REGINA — Wednesday marked a milestone occasion for the Regina Farmers’ Market.
It was the occasion of the 50th Anniversary celebrations at their location in Victoria Park in downtown Regina.
The event took place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday. The day featured food and musical entertainment, and of course vendor booths with every vendor featuring a placard with pictures of their early days at the Farmers’ Market.
The Farmer’s Market began in 1975 with just 22 farmers, and initially set up at the Exhibition Grounds — now known as REAL District.
Since then, the number of vendors has grown, with 180 regular vendors on the roster.
The organization has moved around a number of locations including some different ones downtown, but are now established with a location in Victoria Park during the summer months on Wednesdays.
On Saturdays they can be found at Confederation Park from May to October, and then they move indoors to Banner Hall at the REAL District after Thanksgiving. That allows the Farmers' Market to have a presence in Regina year-round.
Holly Laird is executive director of the Regina Farmers’ Market Cooperative. She says their cooperative is made up of local farmers, producers, makers, and bakers.
“We're farmer-driven and we're volunteer run by our vendor base,” said Laird.
She said the goods are made, baked, grown or designed in Saskatchewan.
As for what's different about the products found at the Farmers’ Market compared to what you will find in a store, Laird said she would “challenge a taste test anytime of a Farmers Market carrot versus a carrot from a big box grocery store.”
“You get freshness. Most of our vendors are less than 50 kilometers away. Most of the produce is picked within 24 hours. A carrot tastes like a carrot. It's just fresh. It's locally grown and it's grown with love. And that's the beautiful thing about a Farmers’ Market is that you can meet the people that are growing your food. You can see how their day is going, ask how their crops are coming, see what's in season and what they recommend. And that makes it really extra special.”
Sask Today will have more about the Farmer’s Market’s 50th Anniversary as our regular business feature on Monday.
