hence the joy of purchasing other peoples' joy of gardening - the hanging baskets mentioned above, and the potted herbs from Heritage Line Herbs.

The creativity overflows every Saturday morning as well. I love the new shelf idea McSmith's Organics rigged up! And I frequently stop by Moonstone Aromatheraphy Spa Products (inside) to inhale the scent of Jacqui's lavender and grapefruit scented bath salts. Spicer's was close to sold-out this past weekend too! They start out just literally overflowing from the racks and tables. We moved the coffee guys indoors - a better logistics plan for the breakfast sandwich combo (which saw 131 combos sold in four hours this past week!) I had the first sandwich off the grill for the 2010 season - my heart's at peace.....

Congratulations to Helena Clark who won the customer appreciation draw for this week. Keep smiling and look forward to seeing you at the market!

Cheers,

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager

Better Weather this weekend...

As it probably couldn’t be much worse than last weekend – yet – we still had an amazing opening day! The 80km (so it felt) winds and rain that looked like S-N-O-W at times did not deter our record number of vendors – 32 to start! The pancake breakfast was yummy, the coffee was hot, and the Retreads serenaded us for most of the morning. Nice to see you all back.

The breakfast sandwich combo starts up again this weekend. Ray and Sandy from Farmgate Markets cook up this business venture using eggs from Frisa Farms, their famous Farmgate chemical free bacon or sausage patty on an English muffin, and coffee or juice to round out this amazing deal - $5 to start your morning. I have had withdrawal symptoms from the sandwich since November of last year – I may have to work up to my two count.

Bedding plants and potted herbs are available…. Another reason why the weather can only get better. We have gardening to do; flowers to grow. The folks from Word & Deed will be back on the long weekend with their plant sale as well as the group from the St. Thomas Horticultural Society with their annual plant sale.

We have a mandate for our farmers’ market where we define the term ‘local’ to be a 60 km geographical radius around the market. This includes vendors from London, Aylmer, Straffordville, Thamesford, and as even as far away as Woodstock. I mention this here as I see and hear many different interpretations of the term ‘local’. There are local business owners, local producers/manufacturers, and local service providers. Are the five or so Tim Horton’s local? What about Canadian Tire? And how about the local resident that has a business that retails product where more than 80% of it is manufactured somewhere else (not local; not Canadian). How do you define local? What factors do you consider in your purchasing decisions? Just a little extra food for thought.

Last week I came home from the market with muffins, vegan energy bars, honey, and quiche. There were many other items on my list that I didn’t get to that I have to stock up on this week – fresh pizza, asparagus, spinach, peppers, and potted herbs. It is so exciting to see that much of our grocery shopping can be done at the market first.

Congratulations to Coreyanna Van Laar who won the customer appreciation draw for this week. Remember to put your name in for the draw each week. The box is in the back foyer by the restrooms. Also, please forward this newsletter on to anyone else you know who is interested in fresh produce, a spirited atmosphere, and a connection to community and food. This newsletter is one of our most effective ways to stay in touch outside of market day. Thank you all for your continued feedback.

See you at the market!

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager

Opening Day In TWO sleeps.....

Or one more sleep if you happen to be reading this Friday a.m. (Market Season Begins May 8th; 8am - Noon)

We've primped and primed the building; vendors have been bringing in their shelves and signage. We've rolled out the carpets (okay, floor mats - but that's still exciting as Roto-Static of St. Thomas is sponsoring a large portion of that cost for the market this season!)

The supplies have been gathered and the volunteers scheduled - the pancake breakfast is sizzling. The invitation has been extended to several of our community representatives to help flip pancakes. Oegema's Turkey Shoppe is preparing the sausage; Plamers Maple Syrup have donated the syrup; Berry Hill Fruit Farm is bringing a strawberry compote for topping and the Bulk Barn generously donated the pancake mix. All of this pulled together by the volunteers of the promotions committee. Be sure to say Hi to those dedicated folks too. Thank you J.D. for all that you do.

Someone asked me this week where my lists were. I have taken so many phone calls, emails, visits, and meetings in the past week that the lists have gone out the window. We have many returning vendors, a few vendors have moved on to other cities or sold their business, and a few new faces you will be meeting over the next few Saturdays. In May, we average 24 vendors and building up to average of 40 during peek months of September and October.

Those vendor numbers do not include groups that come to the market who are not revenue generating groups. The Public Library staff, for example, enjoyed their time at the market so much last year, they are returning for two Saturdays each month this season. They bring books for loan and can scan on the spot so don't forget your library card.

We also have fundraising groups that only attend one or two times during the season but are a big draw for customers. The Seniors Center is bringing fresh baked pies this weekend - perfect for anyday, but particularly good for Mother's Day. Plants from Word & Deed are for sale this Saturday and May 22nd to raise money for orphanages in Malawi, Africa. Inside, you will find Mary Edgar selling handbeaded jewelry made by women co-operative groups in Uganda, Africa.

I have followed Mary's journey since I met her at the market last year. She is a volunteer with WENDWOA (West Nile Disadvantaged Women & Orphans Assoc.) who lives part time here in little ole' Sparta, Ontario and part-time in Uganda, Africa. My children and I off-loaded our craft bin at Mary's table last year and she took our beads and string, along with other collected supplies and headed to Africa in November. She works, lives, and counsels with these women and children, assisting in putting their lives back together. Not only are they learning how to build a solid business that can start feeding their families again, but they also are rebuilding homes, schools and communities. Kudos to you Mary! I am looking forward to adding a WENDWOA creation to our growing collection made with some of our donated supplies.

And, of course, like only Canadians can do, we have begun predicting the market-day weather forecast. I have been advised: cloudy, windy, rainy, nasty cold and chance of frost. Sounds like a perfect spring day to me to be starting the 2010 market season!

See you soon,

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager

Are you stopping by the market for opening day?

We are putting on the final touches; anticipation is in the air. Opening day for the 2010 season is

SATURDAY, MAY 8th, 8am - 12noon

(not the first Saturday in May which happens to be May 1st - I am gently reminding here as I have had several people asking if it is the first Saturday in May).

To kick off the season and to connect with the community again, the Market Promotions Committee has planned a Pancake Breakfast, complete with turkey breakfast sausage from Oegama's Turkey Shoppe; chef skills to be offered by some of the Mayoral Candidates of St. Thomas. Bring the family and come on an empty stomach! All proceeds from this breakfast go to the promotions of our market.

The breakfast sandwich will resume it's regularly scheduled breakfast combo deal starting the second week back - the folks at Farmgate Markets (along with the rest of us) want to see how fast the 'chefs' can flip.

It is Mother's Day Weekend and many of the vendors are including specials or promotions for the women in your lives (my Aunt, Amazing Mom, and the Market Volunteer Photographer in the far left of the photo).

Our new, full service coffee vendor is brewing a special blend of fair-trade coffee that is fairly purchased from a group of women coffee growers of the global south. As part of that full service, Jay Wiebe from The Part-Time Peasant is an associate brewer of Fire Roasted Coffee from London, ON. He is very keen and excited to be starting at the market this year and is offering various brews as well as beans to purchase. He is also offering two different size coffee cups on market day - large and larger! And a special vendor discount so be sure to remind him if you are a vendor!

Another new vendor this year is Cindy Birchman; her business is called Succulent Wonders. Here is a guest post with a few details about Cindy's business in her own words:

"This season I will be providing a variety of succulents and other drought-tolerant plants in decorative manners, focusing on growing plants vertically. I create one-of-a-kind living wreaths, living pictures, hanging terrariums, light bulb terrariums, dish gardens and potted collections. I will be taking custom orders on market days also.

Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates and soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems and/or roots. The storage of water often gives succulent plants a more swollen or fleshy appearance than other plants, also known as succulence. Many succulents come from the dry areas of the tropics and subtropics, such as steppes, semi-desert and desert. High temperatures and low precipitation force plants to collect and store water in order to survive long dry periods. Because of this feature, succulents are generally low maintenance plants.

Succulents thrive on neglect. They grow best in bright, indirect light and should only be watered when the soil is completely dry. Because succulents are adapted to dry conditions, do not over-water or allow their "feet to be wet". Other than that, succulents are easy to care for and will amaze you with their variety of shapes, textures and colours. Stars, sticks, rosettes, fuzzy, smooth, bumpy, red, purple, yellow, chartreuse, lavender, short, tall, cascading or shrub-like; there is a plant for every taste!"

Amber DeJong and the team from Frisa Farms are back, thankfully, with their cartons and cartons of eggs. You can read a bit more on the egg farmers' struggle and the challenges of getting those eggs to market.

I have been establishing a few guidelines for this newsletter based on the comments from last season and the continued growth of the market. The purpose of this newsletter (which a direct post from the blog), is to gently remind you all about the market on Saturday and to keep you informed of what is coming up, including what is in season. It was not intended as a form of advertising for the vendors, however, we all want to know a bit about our vendors. There in lies the challenge, as last season we had over 60 vendors during the course of the season.

I have offered each vendor one guest spot in the newsletter. Given the number of vendors we have, and how many of them take me up on this offer, you may see two or three vendor spotlight in each newsletter.

There are many details I have not yet included, like the gift the Promotions Committee is handing out for the first 100 Moms, or that the Retreads will be playing their tunes on opening day, but for the sake of brevity, I will post more in the next mailing.


Wishing you well and looking forward to seeing you at the market!


Tricia Herbert
Market Manager

Happy Spring...

First, let me say Welcome to all new members who signed up at the Canadale Spring Garden show. We had a fun weekend and it was great to connect with so many market goers! I am looking forward to seeing you all at the market and, yes, I will likely remember - my memory of faces tends to serve me well so please track me down to say "Hi".

Spring has sprung and we are in the final stages of enhancements to the market building. The results are in from both the vendor survey and the customer survey. Thank you for your enthusiastic and beneficial comments. We are compiling the data for the Board of Management to review. The results will be posted on the blog shortly so in the meantime, let me briefly fill you in on what's happening in the next few weeks.

The updates to the market include: in the building - a new ventilation system, an electronic security system, stainless steel countertops with 3-part sinks, a vendor utility sink, changes to the accessibility washroom be a family washroom complete with baby change table, door closers on the other two washrooms, and directional changes to the doors to help increase fire code capacity. Outdoors, we upgraded the electrical service in the north pavilion to run on separate breakers. (Now more than one vendor can 'plug-in' at a time). Signage is on its way and tables and chairs for the indoor are also on order.

Whew - that's quite a list! And with a large number of dedicated people behind those upgrades from all the many different groups and associations involved, we can all be proud of these accomplishments. The funding came through the Community Adjustment Fund (CAF) under the Local Food Strategy initiative. The St. Thomas Horton Farmers' Market Board of Management (the Board) also contracted the services of a strategic planner who facilitated the design of a three year strategic plan and a vendor communications package. All of this will start to roll out in the 2010 Market Season.

So, what's happening on opening day? Saturday May 8th! 8am - 12noon!

You'll get chance to connect with many returning vendors and also meet a few new vendors! You can expect fresh, home-made pizzas, baked goods, fresh bread and bedding plants by the dozens. Meat, eggs, honey, spring rolls, maple syrup, organic lettuce and maybe even a few radishes! We also have local, high-quality produced dog food & treats, bath products, and specialty chocolates. Hot brewed coffee to go with the pancake breakfast we're serving up on Mother's Day Weekend. The Promotions Committee has been planning all winter long - stay tuned for events from their 2010 season calendar.

We had a vendor meeting just this past Tuesday - Thank you to all who were able to attend -the momentum is rising. Everyone has fresh ideas and energy to infuse the market with life once again.

Can't wait to see you at the market!

Cheers,

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager